(no subject)
This is a much subtler form of aggression because it deals with interpretation. Marx’s concept of the social hieroglyph is absolutely correct in this application. People who have placed such importance on their objects expect others to do the same; otherwise the sense of status would not be conveyed. For example, if one expects others to respect them simply for owning a diamond ring, they are supposing that the other person also interprets the diamond ring as a signifier of status. If this is not the case, and the other party interprets the hieroglyph differently and does not link status and identity with material items, then the person with the ring does not convey the message that they had hoped for. When the result is not achieved, aggressive purchasing could be the result. The person may feel inadequate because their status and identity have not been acknowledged, and thus may believe that the solution is to buy bigger and better items. This may lead to an aggressive behavior towards those who are not willing to decipher the hieroglyph the same way, because they are invalidating the person’s status and identity. This is one of the dangers of closely linking identity and object. However, there is also a very literal aspect of aggression associated with commodity fetishism, which is expressed in the nature of the advertisements for certain objects. An example is the advertisement for a Hummer that stated “Don’t take a knife to a gunfight.” The outright aggressive nature of this advertisement is amazing for many reasons. First, it highlights the already existent link between aggressive purchasing and confrontations. The second thing that is interesting is the notion of the “gunfight.” This could be viewed as a metaphor for the competition that is inherent when one transfers their status to objects. These objects become weapons of competition, and the Hummer advertisement is playing directly into this notion. After all, when in the war of making oneself look superior, one would want the best weapon that there is, and this is exactly what the Hummer advertisement is appealing to. These two natures of aggression feed into each other. The outright aggression characterized by the Hummer advertisement is actually a more literal example of the competitiveness inherent to placing one’s status and identity in objects and items. This is the point where publicity and John Berger’s concept of glamour become linked with commodity fetishism and the entire notion of transferring identity to objects and items.