Although travel has become so commonplace nowadays, travel out of leisure has always meant an unattainable luxury to me. For many reasons including finances it was not as accessible to me as it may be for others. Since I was a child I have been travelling out of necessity rather than for a vacation. At the age of six I left my home country along with my family and entered Europe as a refugee. We sought asylum in Italy and France until we finally settled in Germany. Although Germany provided a stable home for us, travel for vacation was still unattainable to us as being a foreigner meant for my parents not having the same job opportunities as native Germans. Germans are known to be “travel champions” according to the German Travel association
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As an immigrant in Canada one is apt to believe in the “Canadian Dream” which involves individual autonomy, economic opportunity and home owner ship. In my observation Canadians view success in terms of wealth accumulation which is reflected in their consumption practices. Unlike Germany, the Canadian way of life is centered on material value in that buying a house, a car or even a big 60’ flat-screen TV is associated with ultimate happiness and success. From a conflict theory point of view, Karl Marx would analyse my observations in Canada as “commodity fetishism” wherein an intrinsic value is placed on commodities which obscures the human labour that it took to produce it. Furthermore, he argues that “commodity fetishism” masks social relations within an exploitative capital society as the production and exchange of commodities is not merely about the behaviour of money but a social practice that reflects the conflict of social classes. The consumer society Marx critiqued manifests in Toronto malls such as Eaton Center or Yorkdale mall - the “cathedrals of consumption”- where the ‘commodity hunt’ begins. This concept is rooted in the thinking of George Ritzer who describes shopping malls as “....‘magical’ and ‘enchanting’ settings for people to experience the plenitude of their desires and participate in the ritual of acquisition”(2016), which speaks to my first impression of shopping malls as I was used to stroll along pedestrianized streets to shop. These dynamics were also visible to me in the way Canadians value work over leisure. Quality of life has a different meaning in Canada it seems as it is associated with material success wherein the ultimate goal is to own a home and accumulate expensive products. Thus many Canadians work two or three jobs to achieve the Canadian dream. It is in stark contrasts to the life style in Germany where the state
As an immigrant in Canada one is apt to believe in the “Canadian Dream” which involves individual autonomy, economic opportunity and home owner ship. In my observation Canadians view success in terms of wealth accumulation which is reflected in their consumption practices. Unlike Germany, the Canadian way of life is centered on material value in that buying a house, a car or even a big 60’ flat-screen TV is associated with ultimate happiness and success. From a conflict theory point of view, Karl Marx would analyse my observations in Canada as “commodity fetishism” wherein an intrinsic value is placed on commodities which obscures the human labour that it took to produce it. Furthermore, he argues that “commodity fetishism” masks social relations within an exploitative capital society as the production and exchange of commodities is not merely about the behaviour of money but a social practice that reflects the conflict of social classes. The consumer society Marx critiqued manifests in Toronto malls such as Eaton Center or Yorkdale mall - the “cathedrals of consumption”- where the ‘commodity hunt’ begins. This concept is rooted in the thinking of George Ritzer who describes shopping malls as “....‘magical’ and ‘enchanting’ settings for people to experience the plenitude of their desires and participate in the ritual of acquisition”(2016), which speaks to my first impression of shopping malls as I was used to stroll along pedestrianized streets to shop. These dynamics were also visible to me in the way Canadians value work over leisure. Quality of life has a different meaning in Canada it seems as it is associated with material success wherein the ultimate goal is to own a home and accumulate expensive products. Thus many Canadians work two or three jobs to achieve the Canadian dream. It is in stark contrasts to the life style in Germany where the state