CONSUMING CAPITALISM - A TASTE OF THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE (2003)
A short film by Peter Bolte
Experimental / Socio-political - 18 min
summary - thesis - DVDs - photos
In this experimental-short, director Peter Bolte engages us in an introspective questioning of our current social state. Consisting of images gathered during a car trip from Boston, MA to Hastings, NE, the American landscape in its many incantations is presented, compared and contrasted. The industrial wastelands found along the New Jersey Turnpike stand alongside nature's butterfly and eccentricities created by outsider artists. "Rational" structures, such as fast-food, are juxtaposed against the "irrational" mom-and-pop establishments. Correlations between man and machine also receive treatment. The imagery becomes somewhat disturbing at times and is fortified with a haunting score by Trevor Dunn. Overall this is just a taste - and opinionated at that - compiled to create a forum of thought and discussion.
To begin to understand where this project came about, one must re-evaluate the following definitions. With the constantly changing meanings found in linguistics, it is crucial to have a current understanding. For it is necessary to survive...
Consuming Capitalism the Documentary - A taste of the American landscape.
by Stacy Woodruff and Peter Bolte
consumption- 1. a) A consuming or being consumed; specif., Econ. The using up of goods or services, either by consumers or in the production of other goods b) the amount consumed 2. a) A wasting away of the body b) A disease causing this; esp., Tuberculosis of the lungs
capitalism- 1. the economic system in which all or most of the means of production and distribution, as land, factories, railroads, etc., are privately owned and operated for profit, originally under fully competitive conditions: it has been generally characterized by a tendency toward concentration of wealth, and, in its later phase, by the growth of great corporations, increased governmental control, etc. 2. the principles, methods, interests, power, influence, etc. of capitalist, especially of those with large holdings
idealism \I-'dE-(&-)"liz-&m, 'I-(")dE- n (1796) 1 a (1) : a theory that ultimate reality lies in a realm transcending phenomena (2) : a theory that the essential nature of reality lies in consciousness or reason b (1) : a theory that only the perceptible is real (2) : a theory that only mental states or entities are knowable 2 a : the practice of forming ideals or living their influence b : something that is idealized 3 : literary or artistic theory or practice that affirms the preeminent value of imagination as compared with faithful copying of nature - compare realism
McDonaldization- the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world (Ritzer, 1996:1)
rational- 1 a : having reason or understanding b : relating to, based on, or agreeable to reason : REASONABLE <a rational explanation> <rational behavior> 2 : involving only multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction and only a finite number of times 3 : relating to, consisting of, or being one or more rational numbers <a rational root of an equation>
irrational- : not rational: as a (1) : not endowed with reason or understanding (2) : lacking usual or normal mental clarity or coherence b : not governed by or according to reason <irrational fears> c : Greek & Latin prosody : (1) : of a syllable : having a quantity other than that required by the meter (2) : of a foot : containing such a syllable d (1) : being an irrational number <an irrational root of an equation> (2) : having a numerical value that is an irrational number <a length that is irrational>
Theory: The system of capitalism provides a wealth of fodder for those interested in exploring its effects upon society. Many classical social critics, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and Max Weber among the most well known, were and still are quick to identify the darkest aspects of capitalism. Marx and Engels warn of human alienation from the process of labor, the product, other humans and the species being throughout their "Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844". Weber writes somberly of the iron cage of rationalization, whereby rationality pervades an increasing amount of bureaucratic life and suffocates the remaining elements of humanity. Since rationality personifies modern capitalism, Weber would likely view the industrialized world as a never-ending series of interlocking iron cages, void almost completely of the human element.
Unfortunately, few Americans have been exposed first-hand to the afore mentioned writings; their conception of Marx consists of an association with the failed Communist efforts in China, Eastern Europe and Russia. Similarly and most pertinent to the current discussion, Marx’s negative renown has likely kept most Americans from reading and understanding why he came to evaluate several aspects of capitalism as dehumanizing and alienating. Ironically, the false consciousness created by capitalism, described by Marx, and adopted by most involved in the system works strongly to squelch social criticism. Reading and heeding the writings of Marx, therefore, is appropriately antithetical to the promotion of a capitalist system. As the saying goes, don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Yet, the classical social critics would encourage their contemporary counterparts to ask just how well that hand is feeding humanity. This question, we feel, holds increasing relevance today.
