Tma2

Outline The Argument That Consumer Society In The UK Is A Divided Society

The concept of the essay title is to demonstrate how consumer society in the UK is seen to be a divided society. Consumer society is something we are all part of and partake in on a daily basis, we all eat, drink, and buy products on pretty much a daily basis. So what makes a consumer society a divided society? It is true as I have already pointed out we consume many different products almost daily, but possibly what makes it a divided society is our ability to consume either effectively or non-effectively. This is shown in differences between the rich and poor, the young and the elderly, and the able bodied and disabled.

One theory that consumer society is a divided society is Bauman’s argument of a seduced and repressed society (Bauman,cited Hetherington 2009 p.25). Bauman believes consumer society is divided into two groups, the seduced and repressed. The seduced meaning people who maybe have a car, disposable income, good earning and steady job which all means they can consume effectively and have good access to do so. They have a sense of belonging as they can be seen to be successful not only through their status but through the products they buy and the lifestyle they lead through these products. The repressed of course would be the opposite, they may be unemployed, disabled, in low paid or casual work. The repressed feel excluded from effectively consuming, they cannot afford to spend on luxuries, instead their money may go on basic foods, heating and power for their homes, they may have limited access to shops which also effects their ability to consume effectively.

A piece of evidence that supports Bauman’s argument of a seduced and repressed society within consumer society is Peter Jacksons study of retail parks (Jackson, cited Hetherington 2009, p.45) . The retail park provides big name stores, large car parks and a food court. It is aimed mainly at families and although most...