The Public Use of Shopping Malls in Australia and America
Shopping malls are a prevalent part of both Australian and American societies. People of all races, creeds, ages, and social status flock to malls to participate in what John Fiske labels as the “conflict of consumerism” (284). However, he calls it the “conflict of consumerism” because recently there have been problems with disruptive teenagers interfering with potential buyers and posing a safety threat both to other shoppers and each other. It is shocking how many people come to malls in both countries with no intention, or means, to buy. According to Fiske in his essay, “Shopping For Pleasure; Malls, Power, and Resistance,” a study shows that “80 percent of unemployed young people visited the mall at least once a week, and nearly a 100 percent of young unemployed women were regular visitors” (285). As a result, some malls have even imposed restrictions to limit this. In Robyn Meredith’s essay, “Big Malls Curfew Raises Questions of Rights and Bias,” she explores issues concerning a recent restriction imposed on younger teenagers at the Mall of America in Minnesota. However, it is a real problem that mall owners have to cope with. In fact, malls here in America are very similar to those in Australia, because in both countries, the malls are turning into a type of indoor park where citizens participate in a variety of their own personal activities regardless of the intent of the mall owners.
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Fiske says that the malls in Australia are now being used for a variety of other activities including underage drinking, sale of drugs, making general mischief, and “proletarian shopping,” or “window shopping with no intention to buy” (285). He believes that the very setup and nature of shopping malls are conducive to this type of
Beautiful scenery, delicious foods, and desirable accessories at your fingertips along with other enticements and wishes the mall offers as described by Carolyn Merchant as the modern Garden of Eden in her writing of “Eden Commodified.” Merchant is an award winning writer and professor at the University of California covering the subjects of environmental history and philosophy, making her an expert in the subject of human nature and our connection to the environment. She characterizes the combination of gardens, goods, and ornate architecture as heaven on earth a peaceful, clean, and orderly destination for rich and poor, old and young; however, is this really all she is saying?
The prospect of the welfare state in America appears to be bleak and almost useless for many citizens who live below the poverty line. Katz’s description of the welfare state as a system that is “partly public, partly private, partly mixed; incomplete and still not universal; defeating its own objectives” whereas has demonstrates how it has become this way by outlining the history of the welfare state which is shown that it has been produced in layers. The recent outcomes that Katz writes about is the Clinton reform in 1996 where benefits are limited to a period of two years and no one is allowed to collect for more than five years in their lifetime unless they are exempted. A person may only receive an exemption on the grounds of hardship in which states are limited to granting a maximum of 20% of the recipient population. The logic behind this drastic measure was to ensure that recipients would not become dependent upon relief and would encourage them to seek out any form of employment as quickly as possible. State officials have laid claim to this innovation as a strategy that would “save millions of children from poverty.” However, state officials predict otherwise such as an increase in homelessness, a flooding of low-waged workers in the labour market, and decreased purchasing power which means less income from tax collections. The outcomes of this reform appear to be bleak for many Americans who reside below the poverty line. How does a wealthy country like America have such weak welfare system? Drawing upon Katz, I argue that the development of the semi-welfare state is a result of the state taking measures to ensure that the people do not perceive relief as a right and to avoid exploiting the shortfalls of capitalism ...
I walked into the front of the store to see a crowd of people searching for a good grocery cart. One that wouldn’t wobble every second that you pushed it. I took a look at many of the faces as they were beginning or ending their shopping experience. The people walking in looking for a cart seemed unsure or not pleased to be there in the first place. While the people leaving looked happy and eager to get home. I took this as a clear sign that this was not the most enjoyable place to ...
...ed the lifestyle of Canadians. Their effect on Canadians contributed to the making of our consumer capitalist society. While department stores introduced several innovative ideas to the business world, their negative impact significantly contributes to our materialistic lifestyle. Donica Belisle’s “Retail Nation: Department Stores and the Making of Modern Canada” clearly define these aspects and describe the mass retailers relationship between the public, its stakeholders and Canada’s national identity. The author’s well researched information and various perspectives of a situation support her arguments effectively. In conclusion, Donica Belisle’s book excels in its presentation as it is well written and well organised. She successfully communicates her main points and eliminates bias by presenting both sides of a story, making this a good book for others to read.