If the classic social critics are considered by most individuals to be too antiquated, incorrect or complex, can modern social critics renew and modernize the original arguments? George Ritzer, influenced overwhelmingly by the writings on rationality by Max Weber, has encompassed his discussion in a term that every American – and increasingly, every individual in the world – can understand: McDonaldization. Defined as "the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurants are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world" (Ritzer, 2000:1), one need only look around his or her immediate setting to find a handful of items produced in a McDonaldized system. Ritzer lists the following four concepts as characterizing the McDonald’s model: efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. The four elements of McDonaldization surface in the attempt to create a wholly rational system, with few details left to chance. Increasingly, industries other than fast food have come to offer these "valuable" aspects to consumers.
The irony of contrasting rationalized social systems with the rhetoric of idealized capitalism and various views of humanity drew us to this project. A common, classical definition of capitalism listed above highlights the necessity of competition for capitalism to exist and thrive. Ideally, a system based upon competition should encourage innovation or creativity; in order to stay competitive, one could hypothesize that human innovation should constantly be called upon to improve the current system. However, hyper-rationalization strips capitalistic competition of this aspect of creativity. "Scientific management", for instance, as designed by F.W. Taylor (Ritzer, 2000:28-30), aims to discover the one and only best way of completing a task; industry after industry seeks to completely rationalize the work process via systems of scientific management, in effect stripping workers of their autonomy and passing these uniform products onto consumers. The age of corporate mergers and the virtual disappearance of antitrust laws only confirm the suspicion that creative competition now has little to do with the larger scheme of capitalism. Frankly, this is disturbing.
These issues have also been recently presented to the public in the writings of Eric Schlosser in his New York Times best-selling book, Fast Food Nation. In this book, he takes a look into where and how this dehumanizing "epidemic" came about and where this rationalized form of consumption is headed. Literally taking a cradle to the grave approach, Schlosser leads the reader from the cattle pens, slaughter houses and potato fields to the fast food restaurant counters and fecal remains. Schlosser, like Upton Sinclair, uses his narrative form of journalism to create a haunting yet convincing portrayal of what is happening throughout our land. Schlosser’s readily accessible format of narration and expose is one of the key elements that drew us to his work.
The authors of this proposal have both expressed concern with the effects of unfettered rationalization upon their own disciplines of study. As a student of sociology, Stacy grew increasingly uncomfortable with the ways in which professors of sociology are encouraged to increasingly adopt rationalized approaches to education. The "publish or perish" mentality places nearly all emphasis upon quantity and leaves little room for evaluation of quality. Quantitative research, facilitated by computer programs, has covered every subject of sociological inquiry, regardless of the effectiveness or relevance of using quantitative measures for various topics; quantification publishes, qualitative studies are usually not considered "scientifically valid". Trained professors, especially in large universities, are encouraged to focus primarily upon research, forcing them to sacrifice time that could be dedicated to teaching students; focusing upon research becomes the most rational way to advance within the field that values publications over refining teaching skills. Administrating multiple-choice, computer scanned tests seems more efficient, easily calculated, predictable and controlled by non-human systems. Who really benefits with this arrangement? Students hardly receive their money’s worth in terms of the educations they are paying for. The public seldom benefits from or even hears about the findings of research conducted by sociologists. The sociologist rarely ever benefits (from the academic system) by concentrating on teaching. The supposedly autonomous career of an academic sociologist can easily become as regimented and uncreative as a job that requires little more than a high school degree.
As an artist, Peter has in recent years discovered the increased reliance upon an academic model imposed on students of art. The accumulation of academic credits and a diploma now serve to "legitimate" the artist. Some artists were able to establish themselves in the pre-rationalized art world based upon non-academic merits. In some cases now, these very artists have suffered at the hands of the rationalized art industry via the denial of teaching positions or shows due to a lack of academic credentials. Many galleries and museums now rely upon a "publish or perish" model, whereby the artist must present academic credentials and proof of prior shows in order to be considered for an exhibition. This sums up to create a "Catch-22" for some artists; a traditional route is rapidly being carved for the aspiring artist, a hypocritical development in a field at least ideally thought to flourish with the efforts of individuals applying ingenious methods and approaches to themes of everyday life. This in itself relates to the writings of Noam Chomsky. He suggests that there is a lacking of human diversity and creativity where ideology resides. In current art societies there are many examples of this "rationalized" thought process. Some of this can be found in the highly profitable enterprise of artists such as Thomas Kinkade; his "paintings" are produced on an assembly line and sold in malls at custom prices. This in itself can be read as a fall from creativity and a push for marketing and mechanization. This ideology can also be seen throughout the galleries of Chelsea and Soho. Why should one sector of the community devise a structure for the rest to follow? Does this not in itself dehumanize a once diverse field? Does this bring hypocrisy to a once thought of freedom: idealism? Our process of trying to find and exhibit our piece will also be a key element playing into these questions while conjuring up more.
