Q . Text p. 112, # 3 Which of the ideas in these readings do you think is most important for you to apply to your own work? Explain why. 2. Text p. 130, #1 Summarize your understanding of liberation theology, including what it says about forced poverty and what it calls Christians to do. 3. Review and complete the Reflection Worksheet, “Personal Consumerist Choices: a week-long reflection on personal practices and insights” (adapted from the University of Minnesota Human Rights Research Center). Link to the Reflection Worksheet is as follows: https://blackboard.msj.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-869130-dt-content-rid-7419673_1/xid-7419673_1 Personal Consumerist Choices: a week-long reflection on personal practices and insights Exercise ONE My Consumption Patterns, Practices, and Desires Overview: During this week, you will keep track of what you buy, consume or use. Through this process, you will become more aware of your consumer choices. At least once daily record the following: • Anything you purchased from store, restaurant, etc. • Any good or service that you used that was paid for at another time, i.e.: was bought earlier or eventually will be paid for by you or your family (e.g.: a bag lunch, electricity, water, gas, etc.) -Be detailed here but don't take it too far. For example, you do not need to record an entry for each time you use water or electricity, but at the end of the day try to describe how much you used and for what purposes. • Any good or service that you did not pay for but consumed (e.g.: napkin, sugar, borrowed newspaper, etc.) •Disposal of goods and/or packaging on those goods, did you discard them, place in a recycling bin or set aside for reuse? Then briefly jot down some responses to these questions: a. What items could you NOT live without? b. What items could you live without? c. Roughly, how much did you throw away? recycle? set aside for reuse? d. What might be the benefits of consuming less? e. Looking over your Consumer Record, is there anything you would want to change? What? Why or why not? EXERCISE TWO Media Watch: Creating Demand Watch five television advertisements and record the following information: What is the ad trying to sell? Is the product a basic need or a luxury? What strategies are used to get people to buy more? (see the next page to better understand strategies.) Who might be the target groups of this ad? Why? (see the next page for more information about these groups) Understanding Advertising Techniques In 1981, John Kavanaugh, SJ, wrote the book, Following Christ in a Consumer Society: The Spirituality of Cultural Resistance. His groundbreaking perspective educated thousands of Christians about the market place, consumer culpability in spiritual degradation resulting from being overwhelmed by our own commitments to stuff, and the lack of awareness many of us have about the power of advertising. This exercise is intended to help you think about the power of advertising as it shapes your identity as a consumer. Below is a summary of advertising strategies and targeted consumer groups that will help you do the third and forth column for the worksheet on the previous page. I. Advertising Strategies: One or all of these strategies are used in an ad to convince consumers to buy. A. Slogans/Puffery - phrases/songs/images that sound great but mean little B. Rational Appeal - logic or reasoning to convince consumer to buy C. Emotional Appeal - famous people endorsements, claims that everybody is using product, popularity/wellbeing improved by products, sex appeal II. Targeted Groups: Ads may target one or more of these lifestyles. A product may have different ads to reach different audiences. A. Belonger lifestyle - these consumers like to think of themselves as having traditional values, conservative, and affinity for the past (“the way we have always done it is a good way—and the products we’ve always trusted are still reliable and relevant”) B. Emulator lifestyle - these consumers are an impressionable group, in search of identity, seeking group acceptance, important to "be cool", often younger people C. Achiever lifestyle - America's materialists, successful professionally, frustrated by being stuck just under top rung of economic ladder, King or Queen for the day-type personality D. Inner Directed lifestyle - these consumers are seeking personal fulfillment, "I am me", experimental, socially/environmentally conscious, self-constrained in purchasing power, hard group to target with ads, but many have disposable income so advertisers are not likely to dismiss them. *Concepts were developed by SRI (Menlo Park) and published to this website hosted by the University of Minnesota BONUS QUESTION (10 Bonus Points Possible): View the youtube video Agenda for a New Economy (David Korten). Then respond to this question: What does David Kortenadvise about why our current economic relationships might need rethinking? (Provide at least two specific quotes from the video to support your response.) Instructions for Submission of weekly written assignments: Create responses to the questions in one Word Document. (Do not create one document for each question of the weekly written assignment.) Follow the directions provided as the first item under "Assignment Submission." Assignment Due; Friday at 11:59pm