A sociological observation was conducted at York dale Toronto shopping center and food court at various time intervals. There were different spectres of ethnicity and different ways people acted. I chose this mall because it is one of the largest malls in Canada and the problem of reactivity could be avoided.
In America, there are two very different versions of the word “poverty” used daily, with two completely different definitions. The first version of poverty, a version more commonly known, is the Federal poverty ...
Scarborough. H. S. (1998). Predicting the future achievement of second graders with reading disabilities: Contributions of phonemic awareness, verbal memory, rapid naming, and IQ. Annals of Dyslexia. 48 (1), p115-136.
This article’s main argument is that developers manufacture an illusion of doing more than just shopping when designing malls and shopping centers. The developers and designers disguise the building’s identity while mediating the materialist relations of mass consumption. Goss focuses on five areas in his article. This first area is looking at the mall in a cultural context and the connection between ...
Tremendous shopping centers, malls, even those little corner shops became an icon of American culture and its society. We are constantly manipulated by these so called convenient public places where escaping from it would be almost impossible. There are probably a 50% of chances that we will start our day with a cup of coffee in one, buy our afternoon lunch in the other one, or end up just walking around one. Shopping centers are everywhere; we cannot escape from it. Moreover, we do not want to escape from it as we are constantly underestimating the power and the real impact these places have on our society. Thus these places play a huge role in the process of socialization and are largely influencing the development of our society as a whole. In order to understand the way these places are emphasizing the gender differences and inequalities between the sexes, I decided to visit the local store Walmart and through an observation of its environment and its settings try to record its power of gendering. I was looking for a proof that gender is not merely an element of individual identity, but a socially constructed institutional phenomenon which is even imposed in our shopping centers and local stores.
The need for additional research in the area of reading instruction is particularly true for adolescents with E/BD. The reading failure of secondary students with behavioral problems has been consistently documented and, as reported in the findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study (Malmgren, Edgar, & Neel, 1998), these reading deficits likely contribute to the dismal outcomes for these students such as high dropout rates, grade retention, and overall poor achievement. In addition, the absence of empirically derived reading practices for older students with E/BD is particularly problematic given the current emphasis on achieving state curriculum standards and participating in content-area learning (Deshler et al., 2001).
Snow, C., Burns, N., & Grilfin, P. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Schwarz, J. E. (1990). WELFARE LIBERALISM, SOCIAL POLICY, AND POVERTY IN AMERICA. Policy Studies Review, 10(1), 127-139.
It is a “reading world” we live in and students should be guaranteed every opportunity to succeed in this information driven society. Children today are overwhelmed with more reading material than ever before on billboard, television, the Internet and at school, causing reading to become a relevant and essential need in the life of every child (Lumpkin 1972). Being able to read has become the core of our information driven society. Yet, reading difficulties continue to plague the foundation of our education system creating a problem that only seems to be escalating. Hasselbring affirms that reading difficulties are a serious concern to our nation’s students claiming that, “as many as 20 percent of 17 year olds... [are] functionally illiterate and 44 percent of all high school students…[are] described as semi-illiterate”(2004). This is a harsh reality to face – a reality that stems from difficulties developed at the elementary level where reading complications arise and usually go unchecked. These reading difficulties are carri...
The popular, growing circulation of distorted misrepresentations of the poor community generated by opinionated, attention-grabbing media stories hinders the adherence of informed beliefs to the American population. Over time, the poor, especially welfare recipients, are made to look increasingly less like victims and more like vindictive criminals stealing from America’s dwindling wealth. Since the 1980s and 90s, nearly 80% of welfare reformation supporters encourage the application of stricter limitations to deter scams and the fraudulent receipt of assistance (Rose & Baumgartner, 2008). In order to progress towards a better future for everyone, individuals in society must adapt a new philosophy and nurturing mentality about
Throughout history, poverty has been affected by many historical, social and political factors. These factors have not only influence debates about the’ worthiness’ of a person, but the role of government in poverty. Thus, in this essay, we will discuss how social and other dilemmas has affected poverty in the Unites States and maintain individual from addressing poverty at a large scale level.