Starving Privilege

Privilege has become in underlying theme within American society. Privilege can be seen “as an invisible package of unearned assets which [one] can count on cashing in each day, but about which [one] was ‘meant’ to remain oblivious” (McIntosh 235). Privilege comes in numerous different ways: being white, Christian, male, heterosexual etc. all of which are capable of oppressing and marginalizing individuals who do not fit into the privilege box. One of the easiest ways to see the influence of privilege within our society is through advertisements. The focus of this paper will be on how privilege and advertisements correlate within the realm of food advertisements. Looking at different food advertisements from across the board shows how privilege permeates into our society at all levels, benefiting those who are in the majority and marginalizing those who are not.

THE PRIVILEGED SEASONS

             

            Eater is often assumed to be a general holiday for the entire population, but in truth it is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Advertisements that focus on Easter, encourage all people to participate in order to be part of the American community. An interesting example of this is an advertisement by Baskin Robins for an Easter rabbit roll cake.  The caption on the poster read "Have a Happy Easter," in a light pastel yellow, pushing the advertisement towards the predominately Christian part of society. The cake was right below it on a neutral light pastel purple background. Around the rabbit were little Jelly Bellies that looked like little Easter eggs. The advertisement was done very simply, the pastel colors bringing images of Easter and spring to the viewer’s mind. The image of the playful rabbit was made to look cute and innocent, almost too animated to eat; grabbing kid’s attention. Furthermore, the cuteness of the rabbit also encouraged nostalgic memories of Easter Sunday, reminding parents of Easter egg hunts they participated in as a child and the sense of community around searching for the elusive eggs. The most important part of the advertisement was the caption; it perpetuated the idea that a family could only have a happy Easter if they had this novel cake. Furthermore however, the caption marginalized anyone who does not celebrate Easter. It assumes, through Christian privilege, that because one is in America they must therefore celebrate Easter even though it is in essence a Christian holiday. While the advertisement, meant to create a sense of goodwill, in reality it emphasized the importance of the Christian majority.

When looking at Christian privilege through advertisements it is important to understand that acknowledging religious privilege is not the same as attacking religion. Being religiously literate is an important aspect of social justice. While some people may argue that looking at food advertisements from the Easter season are easy to criticize, the fact that they are so prominent and easily overlooked by the majority of society is where the problems lie. It is often said that America is a Christian nation, but in reality America is a nation full of Christians. This allows for people to see advertisements such as the one from Baskin Robins and think they are okay, but to people of other faiths such advertisements marginalize them. For example a Jewish person may see the advertisement and feel excluded from the community which the advertisement is trying to create. In order to create an inclusive community, advertisements need to use inclusive language, acknowledging people of all theologies.

BASKETBALL AND FRIED CHICKEN

   Food advertisements are also capable of perpetuating racial stereotypes. Church’s Chicken often uses racially based stereotypes within their advertisements. One of their TV commercials from five years ago uses numerous black stereotypes to promote their product (link provided Church's Chicken Commercial). The commercial starts with a shirtless black man getting dressed, when he opens his closet there are about 20 pairs of the same type of basketball shoes, an entire rack full of only a single colored athletic jacket, and shelves full of the same pair of athletic pants. Once he arrives at the restaurant, he is accompanied by three other people of color, all of which are eating different forms of fried chicken. This commercial perpetuates numerous stereotypes; the first is that it supports the stereotype that black men are valued solely for their athletic abilities in our society. Instead of using a black man who appears well educated, the commercial uses this stereotype to place an artificial value on their product. Secondly, the woman who is portrayed is seen eating the chicken in a sexualized manner. Not only does this perpetuate the blatant sexualization of women in advertising, it also perpetuates the far too common view of black women as hypersexual. Such portrayals objectify women, normalizing the view of men that women are only bodies. The third stereotype which relates to food is that black people love fried chicken. Showing three people of color instead of people of different racial backgrounds perpetuates white privilege. This is because the commercial is not offensive to white people, it makes no assumptions about white people, but instead focuses on the assumptions white people have about people of color.

