[csaa-forum] RE: waiting to be effluent (20 emails later...)

Tue Oct 12 19:26:44 CST 2004

hi.

to save on time, i'm wondering if anyone has consulted the major social research organisations and demography experts in the country, such as roy morgan research, ac nielsen, salmat, or kpmg's consumer behaviour division, to name but a few. there are literally reams and reams of quantitative and qualitative information produced each week, all cross tabulated, and ready to answer just these sorts of questions (voting behaviour in specific suburb cross tabulated against specific demographic cross tabulated against statements indicating level of cultural capital, for example). 

marketers, advertising agencies, government departments, political parties, and other organisations have been relying for years on the highly nuanced information these research companies produce.

research questionnaires delivered to household participants do not, however, inquire as to their knowledge of bourdieu, butler, or bhabha.

cheers,
laknath.

Francis Maravillas <Francis.Maravillas at uts.edu.au> wrote:
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 
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 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Amanda Wise" 
> To: "'CSAA discussion list'" 
> 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
> > >_______________________________________
> > >
> > >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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> >
> 
> 
> _______________________________________
> 
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www.csaa.asn.au

Laknath Jayasinghe
MPhil candidate
Cultural Studies, UQ.

Researching: Performance masculinities in rock and popular music.

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