Nation of Rebels: Why Counterculture Became Consumer Culture

Citation

Guang Tian, R. (2007), "Nation of Rebels: Why Counterculture Became Consumer Culture", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 184-184. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363760710746210

Nation of Rebels takes a deep look into our society and tries to illustrate its overall function as an incorporated system, providing a real insight into how counterculture has transformed into a mass‐produced market. It shows the readers how our consumer culture really works: our rebelling against the norm not only perpetuates the market economy, it is the economy's biggest driving factor as well.

This book is co‐authored by Joseph Heath, Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto, and Andrew Potter, Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Trent University. In this wide‐ranging and perceptive work of cultural criticism, the authors shatter the most important myth that dominates much of radical political, economic, and cultural thinking. The idea of a counterculture – a world outside of the consumer‐dominated world that encompasses us – pervades everything from the anti‐globalization movement to feminism and environmentalism.

Throughout the book the authors stress the idea that mocking or simply hoping the “system” will collapse is not only counterproductive, but also has helped to create the very consumer society radicals oppose. The authors creatively express their thinking about counterculture and suggest that people's rebellion acts influences our economy: when there is a change in culture, society tends to view this change as an alternative lifestyle since it goes away from the norms of everyday life. According to the authors, people tend to view and label this kind of lifestyle as being “alternative,” and it has become the economy's biggest driving factor by helping companies and corporations create new products, integrate new marketing campaigns, and create a new form of commercialism.

In a lively blend of popular culture, history, and philosophical analysis, the authors offer a startlingly clear picture of what a concern for social justice might look like without the confusion of the counterculture obsession with being different. Their thought behind consumerism is based on the impact that an alternative lifestyle has had on our society. “Unfortunately, the idea of counterculture has become so deeply embedded in our understanding of society that it influences every aspect of social and political life. Most importantly, it has become the conceptual template for all contemporary leftist politics. Counterculture has almost completely replaced socialism as the basis of radical political thought. So if counterculture is a myth, then it is one that has misled an enormous number of people, with untold political consequences” (p. 16).

In the eyes of the authors the concept of counterculture seems to be overlooked by society even though it has changed the world that we live in. People do certain things because society makes them noticeable and creates these new trends. Certain groups of people stick together, not because they wear the same clothing, but because the way they view things is the same. The authors are able to apply in‐depth research results to back up their opinions and findings about the counterculture. For instance, they state in Chapter 2, “The idea of counterculture would probably never have taken hold had it not been for Freud” (p. 37). People who have freedom and live within civilization are all a part of the same society, but to break away from the norms and reject culture would be the result of forming this counterculture.

It is clear that in today's society people want to be set apart from one another; they are not trying to be followers but leaders in choosing the way that they represent themselves. The idea of consumerism is guided by the desire of peoples' wants and needs to conform to society's beliefs. The authors express their argument about consumerism and how it drives people to conform. For example, in Chapter 4 they indicate: “Consumerism, in other words, would appear to be a product of consumers trying to outdo one another. It is competitive consumption that creates the problem, not conformity. If consumers were just conformists, then they would all go out and buy exactly the same stuff, and everyone would be happy” (p.103). They claim that the way people dress and show off fashion is what makes up a culture, and this gives a culture its very own uniqueness. For those who strongly uphold consumerism's values, the meaning of goods is greater than the functions as for them “goods both express and define … individual identities” (p. 185).

In Chapter 7 the authors introduce a very interesting market trend – from status‐seeking to coolhunting. It is interesting that in today's society being cool is fitting in and going with the trends that are in style. The latest fashions and designs go along with the marketing term of “branding.” “Over the past decade or so, multinational corporations have used the power of branding to achieve unprecedented wealth, power, and influence” (p. 329). People buy certain clothes based on the demand to have the top names in fashion, which is a reflection of cultural values. Since culture has differences of opinions and attitudes, while adults consider the benefits and the utilities of goods, kids may want to wear what is cool, the name brands of clothing such as Nike.

Consumers get branded at an early age, which relates back into their teenage years. “Almost everyone's brand preferences are fixed during their preteen and teenage years (it is extremely difficult to get adults to shift brands), so it makes sense to direct significant resources to consumers before they've made their final brand decisions” (p. 218). The authors understand well about how branding has taken the world by storm, and as such they elaborate on globalization and how it provokes society to do certain things. They clearly indicate that “globalization under these brand bullies has given us a world in which corporations, not governments, rule, and in which the foremost expression of our values and identities is found in consumerism, not citizenship” (p. 329).

In short, it is true that discontent with the commercialism of our political and social lives bubbles up. Whether it is the anti‐globalism movement, youth trends like Goths and Granster Rap, or just the prevailing sentiment that a slower, simpler life will put us on the path to true happiness. These trends imagine a radical break from mainstream culture. Creatively and skilfully employing examples from music and the movies, the authors make their point: our constant striving for distinction and self‐expression is what drives our consumer culture. It is true that the idea of an alternative lifestyle has fostered the best opportunity for new products, new promotions, and new marketing efforts to take hold.

It is a very interesting experience for me as a business professor to read a marketing‐oriented book by two philosophy professors. Although the authors are not experts in marketing and consumer science, their studies on why counterculture has become consumer culture present us as a new approach towards a better understanding of consumer behaviors. The authors' illustrations on their own life experiences and their evaluation of specific consumer movements are very impressive and meaningful. Throughout the book and in the conclusion the authors make a statement that overshadows the whole book in its entirety: “We should strive to perfect the market, not to abolish it. One need only glance at an introductory economics textbook to see what an ideal market would look like … Firms would not behave opportunistically toward their costumers or suppliers, and there would be no windfall profits. And, most importantly, all externalities would be internalized; firms would have to factor the full social cost of their actions into every decision made” (p. 334).

According to the authors, this is the direction that we should be moving in; this is also the ideal that has been guiding the authors to make recommendations to modern marketers. I have to agree with the statement made by Business Week that “Nation of Rebels provides an incisive and witty indictment of consumer trends.” I will recommend this book to all the business executives who are planning to win the consumers' loyalty by competitiveness rather than conformity. Also I am very comfortable to recommend this book to business professors and their students as reading materials for an alternative thinking of marketing.