Analysis Of Benoit Denizet-Lewis Connection To Consumer Culture

Without even noticing, consumers can be. Majority of the people are already apart of consumer culture. Producers entwine consumers in their webs of persuasion; they are already cult-like members. Kalle Lasn is a founder and journalist who wrote “The Cult you’re in” a chapter from Culture Jam: How to Reverse America’s Suicidal Consumer Binge- and Why We Must. In Lasn’s essay, he explains that people have lost their identity due to consumer culture and he urges readers to resist the influence before they lose themselves. Benoit Denizet-Lewis is a writer that studies suicide in teen life and he thinks that teen suicide has some connection to consumer culture. In the article from an online magazine called Salon.com, “The Man behind Abercrombie
Lasn claims:
A long time ago, without even realizing it, just about all of us were recruited into a cult. At some indeterminate moment, maybe when we were feeling particularly adrift or vulnerable, a cult member showed up and made a beautiful presentation. “‘I believe I have something to ease your pain.’” She made us feel welcomed. We understood she was offering something to give life meaning
Lasn exemplifies how people are recruited into roles they did not consciously choose. Lasn believes, “We wear uniform- not white robes but, let’s say, Tommy Hilfiger jackets and Airwalk sneakers. We have been recruited into roles and behavior patterns we did not consciously choose” (378). Lasn believes metaphorical cult members are wearing popular brands, not traditional cult clothing, but brands that are advertised or influenced by others. According to Lasn, we have been recruited into roles we did not consciously choose for ourselves. Lewis points out, “Just about everyone at A&F headquarters wears flip flops, torn Abercrombie jeans, and either a polo shirt or a sweater from Abercrombie or Hollister, Jefferies brand aimed at high school students”(365). Considerably, A&F would be considered a cult. Everyone is forced to wear the same shoes and clothes. If they were not forced then there would be a variation in the A&F uniform. Lasn mentions, that cult-like members wear the same uniform. The members have been recruited into a mentality they did not choose. In comparison to Lasn, A&F wears a uniform that was not optional. Employees have been recruited to roles and behavior patterns they did not consciously