Leisure Flashcards
What is a Marxist POV of leisure
The increase in consumerism (when people equate happiness with the purchase of material goods) benefits the ruling class in several ways. The commercialisation of leisure has made it into a product, thus creating big profits for businesses. It does this by creating false needs which are imposed by the mass media. Therefore we have little choice in our leisure, leading to alienation. Working in a capitalist society is made bearable in the sphere of leisure, whilst preventing class consciousness from developing. This reinforces hegemony.
What do Clark and Crithcer say about capitalism shaping leisure?
The state encourages participation in healthy activities in order to keep the workforce healthy for the benefit of capitalists, and lowers the cost of healthcare for the state. If people focus on consuming class consciousness cannot form.
What is Clarke and Critcher’s evaluation point?
Some groups resist commercialisation of leisure and consume products outside of the mainstream.
What is a pluralist view of leisure?
Roberts: to use one social division as defining people’s identities and leisure choice is overly simplistic. There are leisure pursuits that all social classes enjoy. He found that there was little connection between work and leisure.
What do PostModernists such as Pakulski and Waters say about leisure?
Leisure industries are more important to identity. It has become a pick and mix pattern of consumption - leisure is a series of lifestyle choices, and thus, consumption.
What does Rojek identify as the four differences between modern and postmodern leisure?
- In postmodernity work and leisure are not separate.
- Leisure is less likely to have purpose.
- Leisure choice is not shaped by factors such as age or class.
- It breaks down barriers between areas of social life.
What does Parker say about class influencing leisure?
Those in traditional occupations do it for extrinsic rewards and choose leisure activities to escape from work. Middle class professionals, who work for instrinsic satisfaction, allow activities associated with work to be part of leisure.
What is a postmodern perspective of social class and leisure?
Boundaries between class and leisure have become blurred. The result is a fragmentation of experience that characterises the postmodern condition. Regardless of our social class, we can all pick and choose how we spend our leisure time. Class is less important in terms of tastes in leisure as the distinction between high and mass culture has broken down.
What do sociologist argue about the youth and leisure?
The age of spectacular youth subcultures is over. Young people can pick and mix fashion and music from subcultures of the past. These styles used to be a form of protest, but are now sold as globalised commodities.
How does the internet/electric games form a new type of subculture?
New technology allows young people to interact with others around the world and social media accounts are used for an increasing amount of leisure time.
What do feminists suggest about gender differences in leisure?
Gender role socialisation has an impact on women’s expectations of leisure and that the lack of affordable childcare stops some from accessing leisure activities of their choice. The leisure opportunities they can access are restricted by men, who expect women to choose home-based activities in their leisure time. Women tend to combine their leisure activities with other obligations. Men still dominate many sporting and social venues and women may feel uncomfortable in these settings. A fear of being a victim of crime may stop women from pursuing leisure activities in an evening.
How does ethnicity affect leisure?
The influence of blues, reggae etc show how significant the music of different ethnic groups has been on contemporary popular music. In some sports, such as swimming, ethnic minorities are under-represented. PostModernists argue that a hybridity of cultural forms have emerged that celebrates diversity. Ethnicity becomes less important as everyone gains access to the ‘symbolic universe’.
How does Globalisation affect leisure?
The development of new technology has led to many changes in the leisure industry eg cheap internet flights. We can see how people around the world live through mass media.
What is Hall’s cultural supermarket effect?
Due to globalisation individuals are no longer tied to identities based upon where they live, but instead can pick their clothing etc from any group they choose. There are 3 main responses to this:
- Pilkington: Little Englanders (anti-immigration etc)
- Hall: ethnic minority groups express pride in their ethnic identity
- Pilkington: the creation of hybrid identities
What does Bauman argue about globalisation?
It has undermined a strong sense of identity, which is now fluid. Because of the internet, we can constantly consume fashions and brands, thus identities are unstable and people do not commit to one identity for life. We can repeatedly reinvent our identity. However, not everyone can afford to take part in consumer society.