  An easy way to see the privilege within the commercial is to ask yourself a few questions/comments:

1.      What stereotypes does this commercial portray about my race?

2.      What does this commercial say about my races socioeconomic status?

3.      When watching this commercial I do not have to worry about the actors portrayal of my race.

4.      If I get angry about the stereotypes portrayed within the commercial, I do not have to fear sounding like an angry and overly sensitive marginalized person.

Realizing the privileges that come with being white can be hard to handle. It is very easy for a person to say “I don’t actively support oppressing others, therefore why am I guilty?” The reality of the matter is however, that while we are “being made confident, comfortable, and oblivious, other groups were likely being made inconfident, uncomfortable, and alienated” (McIntosh 237). Allowing such commercials to run, tells people of color from a very young age that their only value to society is to be athletic and sexual.

GENDER, BEER, AND RAPE

            Advertising and sex are more about distance than intimacy. Ads often use the objectification of women to sell their products, as said by Jean Kilbourne, “[sex] fetishizes products, imbues them with an erotic charge” (Kilbourne). Beer companies have been at the forefront of the sexualization of women within their ads. The following ad for Budweiser Beer is a prime example.

            The image is dangerous in numerous ways, and hurts women in two very specific ways. Firstly the women is completely objectified, she is used solely for her sexual appeal; disregarding the brain behind the beauty. Such objectification normalizes the actions of heterosexual males who disregard the individual and instead promotes seeing women solely for sex. The objectification of women leads to the higher likeliness of sexual abuse of women by men. Secondly, this ad is damaging to women, in that it portrays an unattainable beauty ideal. In American society where 95% of women overestimate their body size, seeing ads such as these create internalized oppression within women (Shawn and Lee 235).  Furthermore, relating to privilege, the beauty ideal which is portrayed is white, abled, middle-class standards. Such beauty ideals “can humiliate fat or non-white women as well as the poor, the aged, and the disabled” (Shawn and Lee 231). The ad also plays to heterosexual male privilege. It completely disregards heterosexual women, homosexuals, and people of other ethnic identities, instead focusing on the white heterosexual male gaze and the white beauty ideal.

           

WHERE DO WE GO?

            Privilege is an invisible force at work within our society. Like fish in an aquarium, the only way to see the privilege is to step out of the tank and take a critical look at society. In most cases there is no way to change ones level of privilege, one cannot simply change their race, gender, sexuality, religion etc., but what one can do is learn how to recognize privilege and then make a call for equality. When people point out privilege and acknowledge their own, a fight can be made to raise the oppressed, to the same level as those living with privilege.

 I am a white, middleclass, male; I wrote this paper because my identities have given me the privilege to study inequalities within our society. My identities have also given me the privilege to write this and not sound like an angry marginalized person. The sad reality is, if a marginalized person had written this paper, the points made would have been brushed aside for them simply being angry at the way society is. I encourage you to look at the privileges you have in your life, look at how they have benefited you, how they have oppressed others, and how you can use them to equalize the gaps present in our culture. The only way to reach equality is to take a stand and to have the courage to say that society needs to change.

           

           

            

Community by de-synchronization

I remember when I was growing up hating to set the table for dinner every single night. But as I grew older and oncemy sister moved out, we began to eat at the table less and less; until by the end of junior year it was a rare occasion for the family to sit together at the table. I'm not really sure what caused the change in my family's supping dynamics, but I am pretty sure my family pretty well represents the evolution of the food dynamic over the past 60 to 70 years. In the article "Eating on the Edge" by Horwitz which I read recently, Horwitz describes the change from sit down meals to the individualistic eating on the go. In his article, Horwitz references British sociologist John Urry, who credits this change to the "de-synchronization of time-space paths" (42). This idea strikes me as the most accurate way to describe the evolution of the meal. As stated earlier, my family used to eat dinner together nightly, but as different changes in my family's schedule occurred, meals together became more and more spaced out. The change in my father's work schedule so he had to start work by 5 a.m., my mother bringing more and more of her work home to work on at night, my sister leaving for the local university, and myself having more and more homework to do nightly, created a de-synchronization and therefore a change in eating patterns and habits. My family became mo and more spread out, starting by taking the meal which was prepared by a parent to our work spaces, to eventually "fending for ourselves" as my family called it. Horwitz also brings up an interesting point about Swanson TV dinners. TV dinners allowed for the family to still eat together while still having a sense of freedom. I think the TV dinners also represent the de-synchronization of schedules because at this point in time, more and more women were beginning to enter the work place. This ment that women were no longer home all day, spending their time cleaning, cooking, and nuturing young ones. TV dinners allowed for women to have access to full meals for their families while putting in far much less time and effort. Perhaps the evolution towards eating alon and on the go is a movement for social justice. It removes the patriarch style eating patterns which forced women to do the cooking while the man sat at the head of the table. But that being said, the social interaction gained through food and the sense of community that is created is still desired. Maybe in the end, "Eating on the Edge" will allow for an evolution past patriarchal eating habits and a movement towards eating together solely for the sense of community which it creates.

