Design Issues

Yun Wa Chan

Micheal de Certeau’s notion of “being in-between” refers to the latest way cool kids “express their disdain for mass culture not by opting out of it but by abandoning themselves to it entirely-but with a sly ironic twist.” This can be described as ironic consumption where the consumer actively immerses him/herself in consumption and consumer society while acknowledging what he/she is doing and the negative impact of consumerism on society. For example, “going to Disney World to drop acid and good on Mickey isn’t revolutionary; going to Disney World in full knowledge of how ridiculous and evil it all is and still having a great innocent time, in some almost unconscious, even psychotic way, is something else altogether.” Personally, this idea seems obviously hypocritical. Participating in glorified consumerism supports the corporations, marketers, and advertisers and allows for them to further target people. It does nothing to change the present situation even though the problems are acknowledged. Klein states that we cannot escape this culture and “being in-between” is the only path of true freedom. It is true that we cannot escape this culture. Being aware of what is going on is important and it is the main way to prevent manipulation. But if we are still indulging in consumer society and enjoying it, just being aware of how evil it really is doesn’t do much.

Susan Sontag’s definition of camp is being in-between and ironic. It is a clique-a group of people who understand the notion of being camp. Sontag gives the example of “using an act of imagination to make the marginal-even the despised-glamorous and fabulous.” Camp is a “defense mechanism against the banality, ugliness and overearnestness of mass culture.” Klein states that since Sontag’s piece, camp has been “quantified, measured, weighed, focus-grouped and test-marketed.” After being incorporated by marketers and all the kids who try to be cool, it loses its meaning and effectiveness. In a way, it becomes a sell out. Once advertisers realized that it seems cool to be camp, they incorporated it into their strategy. Now that camp is part of mass culture, it can no longer be a defense against it. Klein’s article mentions how clothing companies incorporate inner-city black youth culture to sell their products. I think this is an example of camp after its initial definition changed.

I think we can still be truly critical in an age of mass camp. One way is through de Certeau’s idea of being in-between. If we understand the strategies advertisers use to convince us to consume, they will be less effective. At the same time, it is true that we cannot totally escape this culture. To an extent, we can participate in it but not indulge in it without thinking of the consequences. We can try not to visit Disney World, but if we really wanted to, we can. We can have fun there, but we cannot buy into the whole idea behind it. Still, it would be best if we avoided going there.

If I were to invent a new product for tweens, it would probably be a new magazine. Although many of these exist, they mostly encourage tweens to become homogenous mass consumers. I would like to focus on other issues besides consuming and being cool, or at least offer some alternatives.
 

Kelli Dochstader

Michael de Certeau’s notion of "being-in-bewteen" is a way of enjoying the commerical things in life, with a recognition that they are commerical. Essentially, I feel that I may live with the notion of "being-in-bewteen" to some extent. Yes, I may buy expensive brands of clothing and sprend more on teh brand name of an item when a generic exsists somewhere, but I've never done it because I think it makes me cooler. For instance, I recognize the association of NorthFace, Juicy, and Tiffany's to Long Island Girls here at UB. However, I never bought any of the items I own to be associated with them. I bought the items I liked because of how they look or their function. I also find it extremely amusing when people assume I'm rich from Long Island because of what I am wearing.

Susan Sontag notes that the art of "being-in-bewteen" is really the are of being ironic, or camp. People that recognize the situation and who do not succumb to the serious effort of advertisers, who find the advertisemesnts amusing are camp. They see through the advertisements and speak of them. But what happens when this minority becomes the majority? Essentially, the act of trying not to be cool, becomes the new cool. As far as being critical in this time, I feel there will alway be high levels of criticism from every standpoint. Those who are camp will critize those who are not, and vice versa. There are also the parents of these tweens being affect, advertisers, companies, the list goes on... opinions will always differ. As long as there is one viewpoint, there will always be another.

