Book Review: Milner, Freaks, Geeks, and Cool Kids
Milner then takes this analysis outside of schools, and links the status preoccupations of teenagers to the development and maintenance of consumer capitalism. High school status systems play an important role in socializing people to be concerned with the way in which their status is displayed through the acquisition of commodities. Yet while teenagers and advertisers are often to blame for adolescents' quest for designer jeans, cell phones and cars, Milner reminds us that schooling officials, parents and, most importantly, America's culture of consumerism are also to blame. In a culture that emphasizes its populace’s role as consumers (remember when Americans were told to ‘shop' after 9/11?), and producers (e.g. divorce has less of a stigma than getting fired) other values are submerged.