I scream, Ice Cream

I went to Baskin Robbins to look at the food culture around ice cream. One of the first things I noticed when I walked in was the friendliness of the staff, they greeted me with a friendly smile, asked how my days was going, if I wanted to taste something etc. the entire time I was looking to order they kept in friendly conversation. The environment of the shoppe was also very friendly and welcoming, playing off different shades of blue and pink. I noticed something smelled really good and when I asked them what it was they said it was fresh baked waffle cones. I saw that they had a number of cones already and I asked why they were still baking them, and the boy on the other side of the counter told me the smell helps them up their waffle cone sales. While eating my ice cream, I noticed that the vast majority of customers were either families with children or elderly people. Very few people came into the shoppe by themselves, and when they did they often got multiple items to take with them for other people. One interesting thing I noticed was that two demographics seemed to consume the majority of four different flavors: Nutty Coconut, Pralines n' Cream, Butter Pecan, and Pistachio Almond, the elderly and people of Latin Origen. I also thought it was funny how when parents would let their children choose flavors, the majority of children chose based off of color instead of taste. A little kid would be just as content with Strawberry, Cherry, or Bubble Gum as long as it was pink in color. I also looked at their ice cream cakes, I noticed that on the higher shelves were cakes that would appeal more to adults, while on the lower shelves were the cakes with toys that small children would appreciate. The music in the shoppe was either 93.3 or 95.7, depending on which ever one wasn't on commercial. I believe the music to be the direct result of the under 20 staff. I noticed that when couples without kids came in, they would often get their ice cream and leave, while couples with kids would sit and eat in the restaurant. I thought it was interesting that they only had two sugar free options, and while neither was very good, it seemed either weight conscious women or older diabetic people would often get it. Another expression I heard fairly often by both the staff and the customers was "treat yourself" these people often got larger portions than people who did not say or hear this statement. I think the idea of treating oneself is the best way to sum up the culture behind ice cream. Ice cream culture entails treating oneself to a number of different things: family, friends, sweets, etc.. It seemed to me that the most important aspect of Baskin Robbins was the social aspect. Very rarely did people ever get an ice cream treat for just themselves, but rather the majority of customers came in groups. The customers seemed to want to spend time with one another just as much as they wanted to enjoy a sweet treat. Ice cream culture is also a very open culture. It was not uncommon for strangers to talk to each other while sitting at different tables; a couple of times strangers would even sit at the same table to converse. This was amazing to me, that ice cream has the power to bring together people regardless people's different identities. Ice cream created a community where people could talk openly and freely, simply content to just enjoy the company of one another. Ice cream culture also seemed important to adults because it helped them maintain a fun and childlike innocence. As said by the Associate Dean of Business at the University of California, Warren H. Schmidt, "In the moments of greatest pride, Baskin-Robbins is composed of those who contribute in a special way to our fellow humans—helping to nourish that quality of childlike enjoyment, which is perhaps the most precious and hopeful part of our humanity" (baskinrobbins.com). I think this sums up ice cream culture perfectly. Ice cream is that American summer treat. It was the treat enjoyed by every socioeconomic class of Americans 75 years ago, and it is the treat enjoyed by every socioeconomic class of America today. Ice cream is more than just a treat, it is a reminder of how important family, friends, and community are; not only in food culture but in American culture as well. And that I think, is the beauty of ice cream culture.

