Is the term 'citizen' being consumed by consumerism?

by Matt Majors

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August 29, 2011

Recently I read an article by Al Gore in Rolling Stone - another piece on his view on climate change and environmental conditions. The piece rehashes several facts and theories represented in his documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” but digs a bit deeper and points out several other interesting tidbits, one of which touches on a dying term in our society: citizen.

Though his article focuses mostly on much larger world issues, I was particularly intrigued with his ‘citizen’ side note. Given where our world is today with respect to technology, media, commercialism and the general fast-paced, short-attention-span society surrounding us, people are referred to infrequently as citizens. Too often - and mostly at the hands of marketers - we are labeled as “consumers” or “audiences.” Faceless lemmings, we are whittled down to simply targets for the sales pitch - and sadly, many of us have become slaves to the media feeding this monstrous machine.

Merriam-Webster.com defines ‘Citizen’ as “an inhabitant of a city or town; especially one entitled to the rights and privileges of a freeman.” And TheFreeDictionary.com defines ‘Consumer’ as “a person who acquires goods and services for his or her own personal wants or needs.” Those are two very different definitions.

Of course, we all have our needs, and we all rely upon a multitude of services within our communities to provide goods in order to help sustain our families and lifestyles. But when did these terms become so intertwined that the former (citizen) became lost? It seems that a basic human element has been forgotten in this twisted transformation.

Is the media the ultimate culprit? To some extent, the answer to that question is simply, yes. But we should not abdicate our responsibility and completely blame the media, nor should we throw our hands up and surrender to it.

There are small steps we can take to regain the value and purity of life before the onslaught of a consumer lifestyle. I believe the first step is recognizing our fellow humans once again as what they truly are: citizens. Pick up a phone once in a while, or better yet, make a personal, face-to-face appearance and shake a hand or offer a hug. Give the texts, emails, and tweets a rest on occasion and simply write a letter (even if it’s just to your own mother or grandmother).

As an architect, I provide a service to other people who are indeed citizens of various communities. When designing a house or dwelling unit, a museum, or a library, my colleagues and I should never engage a potential client with a “consumer-minded” agenda. We must identify with the future inhabitant or inhabitants simply as humans communicating with each other. This principle goes back thousands of years - before cell phones, computers, soft drinks, and Nike ads.

In an ever-evolving world with a growing technology presence, there is no escape from the realities that lie within our media. While embracing so much of what is actually good about evolving technology, we also must push ourselves to retain the qualities in life that made our world and our country so great: the people in it. Fortunately, we live in the wonderful city of Charlotte, N.C. Even after the housing crisis, bank implosions, and pain inflicted by the Great Recession, our little big town continues to grow.

But even as Charlotte has seen monumental growth over the past 20 years, we still reside in a city where finding the human element each and every day is possible. The casual coffee or quick lunch with a business associate, local politician, church figure or even a personal banker occurs quite easily any given day in uptown Charlotte. It happens in SouthPark, Ballantyne, Lake Norman and in Matthews. Our community has managed to retain that precious and fleeting layer in society, where people are not just numbers or consumers - they are still citizens.

I may be a bit biased, but I don’t get the impression that this human quality has been salvaged in many larger cities around our country. My hope is that we continue growing Charlotte in healthy and sustainable ways. We should continue borrowing great ideas from cities with proven, successful models, from places like Philadelphia and D.C. to Denver and Austin.

Unlike many of those communities, however, we must fight to keep our individuality. Charlotte must remember and maintain so many wonderful and local ideals established by the Hugh McColls and the Harvey Gantts. These modern-day forefathers of Charlotte recognized (and still recognize today) the value of small business, local pride and everyday human contact.

The formula seems pretty simple; it has been firmly established in our community. It’s up to us to maintain the values and philosophies defined by so many great Charlotteans over the years. While we watch Duke Energy grow and witness our banks rebuild and strengthen again, we are also welcoming an influx of many new, smaller businesses. This is Charlotte’s future – be it energy, textiles or technology. The human element dwelling within this future looms large. Let’s not forget it and continue embracing that critical ingredient.

In business, my partners and I pledge to continue servicing Charlotte and creating architecture for citizens on a human scale. And in life, we must all remember to live our lives and set better examples for our children and grandchildren - as citizens, not consumers.