Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic

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by John de Graaf; David Wann; Thomas H Naylor; David Horsey; Vicki Robin


  Urbanksa, Wanda, and Frank Levering. Nothing’s Too Small to Make a Difference. WinstonSalem, N.C.: John F. Blair, 2004.

  U.S. Census Bureau. Statistical Abstract of the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1999, 2004-5.

  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Chemical Information Collection and Data Development (Testing) Web site. http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/chemtest/index.htm.

  “Video Stores Seek Class Action in Suit against Blockbuster,”The Home Town Advantage Bulletin, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, November 2000.

  Wachtel, Paul. The Poverty of Affluence. New York: Free Press, 1983.

  Walker, Bob. “Mall Mania,” Sacramento Bee, October 19, 1998.

  Walker, Rob. “The Hidden (in Plain Sight) Persuaders,” New York Times Magazine, December 5, 2004. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20912FC3A5A0C768CDDAB0994DC404482&incamp=archive:search.

  Wallis, Jim. The Soul of Politics. New York: New Press, 1994.

  Walsh, David. Designer Kids. Minneapolis: Deaconess, 1990.

  ———.Selling Out America’s Children. Minneapolis: Fairview Press, 1995.

  Wann, David. Biologic. Boulder, Colo.: Johnson Books, 1994.

  ———.Deep Design. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1996.

  Warren, Elizabeth. “Bankruptcy Borne of Misfortune, Not Excess,”The New York Times, September 3, 2000.

  Wattenberg, Ben. Values Matter Most. Washington, D.C.: Regnery, 1995.

  Weil, Andrew. Eating Well for Optimum Health. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.

  Weil, Michelle, and Larry Rosen. Technostress. New York: John Wiley, 1997.

  Williams, Terry Tempest. Refuge. New York: Vintage, 1991.

  ———.Leap. New York: Pantheon, 2000.

  Willimon, William, and Thomas Naylor. The Abandoned Generation: Rethinking Higher Education. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1995.

  Wolf, Stewart. The Power of Clan: The Influence of Human Relationships on Heart Disease. Somerset, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1998.

  Worldwatch Institute. State of the World. New York: W. W. Norton, published annually 1995-2000.

  ———.Vital Signs 1995-2000. New York: W. W. Norton, 2000.

  ———.Vital Signs 2003. New York: W. W. Norton, 2003.

  Yalom, Irvin. Existential Psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books, 1980.

  Yearning for Balance: Views of Americans on Consumption, Materialism, and the Environment. A report prepared by the Harwood Group for the Merck Family Fund: Bethesda, Md., 1995.

  Yeoman, Barry. “Steel Town Lockdown,” Mother Jones, May/June 2000. http://www.mother-jones.com/news/feature/2000/05/steeltown.html.

  Zablocki, Benjamin. The Joyful Community. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980.

  Zajonc, Donna. The Politics of Hope. Austin, Texas: Synergy Books, 2004.