I think the most unsettling time in a girl's life, as far as development is concerned, is during the "tween" years. Some girls develop bodies much faster than others and those who are left behind may feel very self conscious, especially during times like changing for gym class going swimming... times when their bodies are fairly exposed. I think I would design a tween lingeraie and swimwear line, that doesn't have the stigma of a training bra or a little girl's two-piece swimsuit.
 

Zach Kaitz

Being “in-between” works as an ethical approach to being in our corporate world. “In-betweens” can protest cigarettes marketing techniques and still smoke but they know where they stand. “in-betweens”, like me are conscious of selling out or selling in and so karma can take its course. Sure everyone wants to buy from American Apparel, which is brand name display free and workshop free. But not everyone can, I can make art that demeans coke and pepsi but I have yet to find a soda that satisfies my immediate caffeine fixes other than the 2 major. Socrates stated that he didn’t know everything, which obviously made him smarter than everyone else who thought they knew everything. The same applies with cool. To know that you’re uncool makes you cool. If you have enough self doubt you to check yourself, you can still have enough confidence to not be a dweeb.
Camp would be knowing what is wrong but having guilty pleasure for something they might feel morally wrong about. Camp has become cliché and so no one dares to speak it for fear of being seen as uncool. Inbetweeners buy in to things that they feel aren’t so bad, at least I’m not a young republican.
Its hard to be critical with mass camp but with so much crap on TV there will always be a place to vent. I truly believe the masses can figure it out for themselves: where they would like to be able to fit in. There still is underground music and the cool hunters can sometimes be scared off by the artist promising their attachment to strictly independent labels.
Seeing it is how tweens want to be fashionable and feel older I would make a new clothing line for tweens. A fad that was short lived in America but long lived in Britain, The Mods. They would feel so hip these tweens who are cooler than their skateboarder older brother or subpunk sister. I would like to see how well it did.
 

Niki Zengerle

I think Naomi Klein means that the consumer is in a state of being in-between because by being aware of the fact that they have become a part of the “spectacle”, with out rebelling or opting out of the experiences it offers, they are precariously balanced between oblivious consumption and adherence, and out and out rebellion. The consumer is both the manipulator and the manipulated at the same time, because they are aware of the fact that the market is manipulating them, and they have made a conscious and controlling decision to milk the experience for all it is worthwhile openly admitting that they are doing just that. Micheal de Certeau describes going to Disney World “in full knowledge of how ridiculous and evil it all is and still having a great innocent time” as the “only path of true freedom in today’s culture”. I think this is incredibly sad but unfortunately true. We are going to be bombarded, targeted, fired upon, and if possible manipulated by the consumer monster we have created by free enterprise. Our own awareness of this manipulation, and our conscious and educated decision to participate or not, is the only defense we have. Our ironic attitude is what gives us the last laugh and some measure of control over the situation. We thumb our noses and say, “fine, you wanted to get to us, well we’ll take what you offer - squeeze the maximum out of it - and then blow you off if we feel like it.”

Susan Sontag first defined camp as a “defense mechanism against the banality, ugliness and over earnestness of mass culture”. She also stated that, “the essential element is seriousness, but a seriousness that fails”. This involved “ using an act of imagination to make the marginal, even the despised, glamorous and fabulous” but that “to talk about camp is to betray it”. Camp in today’s advertising apparatus is an open admittance of irony, sarcasm and a refusal to take anything seriously. We don’t use imagination to make the marginal fabulous, we admit that it’s horrible and embrace it as it is, as a fad, without trying to change it into anything else. This was illustrated by the movie Showgirls, and its cult like popularity despite the fact that it stunk.
I don’t think it’s difficult to be truly critical in an age of mass camp - I think that criticism is part of the irony - part of our jaded view of the whole system. Nobody admittedly buys things because they are cool. We buy them because of how they make us feel and because they define our inner character. Some companies are just better at making a wide range of people feel good about the same products.

I think if I could invent a new product for tweens it would be some kind of a character, a mascot, (a cartoon?) who shunted brand names, logos, and advertising in favor of championing critical causes in the world. A character that would somehow manage to teach a generation increasingly mesmerized and defined by “stuff”, that it is cool to be obsessed with changing the world. That it is better to be defined by your thoughts and actions than by your wardrobe or your cell phone.
 