Patriotic Ice Cream

http://0-search.proquest.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/docview/878753798 The business article on Baskin Robbin's new product, mini cones. Baskin Robbins utilizes the release of the Captian American movie to push their new product, creating a patriotic theme pack. They also describe the cones as adding "Extra fun to special occasions Or everyday occasions." They push the idea that their products make everyday life better, that in consuming Baskin Robbin's not only are you guaranteed a fun time you are also patriotic.

"The edible is political"

Food is often seen as a link to culture and heritage,and more often than not that is a safe correlation to make. However food can be so much more, food can be a form of rebellion and also a form of support for the political system. In the article "Beaking Bread with Spread" in a San Francisco County Jail author Sandra Cate examines the food culture within the prison system. Cate examines the culture of "Spreads," the unique culinary creations by inmates using their scarce resources. Not only do spreads offer an escape from the mundane monochromatic meals given to the inmates, they also offer give the inmates a sense of individuality and power within a system where neither is awarded to them. The inmates receive their food from "a largely invisible source," stripping them of their individuality and any little power they feel they may have. Creating spreads not only allows the inmates to creat their own unique culture; it also allows them a small form of power within the system. Furthermore the act of making spreads acts as a way for the inmates to develop their own power within the inmate community, it also allows for them to "give respect" to those higher up within the jailhouse hierarchy. Having their own unique recipes and methods for creating spreads gives inmates the same privilege that comes with having a unique trade. The quality of the spread is also in itself an expression of individuality and power, the ingredients (when not from one of the three daily meals) show the inmates wn preference, not under the control of the man. Across the ocean in Shenzhen, China the connection with food is also seen as political, as seen in the article ""The Cultural Politics of Eating in Shenzhen" by Mary Ann O'Donnell. When the city was on the rise, citizens came together under the socialist idea of the "iron rice bowl." citizens worked together, sacrificing good food and at many times a full stomach, however the knowledge that they were working together for the communities betterment kept them satisfied. After the development of the the city, the new wave of immigrants who came for the free market economy acquired taste for different high quality regional foods. When eating in Shenzhen, a rift becomes apparent. Those who enjoy the old style community and rationed style foods do so because they prefer the socialist style government of Mao. While the newer residents enjoy the many varieties of food offered by the free market style economy. Food is not just sustenance, nor is it just culture, nor is it just power, nor is it just political thought, in actuality, food is everyone of those things and many more. Food encompasses all aspects of life, eating makes the edible political.

"Bring Home the Bacon"

The relationship between food and gender is a complex one that has numerous feminist throwing up red flags. In the above blog, Sarah points out that the dunkin donuts advertisement uses a "beautiful" model to help sell the product. In her description of the add she points out that the model has intense eye makeup, she describes how the makeup creates a sense of glitz. I found this interesting because it plays to our cultural standards of we believe beautiful femininity to be. The glitz of the ad is relatable to the very small 5% of women who have the skinny super model/movie star body, it perpetuates the "ideal beauty" of the white upper middle class/ upper class woman. The advertisement plays off of this "ideal beauty" to encourage woman who are not part of the 5% to eat at Dunkin Donuts in order to try to fit into the "beauty box." This shows how as a culture we focus more on what the product will to do us physically instead of the quality of the product.

"Happy Easter"

