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I often wonder if my (not yet born) children will approve of me, forgive my own less than perfect relationship with my parents, indulge my quirky ban on mass media, and find something in me to love and look up to. As I read page 141-142 of Paco Underhill’s ‘Why We Buy‘, I realized that, while my children may forgive my many faults, they’ll probably not forgive me for trying to ban Tom & Jerry from the living room –
Today both parents are almost certainly working at jobs, which means buying that cannot be done over lunch hours must take place during times the family might happily spend together. Shopping then becomes an acceptable leisure outing — less pleasurable, perhaps, than a week at Disney World, but not entirely without potential for fun. Also, divorce is common enough that the single parent (either one) in the company of the brood is a common sight in movie theaters, restaurants and stores. Kids go everywhere because we take them, but once there, they alter the shopping landscape in obvious and subtle ways.
There is also the fact that our children consume even more mass media than we adults do, much of it vying to sell them things. The marketplace wants kids, needs kids, and they are flattered by the invitation and happy to oblige. The idolize licensed TV characters the way children were once taught to worship patron saints, and manage to suss out the connection between brand name and status at a very early age. It’s just one more example of how capitalism brings about democratization — you no longer need to stay clear of the global marketplace just because you are three and a half feet tall, have no income to speak of and are not permitted to cross the street without Mom. You are an economic force, now and in the future, and that’s what counts.
