Marketed Rebellion

     In, "Merchants of Cool," viewers are told various stories of how marketing has effected the formation of what the filmmakers refer to as, "teen culture." Beginning with the gendered archetypes that pervade depictions of teenagers, the film takes an interesting turn during the discussion of the the archetype of the, "rebellious teen." Specifically, we are regaled with the narrative of some Detroit teenagers with a nearly theological devotion to the rap group Insane Clown Posse and their counter-culture spirit. The group's specific form of counter-culture materializes in the glorification of rape, murder, and general disrespect, but that is neither here, nor there. The film follows the development of other seemingly rebellious rap groups and their assimilation into mainstream culture through institutions like MTV and radio music. While one day the Insane Clown Posse is antagonizing the music industry, the next day it is at the center of it all. However, the fans kept wearing the shirts, and attending the concerts, and supporting the group, despite their becoming antithesis to what they began as. This process, I contend, is one that has largely suppressed the ability for radical leftist political change to take place across the West.
     A few days ago, I came across an Urban Outfitters t-shirt, labeled as a, "best-seller," with a picture of Che Guevara's face on it. The irony was so thick that I considered pouring it over my pancakes. I think that the process whereby seemingly rebellious teens purchase a shirt from a large corporation with a Marxist icon on it is one that is parasitic on the memory of past struggle, and ultimately serves to obviate the purchaser from any responsibility in a grander struggle against capital. It is false activism - no movement takes place because of t-shirts - but, fortuantely for the consumer, buying the shirt is just radical enough not to create any trouble, but still make the person wearing it feel like leftist. In this sense, I think that far left political struggles should be more worried about the systematic commodification of young, potential activists, than they should about the far right politicians in power. It is a sense of personal responsibility in the formulation of coalitions that creates movements - the merchandising of radical politics destroys those coalitions by allowing people to pat themselves on the back while leaving dominant power structures in place, ending the sense of responsibility necessary for change.

     https://www.thechestore.com/products/che-guevara-t-shirt-olive-green?variant=41991119116

https://www.amazon.com/Commodifying-Communism-Business-Politics-Structural/dp/0521798418