Counterculture: The Voice of Corporations and Consumers

Thomas Frank discusses the merging of the counterculture and capitalist ideals in "Why Johnny Can’t Dissent." He argues that the “evils of conformity are…summarized with images of 1950s suburban correctness” (Frank, 1). He also states that revolt by embracing diverse and individual lifestyles is well understood and agreed upon. Beats best represents the counterculture idea, as they live on the edge for immediate gratification and freedom. The consumer society directly corresponds to the counterculture idea. Consumerism has become about being different, and corporate America has become a “sponsor of fun.” Although, Frank does point out that in order to enjoy capitalism’s rebel products consumers must feel some sort of capitalist repression and hostility to pleasure. Still, tradition and establishment are becoming more obsolete, leading to a complete lack of dissonance between capitalist and counterculture ideals, as demonstrated by the Burroughs/Nike partnership. Capitalism now embraces breaking the rules and abolishing rigid corporate structure. Tom Peters draws similarities between dissident and business culture, such as the desire to destroy order and the suspicion of traditional practices. This leads to countercultural rebellion becoming corporate ideology in a chaotic world of turbulent change that preaches “diversity,” “empowerment,” and “thinking outside the box.” It involves risk taking and rebellion. Page seven gives examples of this rule breaking, revolutionary theme as used in advertising by stating companies slogans such as Burger Kings, “Sometimes You Gotta Break the Rules,” Arby’s, “This is different. Different is good,” and Hugo Boss’s “Innovate Don’t Imitate.” Henry Rollins (who embodies empowerment and thrives on chaos) provides an example of how businessman and rebels sound so similar, as he “straddles both worlds unproblematically” (Frank, 7). Overall, Frank argues that the structure and thinking of American business have changed so that today, corporate America embraces the counterculture idea, which he states, “is no longer different from the official culture it’s supposed to be subverting” (Frank, 9).

I chose to show three images this week. The first is a cartoon drawn to represent the 1950s. Frank uses the 1950s as the prime example of conformity, which contrasts to the dominant counterculture idea dominating both businessmen and consumers alike. In the sketch, all the houses look the same, and all the men are wearing the exact same outfit, walking out to check the mail at the exact same time. The fact that the cartoon lacks color reinforces the lack of creativity and diversity that is associated with conformity. Contrast is shown when looking at the other two pictures. The first is an advertisement for Burger King and reads, “Have it your way.” This illustrates the emphasis of individuality and the importance of being different that accompanies the counterculture movement. The picture with the boy peeing on the wall that reads Nike’s slogan, “Just do It,” further communicates these values. Here, the boy is clearly breaking the law, and is allegedly persuaded to do so by Nike’s encouraging words. This relates to the idea that businesses destroy order and promote rule breaking through advertisements in order to appeal to consumers. Here, the campaign is seen in a humorous but nonetheless successfully convincing manor.