A. Review the information on the family assigned to your group, including their lives in general as well as their annual per capita income and the percentage of their income used to purchase food. Then discuss these questions in relation to each item on the Potential Purchases list:
- Do you think that having this item would be very meaningful or important to the family? Why or why not?
- Do you think that advertising and commercialism are likely to be significant influences on the family's desire for this item? Why or why not?
- Is it very likely that the family would purchase this item? Why or why not?
Potential Purchases:
- TV video game(Does the family have electricity? A television? Do you think they've ever seen a good video game before?)
- rice and beans(In most cultures, grains and legumes are the foundation of the traditional diet. They're cheap, tasty and healthy.)
- car or truck(Personal vehicles are expensive to own and operate. For the average American family, transportation is the second largest expense, after housing.)
- new cook pot or other kitchen item(Does the family cook on a wood fire or in a microwave? What new kitchen item do you think they would need or want?)
- shoes(What type of shoes and what features, such as durability or brand name, might be important to members of this family?)
- canned soft drinks(Canned sodas have no nutritional value and a large portion of their cost is packaging.)
B. Plan a brief presentation for the class. Include an overview of the family you studied. Select three or four items from the Potential Purchases list to focus your presentation on, choosing times that will give other students insight into the family's circumstances.
© Center for the Study of Commercialism, Washington, D.C.