Food is an integral part of every persons life. Food should bring people together, it should be a link between generations, and a way of sharing cultures. For generations the family meal has been the center of every holiday occasion, it carries traditions of the matriarchs cooking together, and the patriarchs watching the game. Food has been the medium by which community travels and families grow. Recently however, food marketing has become one of the largest industries in modern America, making millions of dollars by imitating and creating an artificial sense of community through advertisement. Food companies utilize such traditions and attempt to integrate their products into such festivities. They market their product to the "Christian (or pseudo-Christian)" majority, pushing to sell premade happiness and community to the masses. Making their product as much of a staple in the holiday as the sense of community that is created through the act of coming together. It is currently the Easter season and a holiday for a very large part of the American community. I was recently at Baskin Robbins and I noticed an advertisement for a cake shaped and decorated like a purple Easter Rabbit. The caption on the poster was simply "Have a Happy Easter," in a light pastel yellow, pushing the advertisement towards the predominately Christian part of society. The cake was right below it on a neutral light pastel purple background. Around the rabbit were little Jelly Bellies that looked like little Easter eggs. The advertisement was done very simply, the pastel colors bringing images of Easter and spring to the viewers mind. The image of the playful rabbit was made to look cute and innocent, almost too animated to eat; grabbing kids attention. Furthermore, the cuteness of the rabbit also encouraged nostalgic memories of Easter Sunday, reminding parents of Easter egg hunts they participated in as a child and the sense of community around searching for the elusive eggs. The most important part of the advertisement was the caption; it perpetuated the idea that a family could only have a happy Easter if they had this novel cake. Furthermore however, the caption marginalized anyone who does not celebrate Easter. It assumes, through Christian privilege, that because one is in America they must therefore celebrate Easter even though it is in essence a Christian holiday. While the advertisement was meant to create a sense of goodwill, it in reality emphasized the importance of the majority and showed how advertising focuses on making money instead of being inclusive and how the modern consumer would rather buy consumable happiness then spend the time working together to make something special. Another interesting Easter advertisement I stumbled upon was the 1999 Marshmallow Peep television ad. The ad again uses a pastel color pallet, playing to colors associated with not only the spring season but also with Easter. The Peeps are dancing on a giant stage with their own theme song; this leads to the idea that for Easter, Peeps are the glamorous and cool candy to have. At the end an Easter basket comes down from the ceiling containing three packets of different colored peeps- classic yellow, red, and blue. This multi color assortment of Peeps is in direct response to the song that all the Peeps are dancing to; in which one part of the lyrics goes "marshmallow, not just yellow," and one of the Peeps on the screen changes to blue. The assortment of different colored Peeps plays to two important American themes: firstly the idea that a larger selection is always better, and secondly the idea that boys might not like red ( or "girly colored Peeps) and girls night not like blue (or " boy colored" Peeps), perpetuating the idea of a binary gender system instead of a gender system in which gender is seen as a continuum. The song also has a lyrical portion that goes, "It's just not Easter without those crazy Peeps." This portion of the song suggest two very important things to the viewer: firstly the quite literal meaning of the lyrics- that it is not the religious beliefs, the sense of community, nor the bonding that comes from spending time with those important to you that makes the holiday important, but these little marshmallow creatures that make Easter what it is. Secondly, and perhaps not quite as obvious, is the idea that Peeps are only for people that celebrate Easter, it marginalizes huge sections of society, enforcing the artificial walls built up around religion, and, once again, reinforces Christian Privilege. The two advertisements show important insights into our current food culture here in America. The first is the movement away from the experience and bonding created when a meal is cooked together. Both advertisements push the idea that a "Happy Easter" is found in the product and therefore can be bought; that the happiness no longer comes from the time spent together but from a sweet treat. Second it shows that our food culture is still dominated by the old fashion, Christian American dream. Because our beliefs are still so closely associated with the invisible Christian Privilege which permeates our society, seasonal advertisements for food play to whatever is closest to "the American Dream." In winter, ads use Christmas as a selling point, in spring, it is Easter, summer, it is the 4th of July, and in fall, Thanksgiving. While it is fine for advertisements to play to the current holiday, they need to change and evolve to be more inclusive. Instead of having a poster that reads "Happy Easter," why not a poster that reads "Hopping into Spring;" or instead of insinuating the idea that Peeps are what make Easter, why not encourage the idea that Peeps are fun treats for boys and girls regardless of age? If companies change their advertisements to be more inclusive, not only will they reach a larger audience, but they will also stop marginalizing huge portions of society. When advertisements stop reinforcing separations within society, and instead work towards creating a community that celebrates together regardless of societal differences; an exodus from flawed food values can occur and a return to the community builder food is can occur.

