Cultural Appropriation and Advertising

Everyday we buy things we don't need. We do this to be happy. Whether it is the lure of a sales pitch or a disarming image, we only realize the trick that has been played on us after the money has left our pocket. Like everyone else who bought “HAWAIAN KETTLE STYLE POTATO CHIPS”, I was charmed by the idea of Hawaii. Beaches, nostalgia of a simpler time, fireside celebrations; what's not to like? Buyers remorse set in after tasting the stale excuse for flavored potato chips and I began to question my purchase. First off, I also got a sandwich. I know that deli's appreciate the business because most of their profit comes from soda and chips. So I was trying to be a good customer, but there was something else. This purchase occurred after driving 15 miles of coastal highway through a bike race to a customer's house who wasn't there. With zero reception, I was stranded and hungry, forced to relocate to a busy Farmer's Market in Point Reyes California. Feeling alienated in my work uniform and surrounded by affluent Americans, I sought solace in a homey Mexican general store. I remember thinking that chips taste good, and that after a stressful drive, I deserve a reward. But really I felt awkward, saw the image, was taken with it, and then made a purchase to alleviate feeling awkward, poor, and surrounded by people with free time. I was charmed by the idea of another culture appropriated into a product. Could it be the island life, the beached sunset, or the festive setting? Let's deconstruct the advertising that overruled my logic.

It reads: "Discover a new world of flavor when you crunch into these crispy golden chips. Created one batch at a time to deliver the freshness and authenticity only found in Hawaiian style chips. Cooked to perfection and seasoned to give you the authentic taste that only an open fire barbeque can give you. Open a bag of Hawaiian Style Potato chips, and let yourself be swept away to a tropical paradise of beautiful sunset luaus. Mahalo."

To begin with, we can assume that if we are going to "crunch”, the chips are "crispy." I have never crunched into uncrispy chips. The idea of not crunching, but mooshing, is stomach turning. The chips aren't golden, they're Lowry's orange. "Created one batch at a time," as opposed to creating all of their product at once? I'm confused. Of course they would be made "one batch at a time," it's like finding something "the last place" you looked. Nothing special there. They claim that their taste "only" comes from an "open fire barbeque... "style"," but the back admits they are from 1150 Industry Drive North lgona, Washington, 98001. This was so disheartening after all that hammering of "authenticity" and "Hawaiian." I mean how many barbeques can you have per year in Washington? I've only been there once and it was raining. The advertising marries the idea of Hawaii with the crunchiness, the crispiness, the goldenness, and the selectivity of a false experience. I imagine eating, salivating, masticating, swallowing, indulging, and being satisfied in an exotic place, despite being stressed out, hungry, and where I actually am. I really am "swept away" and advertisers know this. It's why they don't take the time to be succinct in their pitch, but fill it with weak verbs that strengthen the desire to eat, "can give you" as opposed to "gives you," "created... to deliver," "cooked... to give you... taste?" This is absurd. I now need a beer as cold as the Rockies.

I understand that deception is inherent in advertising and that I am making a mountain out of a molehill, but this same tactic could be used in a much bigger purchase. Our unconscious associations get people into debt and sheds light on a consumer culture. We buy things to make us happy. Advertisers know this, and they attack something as simple as hunger in subtle ways. Is it wrong to put an illustration of Hawaii next to chips made in the style of that culture? It's not illegal. Is it wrong to imagine lying on a beach while crunching into some delicious chips. Nope. Does it happen all the time without even being aware of a psychic seduction? Absolutely. In conclusion, blow conch man, blow. Maholo.