Consuming Desire
Series: Chicago Public Radio Documentaries by Melby/Richard
From: 2 below zero
Length: 00:27:07
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Piece Description
Consuming Desire examines Americans' love of shopping. In particular, what motivates us to buy more than we need and whether this culturally sanctioned pursuit hints at darker aspects, financial or emotional, in our lives. Central to the story are six or so Chicagoans who present an array of behavior that may or may not be problematic, depending on the listener's own point of view. These individuals "show" their collections of purses, pottery, designer clothes and more. They also talk about the exhilaration they feel when the buy, and also for some the negative emotions that come after binges. Their insights raise questions about the difference between collectors and compulsive buyers and how ephemeral and even addictive the "shopping high" can be. Experts on collecting and compulsive buying place the sources' stories in a broader context. As many as five percent of Americans now show signs of being compulsive buyers, according to a soon-to-be-published study. Issues around medical treatments, legal precedents and other newsy bits are explored. Rounding out the story is a critical perspective of rampant consumerism given by members of a Voluntary Simplicity group in Chicago. One member invites the listeners to shop "frugally" with her: It's for them to decide in what ways she's different from the other shoppers, or if the emphasis she pays to frugality is perhaps itself extreme. Aired on Chicago Public Radio's "Money Talks" series in May 2005.
HOST INTRO/OUTRO:
Orginally aired on Chicago Public Radio's "Chicago Matters" series.
3 Comments
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Review of Consuming DesireTodd and Diane have done a great job of capturing the nuances of consumption-ism, from the psychological causes to the real-life consequences. The story is told through engaging sound portraits of some pretty interesting folks. Definately an engaging listen! |
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Review of Consuming DesireThis piece examines the motivations and some alternatives to American consumer culture. People often believe that buying stuff and working to get the money to buy stuff are natural and benign evolutions of the human condition. Mr. Melby's piece goes a long way towards inciting the listener to both understand and questions the foundations, accoutrements and implications of the American consumer culture that is rapidly pervading the world. |
Broadcast History
Aired on Chicago Public Radio's "Money Talks" series in May 2005.
Transcript
HOST INTRO:
Americans love to shop. We shop at hospital gift shops, baseball stadiums, police auctions and, of course, online. Some of us love it more than others. Those who love it too much are called shopaholics. The clinical term is compulsive buying. Researchers say more than five percent of Americans now have this problem.
Some shoppers are collectors, whose quest for more shapes their lives. Others adore the feeling of new stuff in bright, shiny bags. Still others buy because it makes them feel alive. Diane Richard and Todd Melby report on this ongoing national obsession, in ?Consuming Desire.
1. KATARINA
MUSIC: ?Strange Bath,? Jon Brion (composer)
Katarina: OK, the store we?re going to I used to go there two, three times a day. Not anymore. Well, OK maybe sometimes. Ha, ha.
Diane: Seriously, two times a day.
Katarina: They change their merchandise. They are always putting ou...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
The documentary closes with the song "You Really Got Me," by the Kinks. Before reading credits be sure the documentary is really over. The last words are by Katarina Garcia when she says the following:
Katarina: I might have to come back. Mondays is everything half off. I might have to hide that somewhere. (Giggles.) I'll show you, I have a hiding spot. (Giggles)
Intro and Outro
INTRO: OUTRO:CREDITS:
Orginally aired on Chicago Public Radio.
Musical Works
1. ?Strange Bath,? Jon Brion (composer)
2. ?Sex and the City? theme
3. ?High School Lover,? Air
4. "You Really Got Me,? Kinks
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Brian Beatty
Posted on August 09, 2005 at 05:25 AM | Permalink
Review of Consuming Desire
This great piece really encourages listeners to consider the price we pay when we exercise our American right to shop. Might it not be a right at all, but an addiction? The personal stories of these Chicago shoppers transcend the individual and raise all sorts of larger, more troubling questions. Melby and Richard's careful balance of the personal and the professional (they also provide insights from a host of academic experts) keeps this piece from becoming a simplistic bash at consumerism or the latest big box retailer to capture the nation's imagination. I would love to hear "Consuming Desire" play prior to holiday shopping season, or in conjunction with a series on the different manifestations of depression. This is an intelligent, interesting piece of radio journalism that also manages to entertain.