[csaa-forum] RE: wanting to be effluent

Tue Oct 12 18:24:18 CST 2004

I agree, Jeannie. There seems to be a perception that people who have nice a house can't be critical, progressive or 'leftish'. Class/cultural capital distinctions do not necessarily correlate with political positionalities (or voting behavior) - and even Bourdieu acknowledges that. 

Francis 

----- Original Message -----
From: Jeannie Martin <jeanniem at ozemail.com.au>
Date: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 5:17 pm
Subject: Re: [csaa-forum] RE: wanting to be effluent

> What is wrong with wanting a nice house and having a bit of a 
> spend to get
> it.?
> I did all that
> 
> Dr. Jeannie Martin
> Adjunct Senior Research Fellow,
> Centre For Cultural Research
> Parramatta Campus
> University of Western Sydney,,
> Locked Bag 1797,
> Penrith South DC NSW 1797
> Phone +61. 2. 96859600
> Fax; +61.2. 96859610
> e-mail <je.martin at uws.edu.au>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Amanda Wise" <amanda.wise at scmp.mq.edu.au>
> To: "'CSAA discussion list'" <csaa-forum at darlin.cdu.edu.au>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 4:01 PM
> Subject: RE: [csaa-forum] RE: wanting to be effluent
> 
> 
> > As much as I'm appalled by the spread of Plasma TV mania and the
> > consumer credit frenzy it represents, I think the point needs to 
> be made
> > about how we direct our angst. Why are we so worried for the former
> > working classes who've 'sold out' to the Plasma/Project Home 
> world of
> > consumption yet not a word has been said about all those other 
> consumer> classes.... what about the Leichhardt/Annandale 
> renovators (insert your
> > capital city equivalents here), the Bondi million dollar semi-
> detached> cottages? The $10,000 leather lounge in the million 
> dollar warehouse
> > apartment in Alexandria, overlooking the Redfern housing commission
> > flats? Maybe these people voted Liberal too. Why are the Mc Mansion
> > residents so much more guilty/responsible for the current state of
> > affairs?
> >
> > Be aware of the power/class/cultural capital distinctions we're 
> drawing> on.
> >
> > All that aside - I suppose one important challenge is indeed, 
> (as some
> > have said on this list) to forge a new politics of 
> affect/empathy among
> > these groups. Ie: What sorts of popular discourses might we generate
> > amongst the newly (and old) affluent groups that would produce an
> > empathetic, rather than antagonistic view of the genuinely 
> struggling> workers out there, refugees, and so on...
> >
> > When I was researching/working with East Timorese refugees in 
> western> sydney on the independence struggle I was continually 
> amazed at the
> > level of participation among working and middle class anglo senior
> > citizens. There were compelled to action through the very active 
> work of
> > a group of Catholic nuns who basically travelled the length and 
> breadth> of Australia telling the East Timor story and bringing 
> Timorese refugees
> > out to visit small Catholic parishes. Not many people know that 
> a large
> > chunk of the funds for East Timor's independence struggle was 
> raised by
> > white nannas in suburban and country Australia. The nuns 
> understood the
> > power of 'empathy building' ...
> >
> > That's our challenge - finding the right empathy building 
> messages, the
> > kind that don't patronise, and finding the right means to get 
> them out
> > there.
> >
> > Amanda
> >
> > (and yes - I did say Chinese in Sylvania Waters. Indeed - there are
> > whole new classes of liberal voting migrants who even own Plasma 
> TVs. I
> > remember my interviews with East Timorese in Western Sydney ... 
> many of
> > whom had a key goal -to get out of Cabramatta and move to the new
> > housing estates around Liverpool. And most East Timorese would never
> > vote Labor - Whitlam is a dirty word to them - not suprisingly 
> given his
> > cosy relationship with Suharto in '75)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: csaa-forum-bounces at darlin.cdu.edu.au
> > [csaa-forum-bounces at darlin.cdu.edu.au] On Behalf Of John Scannell
> > Sent: Tuesday, 12 October 2004 3:39 PM
> > To: CSAA discussion list
> > Subject: Re: [csaa-forum] RE: wanting to be effluent
> >
> > Sally
> >
> > I am gonna let you take the heat for the Freedom Furniture stuff 
> now...> But I agree with you on consumerism and the whole mania of 
> conspicuous> consumption which has swept the country and is 
> driving me insane...
> > John
> >
> > Sally Scott wrote:
> >
> > >What a defensive barrage has been creative by allusions to Freedom
> > Furniture
> > >and fondue. Interestingly, for what it says about the 
> discources of
> > cultural
> > >studies, I was using the list of aspirational accoutrements as 
> symbols> of
> > >consumerism rather than class. That is, Australians, 
> irrespective of
> > >suburbs, are more interested in what they can buy and when, 
> rather than
> > >issues like education and health reform, refugees or workplace 
> equity.> Are
> > >we consuming ourselves into an apathetic torpor? What 
> significance does
> > this
> > >have for both the political process and the future of the Left (as
> > distinct
> > >from the Labor party)? (I understand my assumption here is that the
> > Left are
> > >less concerned with a consumer economy)
> > >
> > >There is a wonderful doco doing the rounds about the big 
> corporates and
> > the
> > >many ways in which they are driving consumption - out of this 
> all power
> > >leads to them. Where is our Left in this packet of Crispies?
> > >
> > >Sally
> > >
> > >
> > >csaa-forum
> > >discussion list of the cultural studies association of australasia
> > >
> > >www.csaa.asn.au
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> > >
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> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
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> 
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