Dubai warned to avoid US-style consumer society

Dubai is close to adopting an aggressive US-style consumer society which could be "destructive and dangerous to its people", a world famous sociologist has claimed.

In comments made during a talk hosted by the Dubai School of Government, George Ritzer, an American professor at the University of Maryland, said the economic crisis was likely to wipe out many of the "cathedrals of consumption" such as giant shopping malls, cruise ships, and theme parks.

“While the US has emerged as the primary example of a hyper-consumer society, with credit cards given even to college kids without jobs, other societies such as Macau or Dubai are following this pattern, which may prove extremely dangerous and destructive to its people,” Ritzer said.

Dubai is a mecca for shopping malls and theme parks. Dubailand is a $64bn leisure and entertainment theme park currently under construction in the emirate.

Anecdotal evidence has suggested that Dubai retail sales are around 20 percent down on last year.

Ritzer said globalisation in the West - particularly in the US - over the last 50 years had been marked by a push "for the tallest building, the biggest burger, the largest meal - anything that would wow consumers and make then consumer even more".

“Once people stop coming to these ‘cathedrals of consumption,’ the spectacle or ‘wow factor’ is greatly reduced. Then there is even less reason to come,” he added.

“We are witnessing a change in perception and the reality is hitting people hard. When people are heading in a particular way with a lot of energy, the only way they will stop is when they hit a wall. I think the recession that we are witnessing currently is a wall.”

Ritzer is author of a number of books including the ‘The McDonaldization of Society’ and ‘Enchanting a Disenchanted World’. He holds an honourary doctorate from La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.

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