Care and Belonging
Jessica Downie
Professor Troy McGinnis
Reading Journal Entry #1
October 4, 2012
"Care and Belonging in the Market" by Allison J. Pugh
Allison J. Pugh took the words right out of my mouth when writing her article on parents spending too much money on material items for their children. Commodity consumption for children has exploded to $670 billion spent annually on or by children in the United states in 2004 and there is a good chance its only getting higher. She branches off in the article going into several different topics on how the adults and children are effected by their desire to want to belong in society and how it affects the relationship between the parents and the children. It also focuses on the corporate marketers and how they tend to sell a fantasy to the children, reeling them into having a desire to have the product. This being done by the marketers, it also allows the parents to have the desire for their children, resulting in buying the product. As I was reading this article, it made me think of my childhood growing up and how I related so close to this topic. For me, I didn't have a lot growing up so I found myself struggling with wanting all the same things my friends had that my parents couldn't always afford. My parents both worked full time jobs to provide for me and my two older brothers. Allison J. Pugh states in the article that low-income parents often planned ahead and save up to be able to buy their children what they ask for and I saw my parents do this for me and my brothers for Christmas and our birthdays. My parents taught me at a young age to stay humble and that material things don't define me as a person. I carry this lesson with my everyday life now. I see my father now buying my two younger half sisters any and everything they could ever want. I see him trying to make up for the things he couldn't give me while growing up. It also points out that your parents don't buy you things for the joy of
Professor Troy McGinnis
Reading Journal Entry #1
October 4, 2012
"Care and Belonging in the Market" by Allison J. Pugh
Allison J. Pugh took the words right out of my mouth when writing her article on parents spending too much money on material items for their children. Commodity consumption for children has exploded to $670 billion spent annually on or by children in the United states in 2004 and there is a good chance its only getting higher. She branches off in the article going into several different topics on how the adults and children are effected by their desire to want to belong in society and how it affects the relationship between the parents and the children. It also focuses on the corporate marketers and how they tend to sell a fantasy to the children, reeling them into having a desire to have the product. This being done by the marketers, it also allows the parents to have the desire for their children, resulting in buying the product. As I was reading this article, it made me think of my childhood growing up and how I related so close to this topic. For me, I didn't have a lot growing up so I found myself struggling with wanting all the same things my friends had that my parents couldn't always afford. My parents both worked full time jobs to provide for me and my two older brothers. Allison J. Pugh states in the article that low-income parents often planned ahead and save up to be able to buy their children what they ask for and I saw my parents do this for me and my brothers for Christmas and our birthdays. My parents taught me at a young age to stay humble and that material things don't define me as a person. I carry this lesson with my everyday life now. I see my father now buying my two younger half sisters any and everything they could ever want. I see him trying to make up for the things he couldn't give me while growing up. It also points out that your parents don't buy you things for the joy of