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Our need for logos like `I am not a plastic bag'

An eco-friendly bag with "I am not a plastic bag" written on it, produced by a fashion company whose name the majority of people can't even pronounce correctly -- Anya Hindmarch -- has ignited a shopping craze. While many consumers find the bag charming, there have also been many criticisms, mostly attacking brand worship. It was a bit ridiculous for people to fight over a NT$500 shopping bag. But Taiwanese people's crazed pursuit of famous labels certainly doesn't stop with eco-friendly bags.

Is the "brand name mentality" exclusive to people who wait in line all night? No, this is already a cultural phenomenon.

There are many reasons why people like brand names and the psychological mechanisms behind this phenomenon are very complex. But in that declaration "I am not a plastic bag," we can see some key factors in the formation of a "brand name mentality." Although declaring that your bag is not made of plastic appears to have an environmental appeal, a more deliberate reading shows that demonstrating that you are not the owner of "cheap stuff" may be the real motive for brand worshipping.

In other words, we often pursue brand names because we want to highlight that our personal qualities -- including good taste -- are above standard, and so we win ourselves a higher rank in society.

Brand names therefore permeate every facet of our lives. We want to go to famous schools, work in famous companies, see famous doctors and read famous books. When listening to an opera, watching a movie or buying a CD, we want to choose famous bands and famous idols. Ultimately, we make becoming "famous" a personal goal. Pursuing brand names, safeguarding your social position and approval are all substitutes for one's "identity." Imperceptibly, brand names are gradually internalized as a personal attribute. The logos reflect who we are, as if you no longer were just a "normal person."

Where does this dissimilation come from? It originates in the psychology of frenzied competition that is part of our struggle for survival. Faced with a fierce battle for survival, how do we gain the upper hand? Morality, patience and lenience are too abstract. In the short term they aren't easy to grasp and only during a crisis do they appear.

In contrast, if we graduate from a famous department at a prestigious school, and use some form of brand name to "mold" ourselves and upgrade our "image" so that others can see at one glance that we are a superior individual -- and at this point brand name has almost become a metaphor for personal character -- then naturally it will be easy to be one step ahead of others. How much of those parents who fight to get their children into famous educational institutions, who have them practice the arts, as well as study English -- many Taiwanese think that speaking English is a necessary requirement for becoming well known -- is related to a brand name mentality?

Of course, the brand-name mentality isn't just rooted in the aforementioned mindsets. But it is undoubtedly a cause for concern because it represents a superficial cognitive habit, a worshipping of product labels. Only the name on the tag matters, rather than an understanding of its real value. It is used to signify a person's status and class, while the individual's significance in the world is easily ignored. In the end, society as a whole devolves into one of superficial, skin-deep competitors, with a disastrous impact on morality.

Hsu Yu-fang is an associate professor in the Department of Chinese at National Dong Hwa University.

Translated by Marc Langer
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