A big part of what makes the American Dream a main stay within U.S culture and something most citizens feel they can utilize is the fact there are so many channels and examples of achievements through it fundamentally. If you were to filter this down as a simple commonplace for the ideology it can be observed as the idolization of celebrities and other notable figures. The success story of someone previously in similar circumstances to themselves can give one the hope and drive to accomplish similar feats and not be limited by their surroundings because others did not let that determine their fate. Due to this phenomenon many advertisements are centered around modeling oneself after these icons. For example in the 1990s’ Nike launched an add for Air Jordan shoes tagged with the slogan “Its Gotta be the Shoes,” equating his dominance on the court to his signature footwear. This prompts children to go out and purchase the product in hopes to attain the same type of production on the court. However this only works because the same children fantasize about soaring through the air like Jordan and understand the stature of his ability. This idea of attaining individual success through any and every means can be further related to Americas capitalistic values and interpreted as part of what perpetuated these values for so long. In countries like China, where they lean more to the socialist side of the spectrum singular achievements are more associated with family and community rather then the individual. To refer to a previous reading in this course, they are taught to be civic more through the means of shared enterprise then here in the states. What effect has this had on the global stage? Well ever since I can remember the U.S has felt the pressure of China possibly surpassing us for the spot go the worlds greatest super power. Maybe it time us modern Americans look to uplift one another in communities and goals instead of engaging in senseless disagreements and if you yourself have a pair of Air Jordans why don’t you take a look at the tag and see where they were made.
“Its Gotta be the Shoes”
2 thoughts on ““Its Gotta be the Shoes””
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You made a really great point! We tend to buy products that represent a story of success and the Air Jordan shoes is a great example. I agree that America has a Capitolistic mindset and the marketing Ads that promote success do better because people want to obtain that. Your last few sentences really stuck out to me. I think as a society we should be uplifting one another and supporting each other instead of just focusing on individual success.
I thought it was really interesting that you could connect your civic artifact with other material mentioned in the course. I also think that companies ‘use’ celebrities and athletes to endorse their products and perpetuate capitalistic values even if that person has no relation to the product being sold.