|
There is a point in time that historians call the beginning of the American consumer culture. This was circa 1925, when General Motors introduced the yearly automobile model change. (In years before, Henry Ford had joked that you could have his cars in any color you wanted, as long as it was black.) Does the yearly model change sound insignificant? It wasn't: it meant that it no longer mattered whether a product worked anymore. If it didn't look right, it was out of style, and a new one was needed. You know those Joneses we're supposed to keep up with? This is when they moved into the neighborhood.
|
