[For those who have not seen this brilliant doc. this can also be viewed online. Also, check out this interesting interview].
Five major themes emerge in the documentary:
- The Clout of Media Giants
- The Symbiotic Relationship Between The Media and Teenagers
- Where Are the Adults?
- What's this Doing to Kids?
- The Coarsening of Culture
Rushkoff wrote about this subject in Coercion where he says, "The techniques of coercion have advanced so far over the past several decades that we no longer live in a world where the best man wins. It's a world where the person who has made us believe he is the best man wins."
When I first viewed this documentary, I found myself most shocked by the thought that no matter what a person does, it seems impossible to resist the lure of the advertizing industries, but is this so? Do we all need to simply concede to whatever the latest and greatest trends are? Or is it possible to resist? Or is there a third alternative... One where there can be a negotiation between producer and consumer - making the consumer in essence a co-producer?
Robert McChesney graphically refers to this as the colonization of today's youth culture - exept the tanks and guns are media. I would tend to agree with McChesney that this seems to be the intention of most of the media industry, it doesn't mean that this automatically means that concession is automatic or enforced. To build on the colonial metaphor, colonization does not mean that everyone hegemonically follows the ideologies imparted by the colonialist. Some do. Some are involved in anarchic resistance. Others are involved in what Paulo Freire calls limited co-operation - a critical, dialogical posture of negotiation - which recognizes that there are both winfalls and pitfalls with any political system. A youth culture that is critically conscious can accept or reject the ideas being propogated by media industries... However, the imperative word remains 'conscious.' Merchants of Cool is a documentary which serves as a loud speaker to awaken the giant - a gauntlet which challenges today's teens to recognize their power and influence.
I would really recommend this documentary to anyone who is seriously interested in exploring the relationship of media and youth culture - particularly as a launchpad into further dialogue and research.
[NOTE: For Project 117 students - but others are invited to participate]
1. Read Malcolm Gladwell's article.
2. Explore the Frontline sight in further detail.
3. Take one of the major themes from Merchants of Cool and post your reflections/insights/additional links.
4. Finally, is it possible to escape this type of cool-hunting by consuming "Christian alternatives?" Where does Christian merchandizing fit into this?