Chips and Coke

Potato chips have always seemed something extremely mundane and common, they have never for me carried much weight about culture here in America. However, after reading Freedman and Jufsky, it is evident how producers market their items towards different socioeconomic classes and what that has to say about American culture in general. The authors bring up the point that upper class consumers of potato chips have an affinity for what they called natural authenticity. The idea of natural authenticity stems from the idea that upper class people are more focused on the idea of eating healthy, and natural food. This corresponds to the idea that lower class people also have a form of authenticity in relation to traditionalality. This traditional authenticity relates is geared toward the lower class person who puts more emphasize on things like family recipe, American ideals, and family traditions. The same concept can be seen in advertisements for Coca~Cola, in their original advertisements, Coke used the mantra "Adds Life Too..." This saying was often used in accordance with a traditional Middle America family spending time together. Coke was basically saying that while your traditions are good, Coke can add even more life to them, that without Coke, you aren't truly living. Later on, Coke changed its Mantra to "Have a Coke," this mantra was often accompanied by a pretty young white girl who appeared abviously upper middle class compared to the average worker I their previous advertisements. Through this, Coke was able to reach all levels of society, tiring their product back to the nuclear family for the lower class, while creating a sense of independence and well being for the upper classes.

Octopus Spaghetti

 I was once told that when trying to create relationships across cultures there are three things which everyone can relate to: family, the weather, and of course, food. Every culture has its own unique dishes which to them appear the mundane, but to others of different cultural or geographical backgrounds; those very same dishes are different and open the door to a cornucopia of new and exciting experiences. It is the sharing of these cultural experiences that instills within each and every one of us a sense of common humanity. When we share our food, we share our heritage, history, values, and beliefs.

            Vegetarianism has been a way of life for me since a young age. The idea of eating another animal has never been one of particular appeal to me, but I have never once stopped my dislike of eating animals from inhibiting me from fully experiencing another culture. I have come to learn that being a vegetarian is a privilege many people cannot afford; more importantly I have learned that I should never exercise that privilege when invited to share in another culture. Two years ago I spent a summer living in Alajuela, a small city in the center of Costa Rica, with a host family. The family welcomed me as one of their own, and invited me to share fully within their nuclear family and their culture. They shared with me a great number of things, their love for family, country, art, music, singing, nature, and of course food.

            There was one meal from Costa Rica that truly stands out in my memory. Not because of the unbelievable taste or the beauty of the dish, not because the dish contained meat and caused me to throw up for hours on end, but because of the experiences I had while helping make and consume the dish. It was my fourth or fifth day in Costa Rica and my host mother, Maria, woke me up well before dawn and told me that the two of us were going to the market. We arrived at the market an hour later just as the sun was starting to emerge from behind the eternally green Costa Rican mountains and as the toucans began to be heard screeching from the far off distance. Around me different venders were set up and were already selling a number of different goods. Maria took us to a stall which had about ten large plastic buckets set up and in each one swam some different marine animal. Maria talked to the merchant for a few minutes and the next thing I knew I was reaching into a bucket of octopi and pulling them out one by one until we had five of them in a bag and were walking back to the house with them. When we arrived at the house we dumped the octopi into a large bucket and put them in the shade until later that afternoon.

            Once it was about two o’clock, and I had returned from playing a game of soccer with my host brothers, Maria told me it was time to cook dinner. She lead us out to the bucket where the octopi were, she picked one up and had me do the same. We took our little friends over to the table she had set up outside, and the next thing I knew she had taken the butcher knife and separated legs from body. I handed her my victim and the same fate was repeated until all of the octopi were swimming in a broth of tomato and other vegetables and seasonings. The entire time we were cooking, my host mother attempted to teach me some of her favorite songs. We laughed at my pronunciation and inability to carry any sort of tune. She told me stories of her life growing up as the poor daughter of a fisherman and how this had been her families Sunday dinner while growing up and how she had made the very same meal with her mother numerous times.

            Finally the meal was ready and we sat down at the table for Sunday dinner, with the entirety of the family, with grandmothers/fathers, aunts and uncles, cousins, every generation accounted for, even the coffee loving three year old joined us. The meal was something I had never experienced before, there was such a strong sense of community around the table, and the most amazing part was that I felt that I actually belonged to not just their family but to the entire Tico culture. Oh, and the meal was pretty tasty too, the only way I could describe it would be octopus spaghetti (I suppose that’s enough to get the imagination turning),

            So was it worth it? Would I do it again? Would I be willing to spend another twelve hours throwing up any drop of sustenance that has entered my digestive track within the last six months? The answer to me is a simple and obvious yes. In fact I wouldn’t even have to think about it, if someone is willing to make me feel such an integrated part of their community how could I ever turn that down?