Social movements surrounding the Iraq War, The Green Movement, Gay Rights Movement, and Diversity Training Movement were identified as the dominating social movements between 2000 and 2006. The recession from 2000-2001 caused consumers to spend less. As housing prices began going up at an ever increasing rate in 2000, and housing loans became easier to obtain, making it possible for more Americans to buy homes. Consumers began to feel richer and consequently spent more. After 911 there was a surge in patriotism. Spending money became a way for Americans to show their patriotism and support the economy. These factors contributed to increased spending. Consumer spending continued to go up until 2004 when “The Iraq War” pushed gas prices up. As a result consumer spending noticeably declined.
In general 911 is seen as having the greatest overall affect on the cultural, social, political, and economic mood between 2000 and 2006. The terrorist attacks of 911 led to the Iraq War which was at the center of multiple social movements: The Anti-War movement, the Anti-Bush movement, the Support-the-troops movement, as well as the push to increase homeland security.
The "Green Movement" steadily increased in popularity between the years 2000 and 2006. Although limited political headway was made (there were little or no policy changes); the victories for the Green Movement were manifest culturally in how consumers perceptions were changed via movies and celebrity activists ("An Inconvenient Truth" (2006) . This cultural shift translated into an economic shift as more consumers chose eco-friendly products which increased the green market, and furthered the movement as a whole.
Similarly, the Gay Rights movement succeeded in changing people's perceptions through pop culture (" Brokeback Mountain", "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"), yet were not very successful in having legislation passed (except same-sex marriage legal in MA)
Increased security as a result of 911 led to increased government surveillance. This is identified as a hidden current, because although it was discussed partially at the time, we see the weight of this issue far surpassing the attention it was given.
The overwhelming increase in cell phone usage especially texting, as well as cosmetic surgery was identified as a hidden currents, because at the time it was impossible to know the extent of how popular it was becoming.
Sources:
www.webecoist.com, www.gallup.com, www.fivethirtyeight.com, www.cellular-news.com, www.news.ufl.edu
No comments:
Post a Comment