I would like to know how she would fix the world economy and its producer/consumer setup.
It doesn’t really matter as in 10 years or so, we will be outsourcing out political activism anyway…
Fair enough. I can see your point on these, but this is only a short thesis statement and an attempt to sell a book. I plan on reading the book (a second-hand copy, of course) to get a better idea of the evidence behind the message. There were “footnotes” to the video on some of the points she made, but I imagine most people don’t click on those.
I don’t know. I agree with her that as a society we overconsume and this is driven by media and government. I don’t have an answer for everyone, but I can live my life a certain way in accordance with my beliefs. If more people followed and wasted less, we could see a change. However, what will happen as BRIC (India, China, Brazil, Russia) continue to develop their middle class and consume more. Take note of her point on how much the US consumes as a proportion to our population.
So, if we can get all the corporations of the world to share profits with each other, coexist as equals, limit their profit margins and growth, they will preserve the resources required for their business?
If you want society to stop over consuming, you make it more expensive and price them out of buying it. Thats bad for business. Another idea would be to keep stupid people from having kids. Someday, there will be no smart people… just a race of morons.
I think that the point is if we permit governments and corporations to make all our decisions for us, we will end up causing ourselves harm in the end. Society is the only large body that can make a reasoned self-interested decision that will be good for society, not government or a corporation. They each, logically, have their own self-interests which may or may not always benefit society.
Throughout history we have moved from vesting decision making ability in one individual (a king) to a group (democracy) and then back to a small group of powerful elites. The mechanism is still there for people to take back control, but money and the resulting power has slowly led people to disenfranchise themselves. These issues are hugely complicated and I’ve oversimplified things here, but I feel there is evidence that the majority of people in America have just grown too complacent to identify what is in their own interest anymore.
double post madness
deleted double post
Another great movie to watch related to this is “The Corporation”. If you look at life only from a business, ‘dollars and cents’ perspective, then maybe you’re right that it’s a bunch of bullshit. But when the rich only get richer at the expense of the poor, there is an obvious problem.
jeez if you find society and how it’s based so disgusting, go live with some tribes or something?
then it’d be all like “the head of the tribe is trying to poison our minds by making us pee in the same river we drink from!” and “they’re making us wear red loin cloths to hypnotize us into going to war!”
I think the main point of this is sustainability and personally I don’t find anything wrong with slowing down the pace of an ever growing economy that benefits very few greatly at the expense of the majority. I am all for capitalism; I see nothing wrong with making money NOT on the backs of others.
Quality of life > $$$
Free time, fun, living, traveling, experiencing in my mind is the purpose for being on this planet, not getting the newest car, gadget, toy.
We sleep, THEY LIVE 
I hate the term, “purpose for being on this planet”
There is no purpose other than to fulfill the (for lack of better words) “circle of life” and/or “food chain”
Humans are just intelligent animals. Nothing more nothing less. For most animals, survival and reproduction is the only thing they strive for. For humans, that stuff comes easy so outside of that we just do whatever we want.
If having nice things makes you happy, that’s your thing. If raising a family makes you happy, that’s your thing. If traveling the world and never being tied down makes you happy, that’s your thing.
I don’t understand the point. Especially when the author goes on TV to promote the book, to create consumer desire to buy it, so they go out pick it up and read it, then they throw it out or stockpile it in their basement until they go on one of those hoarding shows on tv…
Even if these had a point other than for financial gain of the author there are specific inaccuracies in there that the author, or really anyone who is not an expert in the field, won’t have a strong grapse of.
I think the best part is that the ones that would go buy the book and let it change their views in a positive way so that they contribute less to the machine and decline of the planet are NOT the ones that will have any power. I’d bet that for every one that reforms a redneck has 2 kids.
Where is that video about population control being better than the soccer mom driving a prius with 4 i-pod listening kids all over town?
What makes human beings different is our ability to drastically alter the planet and affect the environment. We have had great technological advancement due only to the blessing of easily accessible and abundant fossil-fuel/carbon energy. Without that one could make an argument that humanity would still be sitting in the same situation we were in in the 17th century.
This rapid growth and development is beginning to induce signs of instability in the environment. We are thus beginning to realize that our growth, if kept at its current pace, is unsustainable and unmanageable. I mentioned BRIC before and the development there is an important point to consider. They have undergone a modern rapid industrialization and have huge and growing populations.
I post this link as a bit of consciousness raising, not necessarily to sway your opinion.
Since the early 20th century Americans have been engendered with a sense of supreme individuality and consumerism. This norm will be difficult to change as there are huge pressures still supporting it. I feel that it is more responsible to consume based on need more than desire. That doesn’t mean I want to live some monastic lifestyle. I just feel that being more responsible and less susceptible to commercial manipulation is supporting a “common good”.
I did get a laugh out of that. If you are trying to create awareness and less consumerism…Why are you selling a book? Why not just make the book an electronic download from a server that is powered by green energy. Done.
Your sense of irony is more a misunderstanding of the authors message. Her message is not to abolish markets or capitalism.
Also, see: http://storyofstuff.org/book-why.php
I don’t mean to disparage anyone, but try clicking around a little on the website before you launch into ad-hominem attacks and misconceived criticism.