Fall is here. I love this season. I look forward to the colors and cooler weather. I like the holidays and fall sports too. There are so many iconic things about Fall. And in the last few decades we have learned to add another icon to the list of Autumn arrivals. It has the abbreviation PSL. Do you know what it is?
If you guess the pumpkin spice latte, you got it right.
We have had pumpkin spice for a long time. After all it really is just a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. But it wasn’t until 2003 that it started to become such an Autumn icon. That is the year that Starbucks debuted the flavor in a latte. Since then they have sold more than 424 million of them in the United States alone.
You can get pumpkin spiced flavored everything now. I did a quick search and found a lot of items that come out with a product with this flavor in the Fall.
- Cooke mixes
- Candy
- Pop Tarts
- Little Debbies
- Pecan Bark
- Frosted Flakes cereal
- Breakfast bars
- Spreads and jams
- Cheerios
- Jelly beans
- Popcorn seasoning
The list goes on. And it gets weird too. Last year Hefty came out with a pumpkin spice scented trash bag. They were hugely popular, selling out in just 90 minutes time. Clearly the people know what they want. You can get pumpkin spice scented kitty litter. And you can even order pumpkin spice scented toilet paper.
So I have to ask the question. Have we gone too far? Why is pumpkin spice such a phenomenon? You might say it is nostalgic for those of us that like the season. And only offering these things a few months of the year does help drive sales. But I think there is another reason pumpkin spice has become so popular.
Everyone else is buying it.
If your friends and family are all doing it this must be something worth buying. After all, you don’t want to miss out on the smells of the season. Why would you forsake the culture?
This is known as the bandwagon effect. It is a phenomenon that attaches peer pressure to what we try and buy. All those other people can’t be wrong, right? We see the effects of this phenomenon in a lot of places. Diet fads fall squarely into this category. Fashion does too. Even colors for decorating can cycle through the years. There always seems to be an “in” color scheme. We see this in music tastes, social networks, and even in elections.
What about faith? Do we see the bandwagon effect there too?
Luke 23:13-23
13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16 Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” [17]
18 But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
That sure sounds like a case of the bandwagon effect. I wonder how each individual crowd member would have responded if they were all in isolation. Would they all want Jesus crucified vs a convict if you talked to each by themselves? I have a hard time believing that would be true.
The bandwagon effect isn’t always bad. We are all affected by the people around us. So imagine what good things can come about by surrounding yourself with good people. If you are around avid readers you will tend to read more. If you surround yourself with those who eat right and exercise you will probably do that too. It is also good to be able to spot the bandwagon effect when we are asked to make choices in life.
The bandwagon effect is a very real phenomenon. Let’s see if we can spot it happening in our lives and in our faith.
God Bless