Explorations in the Sociology of Consumption: Fast Food, Credit Cards and CasinosIn this book, one of the leading social theorists and cultural commentators of modern times, turns his gaze on consumption. George Ritzer, author of the famous McDonaldization Thesis, demonstrates the irrational consequences of the rational desire to consume and commodify. He examines how McDonaldization might be resisted, and situates the reader in the new cultural spaces that are emerging in society: shopping malls, casino hotels, Disneyfied theme parks and Las Vegas, the new `cathedrals of consumption′ as he calls them. The book shows how new processes of consumption relate to globalization theory. In illuminating discussions of the work of Thorstein Veblen and the French situationists, Ritzer unearths the roots of problems of consumption in older sociological traditions. He indicates how transgression is bound up with consumption, through an investigation of the obscene in popular and postmodern culture. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 11 | |
Chapter 2 The Irrationality of Rationality | 23 |
Chapter 3 Some Thoughts on the Future of McDonaldization | 46 |
Nor are its settings consumer or the consumption of its goods and services | 58 |
A critique of the global credit card society | 71 |
Chapter 6 Enchanting a disenchanted | 108 |
The future belongs to the immaterial means of consumption | 145 |
Lessons from the exportation of McDonaldization and the new means of consumption | 160 |
Chapter 9 The new means of consumption and the situationist perspective | 181 |
Chapter 10 Thorstein Veblen in the age of hyperconsumption | 203 |
Fast food credit cards casinos and consumers | 222 |
| 236 | |
| 248 | |
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Common terms and phrases
able American argued aspects associated become capitalism cash cathedrals chapter commodities companies concern conspicuous consumer continue course create credit card critical culture customers deal derived described discussed Disney economic efficient effort employees enchantment especially example exploitation fact fast-food restaurants field focus globalization greater highly human ideas important increasing increasingly individual industry interaction interest involved issues kind lead least leisure less limit mall material McDonaldization means of consumption nature obscene offer operations perhaps perspective possible postmodern problems production rationalization relationship result seen sense serves settings simulated social society sociologists sociology specific spectacle spectacular structures success sumption technologies tend theory things tion types United variety various Veblen visible wide workers