  INDEX

  A

  Adams, Cindy and Keaton, 20, 48–49

  Adbusters, 215–19

  addiction, xii–xiii, 14–15, 39, 109–13

  advertising

  Adbusters, 215–19

  brand name, 155–56

  high cost of, 154–55

  hypercommercialism, 157, 159

  limits on, 157, 231

  purpose of, 154

  violence in, 58

  See also marketing; PR

  Affluent Society (Galbraith), 151

  “affluenza,” xvi, xviii, 2

  Affluenza Self-Diagnosis Test, 174–76

  Affluenza (show), ix–x, 14–15

  Age of Missing Information (McKibben), 191

  Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 36

  American Wind Energy Association, 204

  ancient Greece, 131

  Andrews, Cecile, 183–84

  Aristotle, 131

  Atwater, Lee, 74

  automobiles

  disassembly tax on, 230

  environmental impact of, 94–95, 167

  expectations and, 25–27, 148–49

  freeways and, 32–34, 149

  fuel efficient, 200, 203

  PR and, 165

  suburbia and, 147

  SUVs, xii, 26–27, 200–201

  time-sharing of, 212

  Autowraps, 156

  B

  Balter, David, 162

  Bank of America ad, 149

  bankruptcy, 4, 20–21, 22

  Barber, Benjamin, 207

  Barbie Get Real (Gailus & Martin) [play], 62

  Battle Creek (MI), 144–45

  Beal, John, 73

  Beder, Sharon, 163, 165

  Bernath, Jim, 36

  Bernays, Edward, 164–65

  Beyond Ecophobia (Sobel), 192

  Beyond the Limits (Meadows), 116

  Bioregion Quiz, 190

  Blackfoot Indians, 117

  Blakely, Edward, 69

  Blanchard, Chuck and Joy, 145

  Boe, Vivia, xv, xvi, 173–74

  Boyte, Harry, 73

  Broder, David, 84–85

  Brower, Michael, 200–201

  Brown, Fred, 178

  Bush, George W., xix, xi, 85, 226, 229

  Bushmen of Kalahari, 88

  Buy Nothing Day, 217–19

  BzzAgent, 162

  C

  Canada, 215, 228

  cars. See automobiles

  Carson, Rachel, 102

  Carter, Jimmy, 152, 153

  Carver, Thomas Nixon, 142–43

  Cashman, Kate, 61

  causes

  1920s, 142–43

  advertising, 154–59, 215–20, 231

  The Consumption Spike, 158

  early American history, 132–35

  Industrial Revolution, 134–38, 167

  late 1800s, 139–40

  Patient Zero, 128–29

  postwar boom, 148–51, 224

  PR, 161–66, 168

  World War II, 146–47

  worldwide historical overview, 129–32

  See also advertising; marketing; PR; work

  CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), 73, 74

  CCCS (Consumer Credit Counseling Services), 19–20, 48

  Celente, Gerald, 6, 86, 183, 220

  Center for a New American Dream, 6, 181, 244

  chain stores, 66–68

  Channel One, 61, 231

  Chappell, Tom, 204

  children

  “Childhood Influenza,” 55

  commercialization of schools and, 59–61, 155

  as economic force, 11–13

  lifestyle behavior and, 36, 58–59

  marketing to, 55–59, 231

  media literacy, 219–20

  mental health of, 61–62, 70

  See also family

  China, 122

  Circle of Simplicity (Andrews), 184

  clutter, 32–37

  Clutter Workshop, 32

  co-housing, 209–12

  Colburn, Theo, 106

  Colombia (South America), 95–96

  Coming Back to Life (Macy), 243

  Communist Manifesto (Marx), 135

  community

  advisory panels, 161–62

  civic life and, 207–9

  co-housing, 209–12

  expendability and, 52–53

  isolation and, 63–66, 68–71

  retail chains and, 66–68

  security and, 68–70

  shopping mall as centerpiece, 14

  sustainability and, 237–39

  true wealth and, 117, 118–19

  voluntary simplicity and, 184–85

  Consumer Credit Counseling Services, 19–20, 48

  Consumer Jungle (website), 219–20

  Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices (Brower and Leon), 200

  corporations, 161–66, 168–69, 186, 202–3, 230

  Cover Concepts, 61

  credit cards, 19–20

  crime, 58, 68–70, 76, 86–87

  cultural differences

  Blackfoot Indians, 117

  C
hina, 121, 122

  Japan, 117, 121

  Lakota Sioux, 132

