Spend, spend, spend. Why?, Why?, Why?. One possible answer lies in the Cold War politics of 'Game Theory' When both the USA and USSR played out a game of poker on the world stage, with each country trying to convince the other that they had a better hand of missiles. It was all about making the other side think that you had something they did not. While the cold war was playing out there was a growth in production of goods for the newly emerging consumer market, luxuries to make the drudgery of work seem worthwhile. Advertising marketed the goods and the competitive side of human nature did the rest. Just as the USA didn't want the USSR to think that had less military hardware, people didn't want their neighbours to think that they had more than them. The name of the game became Competitive Consumption, or keeping up with the Joneses. During the same time there was a move to non-conformity in countries like the US and Britain, people wanted to be different and dress differently to their parents, politically this change was expressed by the New Left movements in the US and Britain. Teenagers became a dominant force both politically and economically. Capitalists catered for this by providing the clothes and the goods that appealed to this market. Politicians offered a less conservative vision of the future. Rebellion and revolution was in the air. The teenagers wanted to be 'cooler' than their parents, but more importantly for the growth of consumerism they wanted to be 'cooler' than their peers. The Game had begun.
No.10 out of 16: SHAM 69 - Give A Dog A Bone: http://www.sendspace.com/file/5lybpk
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