Gimme, Gimme, Gimme
Kimberly Vicik
Issue date: 12/17/07 Section: Opinion
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A recent Staples commercial begins with a little boy making a snowman when a digital photography frame falls from the sky and takes out the snowman's head. Then we see an older woman and a little girl setting a table full of food and suddenly a Dell laptop falls in the mashed potatoes. An old man is decorating a Christmas tree when a digital camera soars in and knocks the tree over. Finally, a man is putting up lights on the house when a GPS Navigation System falls from the sky, hits him in the head, and he falls off the ladder.
"Materialism is already the pivotal part of Christmas, and everyone knows it," said Jessica Vicik, a student of Visual Culture. The Staples commercial "simply blatantly recognized it, and used it as a marketing device. It won't even pretend morality."
Funny and entertaining, nonetheless, the Staples commercial seems to be sending the message that the only important thing during the holiday season is presents. Who cares about the tradition of decorating the tree with the family, or eating a dinner all together? Why even bother with any of those activities anymore? Just gimme the gifts.
"Capitalism works by inducing workers to become consumers", says Naomi Miller, professor of Psychology and Sociology courses at SCCC.
Americans spend about 457 billion dollars on the holiday season; this includes Kwanzaa and Hanukah. In other words, approximately 800 dollars is spent per "average consumer," according to recent reports from the National Retail Federation and information reported in Charles Henderson's article "Holiday Spending: How Much Is Enough."
"The amount [of money] spent on winter holidays is greater than all charitable giving combined", wrote Henderson.
Holiday expenses are rising every year. This is especially energized by the convenience of online shopping, which makes it easier to find and purchase anything someone might be looking for.
"Most Americans work in empty meaningless jobs separated in time and place from family, and thus are induced to find their identity through consumerism," said Miller.
So what is Christmas all about? Some might say family and togetherness, but is that really true these days? What would you say the Holiday season is about: family, caring, or those gimmie, gimmie, gimmie presents?
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