The Rebel Sell book argues that counterculture actually fuels consumerism, with individuals paying more to look individual while contributing to consumerism. The concept of the rebel sale dissects the legal counterculture and how big companies have the power to change song lyrics. The problem is that true individuals who stay ahead of trends do not contribute to consumerism, but the rebel sale is an endless circle.
The rebel blindfold is a concept set out in a book of the same name by Canadians Andrew Potter and Joseph Heath. The book tackles anti-globalization themes such as consumerism and counterculture politics. While Naomi Klein’s book No Logo rallied to the counterculture political activist, The Rebel Sell has an ironic take. The concept agrees with the view that the counterculture actually fuels consumerism, although the activist might think otherwise.
Counterculture has always been a key word for the concept of cool. Nice people, or the business world’s idea of nice people, are the ones who buy and sell the products. They are the first to spot new trends and new ideas. Usually, when the business world approaches, the idea is already years old. However, now companies are hiring cool people to preview products ahead of the crowd. For a price, you can be cool, and from there a circle of consumers begins.
The Rebel Sale is how companies sell the idea of the counterculture and the subversive. Everyone wants to be an individual; no one wants to be the same, but individualism costs more than your supermarket brand. People pay more to look individual even though they may claim to hate consumerism and the concept of consumer society. Rebel Sell argues that it is the counterculture individualist who is contributing more to consumerism than the average shopper.
This is the main point of the rebel sale. Che Guevara is now just an icon to be sold on T-shirts and necklaces. Who is selling, the businessman making the shirts or the person who wears them? Wearing the T-shirt defines the idea of individuality in the user’s mind, but when buying the T-shirt, he has just acquired the counterculture idea of the consumer business world.
A Venda Rebelde is a dissection of the so-called legal counterculture. For example, some big companies have the power to change the band’s song lyrics. The band Nirvana released two versions of an album – one for music stores and one for Wal-Mart stores. Wal-Mart is a family store and would not stock Nirvana albums unless some lyrics were changed. Wal-Mart is so big that not changing its lyrics would cost the band millions.
One of the theories for Kurt Cobain’s suicide is that he couldn’t bear to see how his music was being marketed. If that were true, sad as it was, his suicide made him yet another counterculture rebel. His image could then be added more powerfully to the rebellious selling cycle. In death, iconic stature is taken to the ultimate level.
The problem with the concept of The Rebel Sell is that there are real people in this world. Kurt Cobain was a true individual. Such people always stay one step ahead of trends and do not contribute to the fast food restaurant or cafe lifestyle. The problem is that free trade coffee often costs a little more than regular coffee. The Rebel Sale is an endless circle.
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