The Rebel Sell
How The Counter Culture Became Consumer Culture
1. Edition February 2006
376 Pages, Softcover
General Reading
Short Description
In a lively blend of pop culture history, political manifesto, and investigative analysis, The Rebel Sell examines the birth of the rebel consumer. Asserting that the counterculture is not against consumerism, but is one of the main driving forces of consumerism, this destined-to-be controversial book examines the history of the rebel sell-from the first rebranding of the Volkswagen to the lifestyle statement of the hippies.
"...a compelling read, proposing ways for us serfs to combat the brandlords..."
--Focus
It is hard to ignore the growing tide of resistance to the corporate-dominated world. But do vocal opponents of the status quo offer us a real political alternative?
Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter shatter the central myth of radical political, economic and cultural thinking. The idea of a counterculture - that is, a world outside of the consumer dominated one that encompasses us - pervades everything from the anti-globalisation movement to feminism and environmentalism. And the idea that mocking the system, or trying to 'jam' it so it will collapse, they argue, is not only counterproductive but has helped to create the very consumer society that radicals oppose. Heath and Potter offer a startlingly clear picture of what a concern for social justice might look like without the confusion of the countercultural obsession with being different.
Introduction.
Part I.
1 Th e birth of counterculture.
2 Freud goes to California.
3 Being normal.
4 I hate myself and want to buy.
5 Extreme rebellion.
Part II.
6 Uniforms and uniformity.
7 From status-seeking to coolhunting.
8 Coca-colonisation.
9 Th ank you, India.
10 Spaceship Earth.
Conclusion.
Afterword.
Index.
