Commodify Your Dissent Analysis

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The Tradition of Dissent Trying to find a balance between what should be kept held to in long standing values and what should be allowed to change is (and forever will be) a never ending battle. Comparable to the fictional devil on one's shoulder, rebellion is always present in human nature. Thomas Frank, author of the article Commodify Your Dissent, from the book Signs of life in the USA, by Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomn (Eds.), quotes Jerry Rubin as saying, “Whenever we see a rule, we must break it[...]” (Frank, 165). This leads Thomas to insinuate that only by doing something that would be considered impulsive and tradition breaking are we able to figure out who we are and what we want out of life. He however, seems to believe that all…show more content…
While in the modern world advertising is much more accessible and very heavily abundant in day to day life, the promises and big talk of the new world during the early stages of America were just as effective in encouraging the progression of a “countercultural idea” running rampant through the soon to be citizens of our new nation. According to Thomas Frank, this idea was nothing new and seems to constantly exist where any sort of striving for personal gain is present. Starting in the ‘60s and continuing on in to the current day and age, it seems our society is spinning in a perpetual “rock ‘n’ roll” era (Frank, Pg166). That meaning the advertising fed to us by everything from cola companies to shampoo manufacturers is all fast paced and appeals to the thrill seeking rebel in each of us (Frank, 167). So at the moment, “an eternal fleeing of ‘sameness’[...]” is the ideal we strive for (Frank, Pg 166). With examples from advertisers such as, “This is different. Different is good.” and “Resist the Usual.” (Frank, Pg 163). It’s easy to understand why the current generations are more radical and change seeking than Americans in the ‘50s when being like your neighbour was the best thing you could be. That was the era of “suburban correctness”, as Frank called it (Frank, Pg
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