Reading Response #1

Thinking Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths

 

We are consumers, drowning in a cultural myth everyday. As much as some people who don't want to consumers isolated by media and propaganda; some escape these traditions, while others choose to follow. Colombo argues, that cultural myths can take many forms like, consumerism, education,  habits and values learned else where. His goal in this essay was to inform college readers about questioning the old values and habits acquired from others and build our own ideas about the origin of these, "cultural myths" by learning how to think critically. 

 

It holds people together by providing us with a shared set of

customs, values, ideas, and beliefs, as well as common language.

We live in enmeshed in this cultural web: it influences

the way we relate to others, the way we look,

our tastes, our habits; it enters our dreams and desires.

 But as culture binds us together it also selectively blinds us. (3)

 

 We are all born with the ability to criticize others and question things as simple as, "Why." It comes naturally. It might be difficult for others to make sense of my introduction but it requires the ability to see things from multiple perspectives. I don't like when people criticize consumerism and act as if it is the worst thing to be in America. After all America is what it is because of consumerism, not every aspect of it but a lot. People who work, work to be able to consume more easily. Not everybody is the same way or wants to be that way either, but from what I have noticed many hard working adults work so they can afford, a trip, a new pair of something or save for a new car, make a down payment for a house. It is easy to see this because you can take a look at the "stuff" your class mates, co-workers and relatives own. At least one person you know has or wants the latest smart phone. If it weren't for good consuming Americans (and others around the world) who buy these things, Apple would not be in business neither would Verizon. People who argue consumerism is bad and yet own these thing and have Facebook or at one point had Myspace are hypocrites. How much is Facebook worth again?

 

 To be a critical thinker you have to look within yourself and ask your self questions about who you are and why you are the way you are. How would you feel if Facebook shut down, if you crashed your car, if your IPhone was stolen? Do the objects in your life own you, or do you own them? Is following the latest trends from fashion make a person shallow? Is wanting the latest, the most new everything bad? And the truth lies within history. Forever humans have been evolving. Things evolve. The Mona Lisa wouldn't have  been painted if there wasn't a demand for it. And during that time period if you could afford to have your portrait painted you had to be rich. Consumerism is and has always been a part of human life, it doesn't have to be unless there is a demand for it.