In applying for funding to accomplish this project and seeking out exhibition space, this project will at the same time feed into Ritzer’s elements of McDonaldization and attempt to highlight his heretofore unmentioned fifth element or major critique, the irrationality of rationalization. Photography, on a base level, can serve as an efficient, calculable and controlled means of capturing an occurrence. However, photographs can also tell stories, sometimes more affectively than words. We plan to use photography in order to deliver content-rich images in an efficient and controlled manner. At the same time, we hope to convey in our photographs how irrational the "rational" leg of our trip can be. When one sees the monotony of our first leg, eating in similar restaurants and sleeping in similar beds for the entire leg, one will wonder why we left home in the first place. In contrast, photographs documenting the trip home will show that variety does exist in the United States, even if one is forced to search for it.
Purpose: Our proposed idea, Consuming Capitalism, will be used as a way to bring to the public images and ideas concerning consumption in a capitalist society. By juxtaposing the presumed conveniences of capitalism with the seeming irrationality of "doing it your own way," these ideas will be brought forward through means of documentation during a scheduled trip across the continental United States. An average individual (Peter Bolte) will travel across the United States from Boston, MA to Hastings, NE. He will be filmed and documented by his cohort (Stacy Woodruff). He will eat only "fast food" for every meal of the day for this first leg. Eating and lodging choices will be made based upon proximity (i.e., travel off of the highway to eat or sleep can be no further than one mile) and personal inclination. Throughout the trip, documentation will also be kept of the "irrational" counterparts that are seen and patronized as a way to form a juxtaposition between the two, bringing to attention not only the differences, but also shedding light upon any similarities that may appear. A log will be kept throughout the trip in order to record costs, convenience and quality of the choices, as well as any other observations throughout the trip.
Consumption will be addressed in various ways. In its most literal sense, the product (food) purchased becomes an actual entity of the consumer. The after effects of consumption, including various forms of waste, also occupy positions only slightly removed from the consumer. Secondly, since capitalism facilitates aspects of McDonaldization (calculability, efficiency, predictability and control), consumption regularly occurs with little or no thought on behalf of the consumer. While less rationalized businesses can still display the afore mentioned qualities, the act of consumption may require taking a risk or dedicating a minute or two of thought to the decision. For example, while one pretty well knows what McDonald’s coffee tastes like, stopping at the roadside café may give one unexpected delight and flavor or overdone, three day-old reheated coffee. By dividing the trip into "rational" (i.e., McDonald’s, Holiday Inn) and "irrational" (i.e., Ethel’s Diner, O’Connor’s Bed and Breakfast) components, we hope to document and present some of the pros and cons of both forms of consumption.
Finally, we deal with consumption on a metaphorical level. In the process of consuming tangible items, we also consume a portion of our own existence. By frequenting these overly mechanized businesses we are also trying to bring into question ideas of dehumanization. When patronizing these McDonaldized establishments, are we perpetuating the chain of streamlined, dehumanized production? In turn, how much more opportunity and choice is actually given to the consumer when participating in the "irrational" methods of consumption? Does the inevitable destruction of our physical and creative environments also increase with rational consumption? While this list of questions is by no means exhaustive, the philosophical implications of consumption, both rational and irrational, affect the lives of all humans, whether they consume conspicuously on a daily basis or have never seen or heard of the conveniences of modernity that make use of the resources in their immediate surroundings. Hopefully this piece will generate additional thoughts, criticisms and hypotheses about the various roles of consumption upon the human condition.
The project is not an attack on the McDonald’s corporation or any other fast food giant, but merely a reaction to the absurdity of the human condition – What we have created for ourselves in our environment. This visual documentation is also brought together to create a forum of discussion for the many questions that arise within this context.
Works Cited
Chomsky, N. (1987). . The Chomsky Reader. Edited by Peck, J., New York, New York:
Random House, Inc.
Marx, K. and Engels, F. (1978). The Marx-Engels Reader. Edited by Tucker, R. C. New York,
New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Ritzer, G. (2000). The McDonaldization of Society: New Century Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Pine Forge Press.
Schlosser, E. (2002). Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York,
NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
Weber, M. (1990). From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology. Edited by Gerth, H. H., and Mills,
C. W. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
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