Target and Capitalism.

During the late 1800s, when Karl Marx was publishing a lot of his works, socialism was an idea that laid in stark contract to the capitalist world that had developed. Socialism was the idea that everyone's basic needs: food, shelter, etc. would be taken care of. Socialism and capitalism are still both very prevalent in our society today.

Today, corporations like Target and Wal*Mart represent capitalism and its best. This means that large companies are getting rich off of us, the shopper. The Target commercial below is a great example of capitalism in our society. First of all, most of us are very familiar with Target, the brand, and such even if we do not shop there on a regular basis. Further, this commercial is catchy, cute and fun.

If we look more closely at the text it is easy to point small things out that seem to be out of place. The commercial starts out in a clean, middle-class suburban area with several cars (presumably driving to target). As the commercial continues, several prices roll. The premise is that Target can offer YOU a "brand new day." The hidden meaning, of course, is that this new day is going to cost you a pretty penny.


Therefore, the low class continues to struggle despite the optimistic view the capitalist Target commercial seems to hold. It is a sad day, but a true day when we realize that capitalism is probably creeping in the shadows of several of the commercials we watch every, in the food we eat and perhaps even in the pillows we rest our heads on at night.



Work Cited
Ryan, Michael. Literary Theory: An Anthology. Ed. Julie Rivkin. Grand Rapids: Blackwell Limited, 2008.
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 16 Mar. 2009 .