Affluenza (CL) Review
I really wanted the black tee shirt because, unlike the 10 other black tee shirts I have, it has some sequins around the neck. And it was on sale.
But I was in the midst of Affluenza so I didn't buy it. Instead I bought and planted flowers and herbs. Ninety five percent of those came in plastic pots. Net/net I am not sure that decision on how to allocate resources was a good one.
And that is the problem in a nutshell. We are faced with thousands of resource allocation decisions every year, and it is impossible to know with any certainty what the right decision is 9/10ths of the time. Do I buy the huge tub of sour cream because it costs less and has less packaging per ounce than the smaller one knowing that I might end up throwing some of the larger one out? And what about the dairy farmer? If we all go vegan, what happens to him? And what happens to the guy who runs the machine that makes all those plastic tubs? I actually stood in the store for several minutes contemplating those questions.
I read the book on my Kindle and I have to wonder what the authors would think about that. Less trees killed for sure, but yet another round of plastic objects which will either (1) have to upgraded the next iteration because at some point, Amazon will stop supporting this version, or (2) fail some day and end up in the landfill or the ocean. Is there a number of books I can read on my Kindle before it dies or becomes obsolete which will cause the ecological cost of my book consumption to tip in favor of the Kindle? I haven't a clue.
There is just too much of everything, and the messages we get about what to do or not do are so mixed there is no making sense of it. Joe Biden says we must spend money to get out of this crisis - should I have bought the shirt? - but we also need to increase our savings - should I not have bought the flowers?
This book frames the issue very well, but I felt it was a little simplistic, tried to cover way too much ground, and was short on real answers, probably because there aren't any. But I have found that just asking the question has changed my behavior. I am consuming far more consciously, and I hope less, which has freed up my time to read more. That has to be good.
Affluenza (CL) Overview
Affluenza is about the personal, social, economic, and environmental costs of over-consumption—and what we can do to beat the "all-consuming bug" that’s infecting the planet. While many people think the fight against affluenza will require us to "give up" the good life, the authors assert that we’re already giving up the good life, by sacrificing personal health and sanity, family closeness, and ecological stability for electronic gadgets, fantasy vacations, cheap socks and underwear. Affluenza presents symptoms (such as Stress of Excess, Family Convulsions, Dilated Pupils); historical and cultural data; and proven cures. An accessible, even humorous overview of a difficult subject, Affluenza suggests strategies for rebuilding families and communities, and for respecting the earth and its biological rules.
Affluenza (CL) Specifications
In their eye-opening, soul-prodding look at the excess of American society, the authors of Affluenza include two quotations that encapsulate much of the book: T.S. Eliot's line "We are the hollow men / We are the stuffed men," which opens one of this book's chapters, and a quote from a newspaper article that notes "We are a nation that shouts at a microwave oven to hurry up." If these observations make you grimace at your own ruthless consumption or sigh at the hurried pace of your life, you may already be ill. Read on.
The definition of affluenza, according to de Graaf, Wann, and Naylor, is something akin to "a painful, contagious, socially-transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more." It's a powerful virus running rampant in our society, infecting our souls, affecting our wallets and financial well-being, and threatening to destroy not only the environment but also our families and communities. Having begun life as two PBS programs coproduced by de Graaf, this book takes a hard look at the symptoms of affluenza, the history of its development into an epidemic, and the options for treatment. In examining this pervasive disease in an age when "the urge to splurge continues to surge," the first section is the book's most provocative. According to figures the authors quote and expound upon, Americans each spend more than ,000 per year on consumer goods, our average rate of saving has fallen from about 10 percent of our income in 1980 to zero in 2000, our credit card indebtedness tripled in the 1990s, more people are filing for bankruptcy each year than graduate from college, and we spend more for trash bags than 90 of the world's 210 countries spend for everything. "To live, we buy," explain the authors--everything from food and good sex to religion and recreation--all the while squelching our intrinsic curiosity, self-motivation, and creativity. They offer historical, political, and socioeconomic reasons that affluenza has taken such strong root in our society, and in the final section, offer practical ideas for change. These use the intriguing stories of those who have already opted for simpler living and who are creatively combating the disease, from making simple habit alterations to taking more in-depth environmental considerations, and from living lightly to managing wealth responsibly.
Many books make you think the author has crammed everything he or she knows into it. The feeling you get reading Affluenza is quite different; the authors appear well-read, well-rounded, and intelligent, knowledgeable beyond the content of their book but smart enough to realize that we need a short, sharp jolt to recognize our current ailment. It's a well-worn cliché that money can't buy happiness, but this book will strike a chord with anyone who realizes that more time is more valuable than toys, and that our relentless quest for the latest stuff is breeding sick individuals and sick societies. Affluenza is, in fact, a clarion call for those interested in being part of the solution. --S. Ketchum
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Customer Reviews
Luddite socialist pining for a happy past that never existed - john galt -
Let free people in a free market work as hard as they want, and chose the rewards they want. If you want to "recommend" they work less and consume less, fine. But lots of totalitarian nanny state implications in this book. Leave us alone.
affluenza - misssornia -
definitely helped me with purchasing stuff i don't need. i think back to this book as a reason not to buy unnecessary products. i highly recommend this book to shopaholics. :)
Affluenza - irighti -
Without being "preachy" this book clearly illustrates some of the absurdities of industrialized and advanced technology life, and how we need to kick our addiction to "more" and "bigger". It illustrates how we have all been victims of mass marketing, and the price we are paying because of it. A must read for everyopne, not just the ecologically tuned in.
Great and important read - H. Donaho -
This is a very good book and anyone who is at least slightly concerned with the way life is going in this country needs to read it. It is not a global warming, or green movement debate, though more sustainable ways for living are a big topic in this book. It comes down to the simple fact that most of us (Americans) would like our lives to go a little different. We all wish we did not have so much debt, so little time to spend with friends and family. We all, after a couple of months start to realize that the "perfect" house in the "perfect" suburban neighborhood, is extremely unfulfilling. It comes down to asking the questions such as: What are the most important things to us? Why do we spend all the extra hours at work, when we could be spending them on the things/people most important to us? Why do we lack and adherence or reverence for nature? Why are we so isolated? Why aren't we regularly involved in the community? Why don't we understand the awful consequences of debt? Why are we all so stressed, all the time? This book, with excellent dialogue and statistics, bring to light a concept that deep inside, all of us really already know, that more (money, material possessions, GDP, status, house, car, work), is not better.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 01, 2010 02:33:05
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