Kits and commodifying cultures
So I learned a new word recently: Commodify
You know that sounds familiar doesn't it? And you know what that reminds me of? Kits. I wasn't around the forums here when Kits were first announced, but you can tell me how bad it was here when it happened. As for me, I never liked the idea of Kits, and yet I have them. Not all of them were bought with my own money, I'm going to tell you that. What I find interesting is how the themes of these more recent Kits have been taking someone else's ethnic culture (whether it be their fashion or their architecture) and selling it back to us for money.
Oh how I miss the days when they didn't sell them back to us for $5 a pop even though they're really not worth that much. Remember when they did that decently-sized Caribbean and Lunar New Year patches that brought not only new CAS items, but BB items too along with new recipes some years ago? Those were basically half the size of a stuff pack already, and you bet your behind that it would've been sold to us as a $5 kit nowadays.
Now I know that representation is one thing, and sometimes I think it's too much at times (like those recent Korean traditional outfits in the SDX that I would never have a reason to use but that discussion is for another day), but at least it was free. Commodifying in the sense of this term is as I described, ripping ethnic cultures and selling them to us for profit, and apparently, people eat that up. We now have 10 (and maybe an 11th coming soon) Kits and 4/10 are ethnic-based: Courtyard Oasis (B/B kit; North African/Arabic/Moorish), Fashion Street (Mumbai modern street fashion, which is still ethnic-based but not everyone in India wears that), Incheon Arrivals (Specifically what K-pop idols wear, but although it's modern Korean attire that they wear generally these pieces can mostly be worn by anyone so the ethnic-base is weaker), and now Carnaval Streetwear (Literally Carnaval streetwear specific to Brazil). I also have a feeling the next possible Kit probably revealing in this quarter will also be ethnic-based and another B/B kit, but I'll be glad if I was wrong.
So do tell me, do you like ethnic cultural items, CAS and B/B alike, being sold off to you for $5 a pop, or would you wish that they were more free like they used to be, when they basically patched in a brevy of culturally-related items that are almost half the size of a stuff pack some years ago? Current world situation pending, of course. Next thing you know they'll sell us a 'Black History Month' Kit with African American culture-related items, or more recently a 'Slavic Wear' Kit or even an 'LGBTQ+ Pride' Kit which yes I know it's not an 'ethnic' theme but it's still a culture (please DO NOT do that Sims team, I would like to get these for free thank you).
Oh and, in my opinion, how it relates to me is that I am Chinese-Indonesian, and I would not appreciate my culture on the Indonesian side to be sold off to me as a $5 Kit if I want to wear my ethnic attire or build our traditional buildings. I wouldn't want the Chinese side to be sold off to us either, they should both be free, but I expect one or the other will be paid and I wouldn't be surprised if they put a price tag on them anyway. I already see that they've done so already in the wedding pack, knowing that they have traditional formal wear for Indian and Chinese weddings, and Oriental tea sets exclusive to the tea ceremonies in that pack.
commodify
💼 Post-College Level
verb (used with object), com·mod·i·fied, com·mod·i·fy·ing.
to turn into a commodity; make commercial.
to treat as if a commodity.
You know that sounds familiar doesn't it? And you know what that reminds me of? Kits. I wasn't around the forums here when Kits were first announced, but you can tell me how bad it was here when it happened. As for me, I never liked the idea of Kits, and yet I have them. Not all of them were bought with my own money, I'm going to tell you that. What I find interesting is how the themes of these more recent Kits have been taking someone else's ethnic culture (whether it be their fashion or their architecture) and selling it back to us for money.
Oh how I miss the days when they didn't sell them back to us for $5 a pop even though they're really not worth that much. Remember when they did that decently-sized Caribbean and Lunar New Year patches that brought not only new CAS items, but BB items too along with new recipes some years ago? Those were basically half the size of a stuff pack already, and you bet your behind that it would've been sold to us as a $5 kit nowadays.
Now I know that representation is one thing, and sometimes I think it's too much at times (like those recent Korean traditional outfits in the SDX that I would never have a reason to use but that discussion is for another day), but at least it was free. Commodifying in the sense of this term is as I described, ripping ethnic cultures and selling them to us for profit, and apparently, people eat that up. We now have 10 (and maybe an 11th coming soon) Kits and 4/10 are ethnic-based: Courtyard Oasis (B/B kit; North African/Arabic/Moorish), Fashion Street (Mumbai modern street fashion, which is still ethnic-based but not everyone in India wears that), Incheon Arrivals (Specifically what K-pop idols wear, but although it's modern Korean attire that they wear generally these pieces can mostly be worn by anyone so the ethnic-base is weaker), and now Carnaval Streetwear (Literally Carnaval streetwear specific to Brazil). I also have a feeling the next possible Kit probably revealing in this quarter will also be ethnic-based and another B/B kit, but I'll be glad if I was wrong.
So do tell me, do you like ethnic cultural items, CAS and B/B alike, being sold off to you for $5 a pop, or would you wish that they were more free like they used to be, when they basically patched in a brevy of culturally-related items that are almost half the size of a stuff pack some years ago? Current world situation pending, of course. Next thing you know they'll sell us a 'Black History Month' Kit with African American culture-related items, or more recently a 'Slavic Wear' Kit or even an 'LGBTQ+ Pride' Kit which yes I know it's not an 'ethnic' theme but it's still a culture (please DO NOT do that Sims team, I would like to get these for free thank you).
Oh and, in my opinion, how it relates to me is that I am Chinese-Indonesian, and I would not appreciate my culture on the Indonesian side to be sold off to me as a $5 Kit if I want to wear my ethnic attire or build our traditional buildings. I wouldn't want the Chinese side to be sold off to us either, they should both be free, but I expect one or the other will be paid and I wouldn't be surprised if they put a price tag on them anyway. I already see that they've done so already in the wedding pack, knowing that they have traditional formal wear for Indian and Chinese weddings, and Oriental tea sets exclusive to the tea ceremonies in that pack.
