Fordism: Implications of Mass Production, Mass Consumption, and Popular Culture on the Environment Essay

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Essay Question #1

In terms of regime of accumulation, Fordism entails standardization of production and separation of conception, organization, and control of manual work, yielding a rapid rise in the volume of goods produced per person (that is in labor productivity). In this essay, I will examine the relationship between mass production, mass consumption, and popular culture, and their implications for the environment under the Fordism regime of accumulation. Then, I will examine the role of the state under this regime and give my criticism and overall analysis this regime.
Relationship
Fordism promotes sustained economic growth including a high growth of income for workers, expansion of the state’s welfare and mass production and mass consumption. The concept of Fordism was to keep the workers away from joining unions and keeping them happy by giving them higher salaries to sustain their living. Although the workers were well paid, mass media has drawn the workers into consumption, and over time, creating a cycle of mass production and mass consumption. The relationship of the intensive regime of accumulation centered on a virtuous circle linking mass production with mass consumption. The high demand for a product, resulting from media coverage (popular culture), fueled companies to produce their products in mass amounts. The mass production of the good increases as the demand goes up, but companies would regularly over produce while trying to keep up with the unaccountable high demand, which ultimately resulted in wasting of resources as products sit in warehouses waiting to be sold. With too much production and a little demand of consumption would lead to a great depression or financial crisis.
Environment Implications The environmental criticism accumulation focuses on a few main ideas. First, there is a problem of externalities. The waste and population put off by these manufactures has to go somewhere and people and the environment are the ones who pay for it. Secondly, the destruction of natural habitats and fauna on the biosphere cannot be calculated. The tree of destruction to make way for building these manufacturing buildings and the resources pulled from the environment and used on the parts are nonrenewable. Concerns are an essential part of responsible business. However, can a capitalist market economy be ecologically sustainable? The desire to constantly expand production is a major player in this concept. We cannot calculate the predictions of resource scarcity from the past production levels because we are assuming present trends will continue. Therefore, the desire to expand production fuels the resources that are needed to produce at the new level.
The Role of the State Capitalism turns almost all things into commodities for sale, especially labor. Labor, land and money were not commodities for sale in feudal times. One can now talk of personalities, behavior and education as commodities. Salesmen sell their personalities and behaviors to employers who use these to get people
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