  Machiguenga, 129–30

  Pacific Islander, 122

  Spain, 123

  See also international impact; international practices

  cultural norms. See social norms

  Curing Affluenza (video), 185

  D

  dead zones, 105–6

  debt, 18–21

  DeWitt, Calvin, 132, 195–96

  discontent

  advertising and, 42, 157, 159

  dietary, 120–21

  malls, 13, 14

  market values and, 52–53

  material wealth and, 24, 39, 115–17

  self-esteem and, 123–24

  sex, 121–22

  social isolation and, 64–66, 68–71

  throw-away society and, 49–50

  See also fulfillment

  Doherty, William, 47–48

  Dominguez, Joe, 179–81

  Donovan, Webster, 107–8

  Don’t Buy It (website), 219–20

  Douglas, Tommy, 228

  Dowie, Mark, 164–65

  downshifters, 181, 185–86

  Dungan, Nathan, 219–20

  Dunning, David, 124

  Durning, Alan, 95–96, 204

  E

  Earth in Balance (Gore), 2

  Earth Institutes, 186

  ecological footprint, 96–97, 241

  Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 (Marx), 135–36

  economics

  dissatisfaction and, 120

  and the environment, 170

  the G.I. Bill, 147, 149

  globalization, 87–88

  income inequality, 82–84

  poverty, 82–83, 84–87

  progress and, 3–4, 7

  saving money and, 21–22

  of scale, 66–67

  single-payer health care, 228

  sustainability and, 246, 247

  taxes, 229–30

  voluntary simplicity and, 232–33

  workweek reduction and, 227

  See also social class

  ecophobia, 192

  education commercialization, 59–61, 231

  Edwards, Felicia, 86

  Ehrenreich, Barbara, 50, 85

  Eisenhower, Dwight D., 149

  Electronic Gaming Monthly (magazine), 58

  Elgin, Duane, 183, 187

  employment. See work

  emptiness. See discontent

  End of Patience (Schenk), 41

  Engels, Friedrich, 135, 136

  English-Leuck, Jan, 36

  environmental impact

  of automobiles, 94–95, 167

  chemical toxicity, 101–4

  consumerism, 3, 6, 14, 152

  dead zones, 105–6

  ecological footprint, 96–97, 241

  energy supply, 204

  global warming, 166–68

  housing toxins, 104

  on the lower classes, 85–86

  overview, 90–91

  personal choice and, 93–94, 198–202, 204–5

  policy, 199–200, 229, 245

  products, 91–93, 202–4, 245, 246

  sustainability and, 237, 245

  voluntary simplicity and, 186–87

  on wildlife, 97–99, 105–6

  See also industrial toxicity; nature; sustainability

  Escape from Affluenza (documentary), 219

  EU (European Union), 44, 230

  Europe, 224, 228, 229, 230, 232

  expectations

  automobiles, 25–27, 148–49

  food, 27–28, 120–21, 247

  housing, 24–25

  luxuries, 27, 28–29, 30

  standard of living, 23–24, 29–30

  Expedia.com, 43–44

  extended producer responsibility laws, 202–3, 230

  F

  Faber, Ronald, 112–13

  Faludi, Susan, 157, 159

  family

  conservative values and, 52–53

  free time and, 225–27

  market values, 47–48, 50–52, 57–58

  money stress and, 48–50

  shopping and, 14

  throw-away society and, 49–50

  See also children

  Fever Index, 235

  FOF (Focus on the Family), 51–52

  food, 27–28, 107–8, 120–21, 247

  Ford, Gerald R., 152

  Ford, Henry, 148

  Fortress America (Blakely), 69

  Frank, Robert, 229

  free time, 39–41, 43–45, 140–42, 225–27

  Friedman, Meyer, 45–46

  front groups, 163–64

  fulfillment

  addiction and, 113

  de-individualization, 79–80

  depression and, 77–78

  giving and, 73–74

  leisure time and, 39–41, 43–45, 140–42

  Marxist thought, 136–37

  Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, 118–20

  materialism, 76–79, 115–17, 235–37

  non-material gain and, 151

  right livelihood, 74–76, 236–37

  See also discontent

  Furlong, Edward, 105

  G

  Gailus, Jennifer, 62

  Galbraith, John Kenneth, 24, 151, 158

  GDP (gross domestic product)

