It is easy in today's world to be lost in a fascination with - as Alexis de Tocqueville put it - "magical names [and] ideas". He may have been the world's first brand prophet, for, in today's world of cutthroat capitalism, it is not enough to simply make a product and sell it, as is often argued, but also to produce a brand: a name, logo, and idea seeped into the thoughts of consumers worldwide. The brand does not become just anything and everything. It becomes the only thing. The fanatical fervor displayed by such branders, argues Canadian journalist and activist Naomi Klein, rivals that of extremist terrorists who supposedly follow the Muslim faith. Indeed, names like Nike, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, McDonald's, and Wal-Mart have become more than just entries in the Fortune 500, but have adopted cultures of their own that seek to invade and influence the nascent minds of children everywhere, breeding the next generation of blind-faith consumers and believers of the so-called "free market", an idea as laughable as the notion of "benevolent colonization".
Speaking of Naomi Klein, I just finished reading her magnum opus, "No Logo". A tour de force against corporate manufacture of consumer culture and unabetted capitalism, "No Logo" captured more than just my rapt attention: it captures the spirit of anti-consumerism and socialism in today's unfettered marketplace. The book's premise is split into several sections, each discussing an aspect of brand-centered economics that has earned the rightful ire of millions if not billions worldwide. It starts off by exploring how brands become successful, with missions that appear to go beyond the purpose of merely selling products. It then delves into the less desirable notions of third-world labor in so-called "export production zones", a euphemism for mass exploitation if there ever was one. Other aspects covered by the book also include false advertising, the pervasiveness of consumer culture in sports and schools, the problem with mergers, and the ephemeral side of middle-class freelancing in the space of today's upper-class dominion over wealth and market shares. The book then ends with the eponymous "No Logo" series of chapters, expositing solutions and reactions to consumer culture and the companies behind these brands.
The book itself is over 450 pages long, including the Afterword in the 10th Anniversary Edition. The copy I have has text that is a little small to read, so eyestrain was a factor in my long-reading sessions. However, I have nothing else but praise for the book. Through its detailed exposition on the shameless campaigns carried out by brands against not only consumers in the middle and lower classes, but also against third-world developing nations and their people, it has opened my eyes even more to the dystopian raison d'etre of big-name companies and their quest to dominate the global market. This alone has reshaped my view of brands and the products they sell, indeed forcing me to be more inquisitive of their sources and how these products are made. While the book itself reads more like narrative after narrative, Klein injects her own views in a convincing and appealing yet also non-confrontational manner, instead focusing her qualms against the brands and logos that are ever so prevalent in today's world. She also applies sociological theories such as the alienation of one from the process of production, where people - especially those in third-world sweatshops and factories - are made to feel like nothing more than cogs in gears, or extensions of the machines that provide their livelihoods. While the book does indeed promote those theories, it does not read like Karl Marx's "Das Kapital", instead citing sources extensively and documenting personal experiences.
What of the style of writing? The style of writing is easy to follow most if not all the time. The book does a wonderful job transitioning between chapters and summing up points made earlier, tying - for example - Nike's hypocrisy on brand mission in the face of its growing sweatshop scandals. The content has already been mentioned above, and is par excellence bar none. Overall, I recommend this book because it really can shape one's views and perspectives.
Style - 5/5
Content - 5/5
Overall - 5/5
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