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Malignant Consumerism
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Consumerism is often associated with wealth, social status and power. In a capitalist society, it connotes the tendency of people engaging in excessive materialism, leading to wasteful and conspicuous overconsumption. The detriment of consumerism is immensely felt in the 2016 documentary Plastic China, where Wang captures the lives of two families living in the so-called ‘plastic recycling plant’ in China. Children like Yi Jie (shown in Figure 1) live, work, and breathe in an environment where plastic waste surrounds and consumes them – the food they eat contains plastic from the stomachs of dead fish, the toys they play with are from the plastic landfills, and the future that they envision is also ineluctably one filled with plastic.
The negative consequences of unthoughtful consumption and the accumulation of plastic waste that we are all responsible for at some point in our lives are vividly presented in the struggles that families face in their everyday life. The most obvious one is the malignant impact on health: a shocking scene in the documentary depicts the delivery of an infant, where the mother is propped up on a chair in the backyard of Peng’s house. The lack of access to healthcare, together with the lack of regulation around the establishment of plastic recycling plants, further exacerbates the health problems that all characters suffer (Kun from a potential tumor as well as inflammation on an old frostbite, and Peng from arthritis). Furthermore, the extent of plastic pollution has destroyed the balance of the ecosystem, with livestock dying due to the unintended consumption of plastic in their diet. Consequently, children who are still growing will be greatly affected by such an environment in terms of both physical and psychological development. Yi Jie, who is only eleven years old, has to take on the role of the caregiver for her little brother, whilst also actively engaging in her father’s work in order to lessen the burden of her family. Hence, the emotional needs of Yi Jie may be ignored sometimes as she is required to sacrifice her own well-being for the sake of her family. The film depicts the hardship of families so vividly that I cannot help but to question how states and corporations would consciously and blatantly disregard regulations on matters like plastic recycling sites. Perhaps we are all guilty of contributing to the suffering of families to an extent, as we are guided by the heuristic decision-making process of grabbing a plastic bag from the grocery store or buying that extra piece of polyester clothing that we do not need.
The Conundrum
The conundrum of consumerism that Plastic China presents is that Kun’s business is one derived from consumerism in the West, meaning that his livelihood depends on plastic consumption. Yet ironically, growing his business implies further exploitation, which exacerbates and perpetuates the vicious cycle of consumerism. Despite the deplorable conditions that the two families live in, Kun manages to make enough money to afford education for his son as well as Peng’s daughter, Yi Jie (on his insistence). In this sense, consumerism seems uncharacteristically benign, as it produces an economy: the waste-recycling industry, which in turn generates opportunities and jobs for people with fewer options and a lower skillset. It allows people like Kun to get a glimpse of the cosmopolitan world, one that abounds with opportunities, as well as promises of ultimate fulfillment. The film then goes on to show a scene where Kun decides to purchase a new car, vibrantly polished with white coating, as opposed to the old and broken van that he already owned. Yvan Schulz, a researcher specialising in environmentalism at the University of Oxford, critcised Kun’s seemingly impulsive purchase of the car, dismissing such an act as merely
giving others the impression that they have achieved wealth, and moved up the social ladder” (2019). I cannot agree with Schulz in this statement, as one should first avoid overgeneralisation before understanding the symbolic meaning of this new car to Kun. The inner drive for such a purchase is one that intertwines with cosmopolitanism and its derived element - consumerism. Lisa Rofel, Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, observed the mentality that much of the Chinese population during the post-Mao period felt that "wealth and, by association, consumption make a better cosmopolitan person" (2007: 116). Kun is one of those people carrying this sentiment. Knowing the waste that he physically sorts every day originates from a world that is characterised by overconsumption, the heavenly portrayal of relaxation, and modernisation, Kun cannot help but to visualise his future according to these ideals and standards. The wish to become a more ‘cosmopolitan’ person, or in other words, to live a life with less suffering and more abundance, leads to the decision of buying the new Sedan car. The symbolic meaning of the new car is the manifestation of Kun’s imagination of a better future for his family. The ability to purchase a luxurious car envisions his one goal in life – to provide for the family and improve their living standard. To argue that Kun is purely emulating the rich is parochial and ethnocentric, overlooking the symbolic representation of the car – the imagination of an abundant life that his family could one day afford. The ethnocentric point of view would simply interpret Kun’s action as to simply fulfill his individual desire, lacking the consideration that the car is more than a physical object for consumption - it is the embodiment of Kun’s vision for the future. In this sense, consumerism is embedded in the perception of a better, well-lived life, and acts as an omnipotent force which perpetuates the materialistic pursuit in modern societies. As Rofel puts it, consumerism becomes part of the cosmopolitan identity and a way of measuring one’s success in life. Therefore, material objects can potentially transcend and exploit individuals.
A Personal Reflection
Knowing that Wang and his team actually paid for Yi Jie’s education after the release of the documentary made me ponder deeply about the future of these children growing up in the waste site. They recognised the light in the shadows and hope amidst despair. They adapted to their living environment, found toys to play with, and forged deep friendships- when Qi Qi was told that Yi Jie had to leave, he burst into tears. Most importantly, they carry the hope of escaping the difficult lives that their parents lived. I therefore wonder if Yi Jie would eventually grow up to be like the women Rofel had interviewed – expressing their desire for freedom through fashion and using consumption as a “measure of freedom” (2019: 118).
Although consumerism, the excessive possession of material goods, produces an economy that allows people to potentially improve their living standards, it is still unsustainable for the environment and is evidently detrimental to the health of people living in these unregulated dumpsites. Furthermore, it is dangerous for societies to determine and assert one’s value and identity on their ability to consume as this would lead to an unremitting pursuit of materialism - petro-modernity. Perhaps we should learn from Peng and judge one’s success in life in terms of having a supportive family that ultimately brings the most joy in life.
Bibliography
Rofel, Lisa, Halberstam, Judith, & Lowe, Lisa. (2007). Desiring China (Perverse modernities). North Carolina: Duke University Press.
Schulz, Y. PLASTIC CHINA: BEYOND WASTE IMPORTS 2019. (available online: https://madeinchinajournal.com/2019/01/17/plastic-china-beyond-waste-imports/, accessed 14th December 2020)
Wang, J. (dir.) 2016. Plastic China. Beijing, China: CNEX Beijing.