  in the EU, 44

  as outmoded measure, 7, 217

  and social health, 70, 234, 239–41

  Geller, Howard, 199, 204

  Gelobter, Michel, 240

  Geography of Nowhere (Kuntsler), 65

  giving, 62, 73–74

  Global Spin (Beder), 163

  global warming, 166–68

  globalization, 87–88

  Goodman, Ellen, 36

  Gore, Al, 2, 229

  GPI (genuine progress indicator), 7, 239–41

  Graham, Malory, 220

  green tax system, 229–30

  Green, William, 141, 143

  Greenbrier High School (GA), 59

  Greening Earth Society, 166, 168

  Greening the Planet Earth (video), 166, 168

  Greenway, Robert, 193–94

  H

  Hagg, Ernest van den, 79–80

  Haggard, Ted, 50

  Hamm Creek, 73–74

  happiness. See fulfillment

  Happiness (Layard), 224, 232

  Harmony Village (CO), 209–12

  Harwood, Richard, 2–3

  Hatcher, Lee, 237, 238–39

  Hawken, Paul, 90, 198, 230, 246–47

  Hayden, Tom, 77, 78

  health concerns

  depression, 77–78

  employee benefits, 225, 226, 228

  industrial toxicity, 101–5, 107

  obesity, 35, 56, 88, 121

  ranking of US, 44

  social isolation and, 64, 70

  sustainability and, 247

  Type A personality, 45–46

  See also industrial toxicity; stress

  High Tech/High Touch (Naisbitt), 37

  history. See causes

  housing, 24–25, 90, 104, 147, 209–12

  Humane Economy (Ropke), 79

  Hunnicutt, Benjamin, 142, 144, 145

  I

  Industrial Revolution, 134–38, 167

  industrial toxicity

  dead zones, 105–6

  food, 100–101

  health and, 102–4, 107

  housing and, 104

  statistics, 101

  international impact, xvii–xviii, 4, 81–82, 87–88, 121–23

  international practices extended producer responsibility laws, 202–3, 230

  free time and, 44, 224, 226–27

  Netherlands, 230, 232–33

  saving money, 21–22

  Stone Age cultures, 129

  taxes, 229, 230, 231

  UK, 231–32

  See also cultural differences

  Internet, 16–17, 121–22, 157, 165, 219–20
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  Iowa Beef Processors slaughterhouse, 43

  “Is Greed Good?” (article), 83–84

  isolation, 64–66, 68–71, 206–7

  J

  Jacobson, Michael, 156

  Japan, 117, 121

  Jesus (the Christ), 74, 131–32

  Johnson, Allen, 129–30

  Johnson, Beth, 32

  K

  Kalahari Bushmen, 35, 88, 129

  Kasser, Tim, 77

  “keeping up with the Jones,” xii, 29–30, 78, 158, 173–74

  Kellogg, W. K., 144, 225

  Kellogg’s Six-Hour Day (Hunnicutt), 144

  Kennedy, John F., 77

  Kennedy, Robby, 152

  Kerry, John, 226, 229

  Kid Power, 57

  Knowledge-Value Revolution (Sakaiya), 117

  Korten, David, 87

  Kuntsler, James, 65

  Kurnit, Paul, 57

  L

  Lafargue, Paul, 140

  Lakota Sioux, 132

  Lasn, Kalle, 160–61, 215–19

  Lawrence textile workers strike, 223

  Layard, Richard, 86, 224, 232

  laziness, 140–41

  leisure time, 39–41, 43–45, 140–42, 225–27

  Leon, Warren, 200–201

  Leopold, Aldo, 192

  Lerner, Michael, 76–77

  Life without Principle (Thoreau), 137

  Linder, Staffan, 41–42

  Living Downstream (Steingraber), 102

  Los Angeles (CA), 34

  Lovins, Amory, 90, 203, 230

  Lovins, Hunter, 90, 230

  Lubbers, Ruud, 232–33

  Luntz, Frank, 226

  Luttwak, Edward, 52–53

  Luxury Fever (Frank), 229

  M

  Machiguenga, 129–30

  Macy, Joanna, 243–44, 246

  Mall of America, 15

  malls, 13–16, 149–50

  market values, 50–52, 55–58

  marketing

  brand names and, 155–56

  and children, 55–58, 231

  front groups, 163–64

  information validity and, 165–66

  school subsidization and, 59–61, 231

  television and, 150, 231

  See also advertising; media; PR

  Marketing Madness (Mazur and Jacobson), 156

  marriage, 48–50

  Martineau, Pierre, 154

  Marx, Karl, 135–37, 138, 140

  Maslow, Abraham, 117–20

  Mazur, Laurie, 58, 155–56, 157

  McDonald, Evy, 178–79

  McDonald’s, 122

  McKibben, Bill, 191

  Meadows, Donella, 93, 116, 169–70

  meaning. See fulfillment

  media

  Adbusters, 215–19

  children and the, 55–59, 219–20

  literacy, 219–20

  product placement, 156

  television, 29, 150, 154–55, 216–19, 231

  See also advertising; marketing; PR

  Meyer Friedman Institute, 45–46

  Miringoff, Marc, 70

  Molnar, Alex, 60

 

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