David Merritt is a junior majoring in communication. He can be contacted at [email protected].There are a lot of things missing in Starkville, but what really bothers me is that we don’t have a decent thrift store.
We do have Palmer Home, but it’s not exactly what I would call a “premier” thrift store. Palmer Home is sort of lacking in all departments probably because so few people go there.
Most would agree that second-hand clothes sold at our thrift store and others aren’t top notch, but I’d take a pair of jeans for a buck over the same pair of jeans for $30 or $40 in a department store any day.
However, many of our fellow classmates wouldn’t even look at a thrift store without claiming some sort of hygiene high horse. They would talk of the lice or the stench or the weird stains. I believe these are clever excuses for childish motives, though.
So, what is the real reason cheap and poor college students wouldn’t take advantage of cheap things?
Because these same cheap and poor college students are very image conscious.
The company that makes certain products must be clearly and distinctly stamped on everything they own. Brands dictate not only college students’ social status but that of every American.
When you buy a shirt or a car or a pair of shoes, you are not buying those specific material things but the image associated with it.
I can’t help but think of the marketing agencies sitting back and laughing as desperate consumers rush to grab whatever crap they put on shelves. They must smirk as they stamp “cool” or “hip” on their products.
Americans have given up their own individual identity-making power and have laid it in the hands of massive money-making corporations that will gladly oblige to determine what kind of person an American is. These businesses will generate identities they can easily profit from, for people who are dependent on what they can consume rather than what they can do for themselves.
I think it’s funny how capitalism is called a “consumer” culture, but the consumer is clearly not in control. Buyers buy what they want, but it’s the act of buying itself that gives businesses power.
We the consumer will always need the basic necessities of life, such as food or clothing and will thus always be dependent on some sort of producer to provide these. The real problem with this sort of arrangement occurs when we grow complacent and let the provider do whatever they so desire.
We must not let companies make us what they want us to be. Of course, if you’re comfortable with being told what you want and how to enjoy life, go ahead and buy what they tell you to buy.