Like #40: Apple Products

"Plain and simple, white people don’t just like Apple, they love and need Apple to operate…Apple products tell the world that you are creative and unique. They are an exclusive product line only used by every white college student, designer, writer, English teacher, and hipster on the planet…White people also need iPods, iPhones, Apple TV…and anything else that Apple will produce. Because you need to express your uniqueness by purchasing everything that a publicly traded company produces…To take it to the pinnacle of whiteness, you need to put [an] Apple sticker in the rear window of your Prius, Jetta, BMW, Subaru, 4WD Station Wagon or Audi. You then need to drive to a local coffee shop (Starbucks will do in a pinch) and set up your Apple for the world to see. Thankfully, the Apple logo on the back will light up! So even in a dark place, people can see how unique and creative you (and the five other people doing the exact same thing) truly are!"

Apple products are another status symbol of the upper-middle class. As such, Lander focuses a great deal of his energy on mocking this trend in affluent consumerism. He points out the irony of purchasing an Apple product in order to be unique while, really, every other ‘white person’ is purchasing Apple goods for the same reason.

Recently, Zooey Deschanel was spotted by the paparazzi leaving the Apple Store in Hollywood with her then-fiancé, Ben Gibbard. She later admitted that she had been purchasing an iPod at the store.

Even Indie film and music star Zooey Deschanel buys into this mass-consumer trend. Perhaps her niche stardom and her image’s focus on individuality have led her to Apple—a product line for the unique and creative customer. Surely her vintage sense of style and personal quotes that speak about not caring for consumer trends illustrate her desire to be perceived as unique and different.

At the same time, her quest for individuality could be torn apart by Lander’s commentary. Her desire to be unique could be compared to the average ‘hipster’s’ focus on being unique. Many critics have pointed out that in order to be unique, all hipsters buy tight jeans, v-neck t-shirts, vintage clothes, and fedoras so that, rather than becoming an individual, they become one with every other member of their demographic. Zooey, who prides herself on her individuality, could be seen as the star representation of this cultural trend and population.

Her desire to be unique, while admirable, could, when perceived from Lander’s point of view, be seen as shallow and conformist. We do not mean to cast judgment on Ms. Deschanel, but rather, we would like to open up her star image for interpretation. As such, Deschanel’s purchase of an iPod could be seen as a form of seeking identity through conformity. Yes, her purchases are different from those of many Americans, but they are in line with indie/hipster/liberal, upper-middle class culture. Perhaps this focus on creativity and individuality is a means of turning one’s back on American culture at large and at focusing on one’s class identity. Zooey thus becomes an icon for the upper-middle class. She focuses on a personal sense of style just like her demographic constituents. She broadcasts her sense of creativity and uniqueness by buying Apple products just like every ‘white college student, English teacher, and hipster’ everywhere.

*Note: It might be difficult for Deschanel to enjoy her Apple product at a Starbucks because of her fame. For confirmation of her love for Starbucks, however, see Post #1.