Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
organic. . . . In an ideal world I would have much more time and money. . . . Plus I've read
that some of the fruits, if you peel it, then that makes [enough of ] a difference.”
Mass consumption, in contrast, is a hegemonic mode of shopping where meaning
is created through enjoyment of the process of accumulation, acquisition, and variety.
This mode of shopping is highly normalized and has a “taken for granted” quality—
even in retail settings that offer some promise of “shopping for change.” The range of
experiences in mass consumption can vary; sometimes shopping involves a search for
low prices, and at other times it involves luxury goods or an experience that enhances
feelings of social status. For example, Rob, a 31-year-old social worker, described
Whole Foods Market positively as a “luxury food experience,” and noted, “they call me
sir—it's much more pleasing. You know, that extra special kind of attention.” Similar
to frugal consumption, mass consumption perspectives do not frame shopping as a
political activity. Some food consumers we interviewed shopped consistently within
this mode. Even when prompted about the political dimension of grocery shopping,
or asked if they had any critiques of food system actors, these interviewees strictly
limited their discussion about food shopping to concerns about nutrition, variety,
price, and convenience.
Looking back at Trina and Phillippe, we see how they both conceptualize shopping
as an extension of their politics, and therefore fit within the right-hand quadrant of the
typology where we locate political food consumers. While both attach political mean-
ings to commodity choices, we identify key differences in their perspectives on con-
sumption: Trina's perspective fits within the eco-shopping category, whereas Phillippe's
is best cast in the ecological citizenship category. Below, we draw on interview data from
our various studies to expand on what we mean by these two categories, which we regard
as the central contribution of this typology.
Eco-shopping
An “eco-shopping” perspective views political food shopping as an opportunity to
replace conventional commodities with options that appear less harmful for people,
animals, and the environment more generally. We use the prefix “eco” because the
frame of environmental protection is the dominant theme of this mode of consump-
tion, whereas labor and equity issues have a comparatively minor presence. This
was clear in many of our interviews, where respondents primarily emphasized eco-
logical concerns, with social justice concerns most often articulated in response to a
specific follow-up question originating from the interviewer. For the eco-shopping
ideal type, improvements in environmental conditions, reduction in waste, and
elimination of labor injustices are possible through a form of commodity “substitu-
tionism.” In other words, consumption and attainment of more material goods are
thought to be sustainable once they are incrementally shifted over to a more politi-
cized basket of goods. Brenda, a 41-year-old health professional put it this way:
Search WWH ::
Custom Search