Beads, Bodies, and Trash: FINAL THOUGHT
Beads, Bodies, and Trash...where to begin?
First, I can say that this book is definitely staying in my collection. I only keep a few books/textbooks from classes...only the ones I think I will refer back to. Second, I have already told a variety of people (including family) to read this book. Third, it is probably one of my favourite books from my at at university.
To me it just seemed so different. Different than anything I have ever read before. Although there may have been some dry parts. David Redmon did a great job of portraying his research in a realistic way. I like how descriptive Redmon is, for example Chapter 4 - Mardi Gras: Made in New Orleans he states: "I'm sitting on a curb surrounded by broken beads, trash, and puke, looking at the street littered with scraps of paper that read "Made in China: as dangling beads drape there trees above the gutter next to me". You wouldn't even need to view that sentence in real life and you would be able to determine the disgust he is feeling. I also enjoyed how in Chapter 5: Sensory sphere and somatic commodity of chains, he explores the relationship between commodity chains and new materialism. He stated that "the sensuous immediacy of consuming Mardi Gras beads bears no apparent connection to the degrading circumstances in which the beads were made", this is a very true statement. There isn't really a connection made between the making of the beads and the wearing of the beads. They are seen as very different objects. I feel as though if there was more education on the making of the beads and what happens to the beads after Mardi Gras not as many individuals would wear them or possibly be accepting of them.
Redmond does a great job of exploring the inequalities of global capitalism but still allows, his research to come through as an easy to read and yet somehow enjoyable read. I think ethnography was a great way for Redmon to display his research; it is beneficial for his research to be presented in a book as well as a documentary. This book also portrays how individuals act in different recreation settings, as I'm sure not all individuals who participate in Mardi Gras act the way they do back in "reality". It also describes how people live without the idea of recreation in their life and how it contributes to their overall presence in society.
Overall, I extremely enjoyed this book and am definitely glad I made the decision to buy it (even though we had to for class, haha)