Stewart Ewen Chosen People
RWS 100
Stuart Ewen’s Chosen People
“It’s not what you own its what people think you own” (Ewen 183). Consumerism is fueling today’s “middle class”. Stewart Ewen’s “Chosen People” goes into detail about the rise of the materialistic middle class.
As Ewen begins by describing the two contrasting perspectives of social reality. “It described factory industrialism as producing the accoutrements of a democracy, one which invites every man to enhance his own comfort and status. Equating democracy with consumption” (Ewen 187). Ewen recognizes that “Mass production, according to this outlook was investing individuals with tools of identity, marks of their personhood” (Ewen 187). One side of the perception of social reality is production. Being able to identify oneself with the help of mass production could be a way for people to deal with the identity crisis described earlier in his essay. Ewen then goes into the second perception of social reality. “For those laboring in many of the factories, however, industrial conditions systematically trampled upon their individuality and personhood” (Ewen 187). Industrialization did not create a way for people to deal with the identity crisis in the industrial revolution; it created even bigger problems of identity. Ewen then illustrates that out of the two ways to look at the new social reality came two ways to differentiate status and class. “One way of comprehending class focused on the social relations of power which dominated and shaped the modern, industrial mode of production” (Ewen 187). The first way to comprehend class is in terms of production in which a person’s success is defined by what they do for a living. Ewen then explains the second outlook of comprehending class. “American society gave rise to a notion of class defined almost exclusively, by patterns of consumption”(Ewen 187). Ewen finally makes his point in defining the American middle class as consumer based. To further explain his point, Ewen introduces
Stuart Ewen’s Chosen People
“It’s not what you own its what people think you own” (Ewen 183). Consumerism is fueling today’s “middle class”. Stewart Ewen’s “Chosen People” goes into detail about the rise of the materialistic middle class.
As Ewen begins by describing the two contrasting perspectives of social reality. “It described factory industrialism as producing the accoutrements of a democracy, one which invites every man to enhance his own comfort and status. Equating democracy with consumption” (Ewen 187). Ewen recognizes that “Mass production, according to this outlook was investing individuals with tools of identity, marks of their personhood” (Ewen 187). One side of the perception of social reality is production. Being able to identify oneself with the help of mass production could be a way for people to deal with the identity crisis described earlier in his essay. Ewen then goes into the second perception of social reality. “For those laboring in many of the factories, however, industrial conditions systematically trampled upon their individuality and personhood” (Ewen 187). Industrialization did not create a way for people to deal with the identity crisis in the industrial revolution; it created even bigger problems of identity. Ewen then illustrates that out of the two ways to look at the new social reality came two ways to differentiate status and class. “One way of comprehending class focused on the social relations of power which dominated and shaped the modern, industrial mode of production” (Ewen 187). The first way to comprehend class is in terms of production in which a person’s success is defined by what they do for a living. Ewen then explains the second outlook of comprehending class. “American society gave rise to a notion of class defined almost exclusively, by patterns of consumption”(Ewen 187). Ewen finally makes his point in defining the American middle class as consumer based. To further explain his point, Ewen introduces
Cited: Evans, Louwanda, and Joe Feagin. "Middle-Class African American Pilots: The Continuing Significance of Racism." American Behavioral Scientist, 56.5 (2012): 650-665. SMITH, ANTHONY L. "The Super-Rich: The Unjust World of Global Capitalism."ASEAN Economic Bulletin, 18.2 (2001): 237-239. Ewen, Stuard “Chosen People. Literacies 2nd Ed. Brunk, Diamond, Perkins, Smith. W.W Norton & Company Inc. 2000. Print.