5/30 Fiske & Jordan

Fiske’s “Shopping for Pleasure” article explores the notion of patriarchal consumerism and the association of women with a certain power in shopping malls to feel empowered and important. It is no surprise that the major demographic in shopping arenas are female. It’s stereotypical for people to associate women shopping with an obsession of materialism because that is not always the case. All in all, Fiske argues that this is where a woman can be free in public for their recreational satisfaction, rather than at home meeting the demands of the nuclear family. This perception of seeing shopping as a demonstration of feminism is ironic considering malls are commonly built by males and sales contribute to the general economy.  Therefore, I feel like it takes away some of the female empowerment and puts women back to the patriarchal norm that the male are the dominant power. Shopping nonetheless, though, can still offer an escape for women to leave behind home responsibilities and think of herself.

            Jordan’s article, “The Art of Necessity,” shows how protesting for current political issues and cultural resistance can be achieved through creative and non-violent methods. I feel like over the course of time, masses have grown more and more imaginative with fighting issues, rather than a typical protest or sit-in/etc. The DIY protest that the “Reclaim the Streets” enacted transformed their street protest into something very public, participatory, yet proactive. Flash mobs are a powerful example for political protest that resembles these DIY protests. It calls for the public audience to pay attention to the message they are sending out and sometimes involves audience participation. Similar to the “Reclaim the Streets,” flash mobs take place in very popular public sites.