Both videos show traces of material and non-material culture in the advertisements. Firstly, material culture refers to the physical objects humans surround themselves with either for their function or as a show of status. The material culture can be something they acquired along the way or items inherited from the past (Preston, 2016). Non-materialistic culture is ideas, images, practices, language and beliefs treated as independent from any material item.
The two commercials are different and appeal to different kind of people using the concept of material culture and non-material culture. Both videos intertwine the concepts of non-material culture and material culture to try and appeal to two sets of people. The first commercial on Cadillac appeals to the people who work hard to get stuff and enjoy life. These kinds of people acquire wealth as a form of material culture. Some of the items they possess could have been acquired other material stuff from the past through family air looms but still have the urge to acquire more. The material wealth’s function is purely not for its function but also to represent status. The show of status is intimate just by the mention of wealthy individuals like Bill Gates. However, the video justifies that the wealthy should not feel guilty, guilty of working hard and gaining more. It is their right and the portion of people that stands for "green" – those who work, take a stroll home and take the whole of their August off and don't have stuff – about material culture (wealth), should not make them think otherwise. The character intimates that the “greens” don’t have it because they took their August off by justifying that the two weeks, they took off, earned them the material culture they possess. Interestingly, one could assume that working is also a culture. The idea of working and working hard is solely because of the belief that they will earn more for purposes of use and show of status (Davis, 2008). The irony encapsulated in the video is that the car being advertised is electric and therefore green, an attribute that may not be present in those who practice material culture for show.
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The second commercial video represents both material and non-material cultures. The question of why one should work and work hard to possess most of the material culture while most of the material ends up in land fields. Why can they work moderately like the society that strolls to the market to buy locally grown organic food – by this, the character implies people who advocate for “green” and taking care of the environment. Her query is why the people she represents cannot be like the green society? Well, they are because they strive to keep the environment safe. They use their non-material culture to save the environment. They still work for material culture but not to show status, it is purely for the function of the material acquired.
The video on South Africa depicts a non-material culture that has existed historically and passed through generations as a right of passage. Circumcision in the African context is a ritualistic practice based on gender. Women are not supposed to participate in any form of the ritual as it involves turning a boy into a man. The pride that a "new man" carries after the ritual is almost like a material culture that is used for the show. The ritual is a beautiful practice however it poses dangers to the participants. Many boys go in but come out injured and, in some cases, fatalities are involved. According to the video, 500 boys lost their lives due to becoming septic and contracting infections. The practice is traditional but has the luxury to still exist in modern times when other ritualistic practices have simply been forgotten with time. The video implies that a better non-material culture can continue to exist if traditional practices are merged with modern practice.
The United States (US) has grown through different forms of cultural trends in different trends. Like the case of South Africa, some of the cultures are long forgotten while others still exist. From those that still exist, some may affect people’s lives but little is done to remedy the culture. Take, for instance, food trends in the US. The food trends come and go but the one culture that remains is the 77% of the population that still visit the food truck by the sidewalk for a quick meal especially at lunch. The keep it simple mentality would often supersede the urge to eat healthily. It would be assumed that the statistics would play a role in changing or diminishing this culture but it does not. The American must have their "cut of meat." Obesity prevalence in the UIS between 2018 and 2018 was 42.23% an increase from 30.5% in 1999 to 2000 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Obesity is still among the leading causes of elevated cardiovascular disease (Akil & Ahmad, 2011). Just like the case in South Africa, the food trends in the US is one of the major reasons causing people to get obese leading to cardiovascular complications. However, some efforts have been made to try and sensitize the people on the dangers of obesity. Fewer numbers may have opted for healthier food cultures but the majority is still with the same trends. As such obesity is considered a lifestyle disease. The society that works is free to acquire material culture and what say not. The culture sees more Americans into fast foods with fewer contingent pegged to healthy diets.
A different trend that has stood the test of time is in line with the Second Amendment. The United States Constitution 2 nd Amendment states that an American citizen has the right to own a firearm to protect themselves against evils. Owning a gun had almost become a household practice notwithstanding the cases of mass shootings and individual murders caused by firearms. As an ongoing culture for debate between the republicans and the democrats with Democrats against the amendment and republicans for the amendment, the debate never seems to end. Experiences that would otherwise suggest abolishment of the rights may seem by many to have been individualized as special cases and therefore cry foul. In 2017, there was a mass shooting incident in Las Vegas, an Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, and the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting. Material culture has continued to flourish through generations.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, February 27). Adult Obesity Facts . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html.
Akil, L., & Ahmad, H. A. (2011). Relationships between Obesity and Cardiovascular Diseases in Four Southern States and Colorado. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved , 22 (4A), 61–72. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2011.0166
Preston, B. (2016). A philosophy of material culture: action, function, and mind . Routledge.
Davis, M. (2008). The New Culture of Desire: 5 Radical New Strategies That Will Change Your Business and Your Life . Free Press.
