Capitalism really popped off with this one
By VIOLET ZANZOT— vmzanzot@ucdavis.edu
With streets and storefront windows full of perfectly-painted ceramic pumpkins, seasonally spiced lattes and witches’ wardrobes, fall is the best season of the year. When the weather starts to turn, the leaves begin to change to auburn and Pillsbury jack-o-lantern cookies make their way back to the shelves, the air gets cold but the warm, palpable feeling of joy grows.
Our capitalistic society has driven the cynic in me to ask: Is this internal sense of “merry and bright” all synthetic? Large corporations have capitalized on both fall’s naturally occurring beauty as well as the calendar’s sequentially smooshed holidays (particularly, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas). I wonder if the driving force behind the cozy feeling of fall is significant — is it merely manufactured as a means to juxtapose shorter, colder, darker days? Does it matter if it is?
In 2018, Banksy left behind a work of art called “Season’s Greetings.” The piece is spread across the corner of a building, spanning two faces. From one side, you see a small child sticking his tongue out to taste snow that is falling above, with a sled on the ground beside him. On the other side, you see that the snow is, in fact, ash emitted from a flaming dumpster.
Banksy has an affinity for making social and political commentary, particularly about environmental justice. While this particular piece exemplifies that, it can also speak more broadly to this dichotomy: the natural season of fall — which comes about because of the earth’s rotation around the sun — and the synthetic season of fall — which comes about because cute, warm boots pair so well with a pumpkin spice latte and a brand new orange beanie.
On the one hand, there is the side of fall defined by the dropping temperature and the warming color palette of the natural landscape; on the other, there is a feeling of a change in the seasons of life, which is ushered in every time Target unfurls the year’s news “Spooktober” decor in late August.
In tandem, these phenomena work together to produce feelings about this time of the year: desire for companionship and comfort, feelings of appreciation for the natural beauty and disdain for the near-constant rain. Banksy plays with the relationship between these concepts — how correlated they are and how one often causes the other (and vice versa).
It is an important quandary to consider as we go about our daily lives: Does this commodification have the capacity to disconnect us from the natural world? Can this lead to an erosion of meaning? Changing seasons always mean time is passing — as we enter the colder seasons especially, we tend to want to hold people closer and appreciate that which is fleeting. We cherish fall because it reminds us that leaves do… well, fall, and nothing is permanent.
Fall is a time to account for what is real; to sit and shiver and appreciate the beauty that exists all year, regardless of what Homegoods or Target is selling at the time. I think what Banksy was trying to convey is that we should not take this sense of joy for granted: It matters where it comes from. There’s more to fall than capitalism and consumerism — we can enjoy this special season — the coffee and candle flavors that make the fall feel special — while still admiring the natural beauty we’re lucky enough to witness once a year.
Written by: Violet Zanzot — vmzanzot@ucdavis.edu
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