Chapter 7 - The Mao Badge Phenomenon as Consumer Fad

Summary

Chapter 7 argues that while the Red Guards shouted support for the Socialist Revolution, their everyday actions furthered the practices of consumerism that negated the revolution. The Cultural Revolution’s mobilization of young people helped spread consumerism through the Mao badge fad to demonstrate how widely the Cultural Revolution spread consumerism throughout China. Soon, tens of millions of Red Guards nationwide aspired to attend a rally in Beijing, catch a glimpse of Mao, declare their commitment to Mao and the Revolution, and bring home a Mao badge as proof of their visit. Mao badges, and the symbolic and social value they conferred on their owners, provoked a wave of material desire and a Mao badge fad that eventually propelled the production, distribution, and accumulation of billions of badges across the country and globe. The chapter examines the Mao badge fad in detail because consumer fads are a quintessential example of the self-generating and compulsive nature of consumerism.