Wings
By: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
When observing athletes impact on society, aside from the entertainment they give us, the clear place that their impact is largest is in the market. Athletes, as Hilary stated today in lecture, are held very highly in society and are seen as larger than life human beings, ones that we should aspire to be like. With new technologies always being invented, the obsession that we have with technology, and the athletic endorsement, it is hard to avoid these technologies. When Michael Jordan entered the advertising world, technology often became associated with athletes, the biggest technologies being the shoe and other clothes.
For boys and men, athletes are seen as more masculine than other males in the world, and men always want to be masculine. It is this masculinity crisis that drives people to do anything in their power to become just like these athletes that they look up to. The shoes are shown to be part of the athlete's success because they are always wearing them while they play or even break records. It's because of this that we believe if we buy these shoes, which can cost upwards of $100, we will be closer to that goal of being like the athletes.
Macklemore addresses this idea in his song "Wings" and tells us that the idea of "We are what we wear" is not true. It is about consumerism and how companies use our dreams of becoming the athletes and "cool kids" to sell us nothing more than a brand name. In reality, these shoes will not fix the masculinity crisis but this promise is how companies like Nike profit as well as they do.
"They started out, with what I wear to school
That first day, like these are what make you coolAnd this pair, this would be my parachute
So much more than just a pair of shoes
Nah, this is what I am
What I wore, this is the source of my youth
This dream that they sold to you
For a hundred dollars and some change
Consumption is in the veins
And now I see it's just another pair of shoes"
I really like this song because I think the narrative it tells about American culture is really interesting and accurate. This song connects to the ideology of the lawn, for it talks about how we think we chose to wear these flashy name brand shoes because we truly like them and we arent' following any social influences when in fact the reason we think we need these shoes is because the media and society are telling us that they are cool and necessary, thus we believe it. It talks about the consumeristic nature of american culture and how we rely on the media to tell us whether it is important for us to like things or not. It's cool because this song, which is a form of media, is telling consumers that you don't need name brand things such as your nike airs to define you or make you a better person.
ReplyDeleteI like this song too and I agree that now athletes are becoming the target of profit making as well as a tool to expand both domestic and global market. Those commercials as essential parts of mass media, create the illusion that there is a relationship between success and technology, which is a narrowlized definition of success. But unfortunately, we are all part of this illusion because people are easily subject to the discourse around them, especially sensational figures. So our irrational mind were used by sophisticated businessmen to financialize the American Dream and at the same time produce more discourse through real examples to naturalize this concept and make more people take it for granted until it becomes the way of our lifestyle--that is what we wear means a lot because it represents the value we have and the identities we are looking for.
ReplyDeleteAlso as Hilary said in class, those figures are highly racialized because the new era of economy needs global market to show the diversity and claim the power it has. To highlight the athlete of color is a good way to diversify the market and at the same time show their getting rid of discrimination, which actually not. For example, Yao Ming is developed as a brand by NBA to expand its market in China. Though making money is the main purpose of commercializing Yao Ming, we have to admit that the American Dream is disseminated at the same time with this American instead of Chinese star.
Listening this song made me think that even when the commercialization of certain athletes is a reality for all sports, it is especially important in basketball’s case. Going back to the class when we were talking about which sport we think was the most typical American, I remember how most arguments were in favor either football or baseball. Basketball,on the other hand, wasn’t even mentioned if it wasn't for professor Szu.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s interesting how although the importance media gives to this sport by advertisements, movies and even songs; which is probably more than for any other sport, basketball it is not considered in American Culture at the same level that football or baseball. Even when at first glance this can contradict the idea about how the media influences what we consider important and what not, in the reality is supporting it. In my opinion what media has done with basketball is shifting the focus from the team to the individuals that are part of it, which have turned against the sport itself. And although this is not a phenomenon that is perceptible only in basketball's advertising, I think it is the sport more affected by this situation (see: http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/05/deron-williams-has-hired-his-own-beat-reporter-to-cover-him/). The excessively individualization of the sport and all kinds of merchandise that in consequence are produced about a single player goes against to some ideas that represent the United States as an unified nation identity as “The American Exceptionalism”. Maybe this excessively commercialization of certain individuals is one of the reasons why basketball could not compete against football or baseball for the title of the most typical American sport.
I agree. Also, in terms of the racialization of what was deemed "athletic." In terms of basketball, there became also an established attitude that black Americans were just naturally suited to play basketball, especially in the Asian population. The onrush of basketball and the prevalence of Nike (first around the nation and then around the world) would also spark another flow of American Exceptionalism about the world. The combinations of these really claimed anything athletic and new as part of American life, and the innovation of "technology" by not only electronics and information, but also sports equipment by American research would be a trend that would popularize around the world.
ReplyDeleteI like the message that Macklemore is expressing in this song. He does definitely use consumerism to show how easily Americans can be sold to an ideology. Michael Jordan is an athlete that any basketball players wishes to be, as such, aspiring basketball players buy Jordans thinking they will perhaps inherit some of his skill through his shoes. Americans enjoy the idea that having the same equipment as professional athletes will make them better because they believe it is a shortcut to the American Dream. Corporations such as Nike and Adidas take advantage of Americans just so that they can make a profit. Consumerism affects our culture to the point where Americans define themselves by what they have and wear. Macklemore’s song, “Wings” exemplifies this process by featuring a boy proud of wearing Jordans, while rapping about how companies sell products that the public uses to define themselves. However, we forget that they are just material objects. LeFeber’s “The Globalization of Michael Jordan” ties with what Macklemore says on corporations by supporting the idea that corporations have an impact on the way people visualize their lifestyles and dreams. Macklemore criticizes the American consumerist lifestyle through his song by preaching the idea that objects do not define one’s lifestyle. Americans should not have to buy into consumerism to give themselves an identity.
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