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Naomi Klein refers to the notion of "being in-between" as the position of being aware of the
hyping of our own 'cultural' identities, by companies that observe, copy and merchandize them back to us, And Still we continue to joyfully consume this that they agressively market. Ironically, understanding how wrong it is to have our identities packaged for sale, we simply indulge with their products. And according to Klein ironic consumption is the only way to true freedom in our saturated consumer-manupulating society. I see this happening to so many including myself. Although aware of the market strategies to promote consumerism, I still continue to allow company opportunists to profit out of my inaction.

The word camp was put out by Susan Sontang to indentify the group that finds the beautiful in the ugly; in-betweeners, who acknowledge but choose to look away from "...the banality, ugliness and overearnestness of mass culture” as a defense. In the meantime, marketers have managed to also appropitate of 'camps' and has marketed the "so-bad it's good" attitude to them in their advertising campaigns.

I believe that we can be critical in this age of mass camp. I agree with Yun that by learning about what's behind the cool visuals, cool gadgets, etc, that influence us so much into buying what companies sell, we can be less susceptible to their tactics and manipulative strategies.

Katty M.
 

Steve Voutsinas

The notion of "being in-between" refers to what it is, actually being in between. we as american consumers know everything that goes in behind selling a product, they don't care about us just that we get duped into buying certain things because of the appeal, or the "coolness" persay especially for children and young adults. but regardless of our knowledge, we are in between the facts because we know whats going on yet most of the time we still buy certain things.
the word "camp" can be defined as sarcasm in current advertising campaigns. are we really supposed to believe some of the things that they try and sell us on in this ads? like am i really going to have hot woman wanting me because i am wearing axe body spray? nope, but its a good selling point and people still buy it. there is no way we can be critical of it either because regardless of what we think we still fall for it everyday, and people will always know whats really going on but its not going to stop them from purchasing these ridiculous products. its all about the want, just like going back to axe body spray, guys know it won't work like they say, but the fact that we want it to make us buy it.
if i were to create a new product for tweens, it would probably be a new card game, like magic, b/c that was big when i was a tween, but this game would be about the masses of corporations and all of their scehemes to show them how silly they really are. i think this would be a fun and effective way to get them to know about whats really going on at a younger age,
 

TRAVIS APTT

I believe that when Naomi Klein refers to Micheal de Certeau’s notiton of “being in-between”, she means exactly that. I feel that the consumer is constantly in this state. No matter where you go or what you do… you are bombarded with different corporations using their evil powers to woo, you, the consumer. I feel like children coming up through high-school are affected the most by this. They have to try to fit into their “cliques”… whether this is preppy, jock, punk, nerd, etc… This in turn changes the way you act for the rest of your life. Me personally… when I was growing up, everyone bought Tommy Hilfiger, and Polo and Nautica. Now I find myself purchasing along the same lines of clothes. I tell myself that I like to buy stuff because of how it looks… but then how come I go in the mall and only go to banana republic, Hollister, express, and Abercrombie. Is it because they are trendy or cool? I could tell myself of course not, but I would know that deep down if they were not accepted widely by the public people… chances are that I would not wear them. Most people like nice things, and usually the nicer they are the more expensive they are as well. On the other hand… when you are broke and in college you kind of have to buy what you can afford. I think that parents are crucial to try to help their children while they are growing up. Teach them that it’s not what the brand is that’s what is most important (even though they will learn different in school) but it is really what this product will do for them. They will begin to learn that they should buy stuff because of the quality and its function rather than the overall looks. It is almost an impossible task to accomplish I would say. When you are growing up through school and are getting teased because you are wearing clothes from wal-mart or target… what would you do?

If I were to invent a new product for tweens, it would be along the lines or a game that would teach children about the satirical ads that we are bombarded with on a daily basis. I find so many of the advertisements these days to be just plain stupid. There needs to be some kind of game or invention that can try to teach and educate children before it is too late.