Course Description

This course aims to examine the development of mass society, mass production, consumption and the American consumer from the late 19th century to the present. Areas considered may include industrialization and the development of work in relation to leisure, Worlds Fairs, the development of the advertising industry, the impact of American suburbanization on consumer behavior, television, technology, shopping, mass production and consumption.



Course Instructor: Matthew Ferguson, Department of American Studies - Rutgers University

Friday, November 11, 2011

CA: The Right Medicine

Affluenza is not only a problem that is affecting people, but our Earth is paying for it as well. The products we buy are not “designed to save the planet, they’re designed to make money” (Affleunza, 198). Once we are finished with the old version of the product, it will most likely end up in landfills or dumps, and will sit there for many years; some may last up to one million years. Certain materials are not even biodegradable. It’s sad to think that we use these products for such a short period of time, but they will outlive us, times 10. According to Affluenza, 80% of the products we buy are thrown away after a single use (198)! That is a crazy percentage. At this rate, human waste is soon going to take over the globe.
But there is a way consumers can help. Howard Geller suggests if “affleunza compels us to buy something,” we might as well make it environmentally friendly (199). Buying products that are environmentally friendly will not just help the earth, but will benefit the consumer as well. One ideal product that consumers can purchase when they can’t help their Affluenza, is a home wind turbine. Although it may seem costly right up front, these wind turbines will reduce your energy bill, and eventually pay for itself. Each person who chooses a wind turbine will help change the planet. Wind turbines are already supplying energy for millions of people (Affleunza, 204). When you install environmentally friendly products like these, the government will give back a yearly tax credit. This is a hidden prize for being nice to the planet. And in high wind states, it will lead to an economic boom (204).
Letting Affluenza infect you is almost inevitable in this day of age, but it can be used for good. We can find “the right medicine” by choosing products that help our planet grow, not destroy it. We need to get more people to realize the impact this disease has on us. It is not only wasting our money, space, and energy, but it is also harming our planet, which is the only one we have. Trying out a product like this Sauer Energy Wind Charger will help move our planet, as well the consumption, in the right direction.

Sauer Energy Cartoon Video from Joe Gandy on Vimeo.

30 comments:

  1. that was the most disturbing point to me, even if we use the products until they cantt function anymore we'd still have the problem of them not beeing biodegratable, but if we held on to our things longer we'd probably buy less and reduce the amount of waist. I like how you brought the tax credit for having wind mills.

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  2. I believe that wind and solar energy are a great way to move past coal and unclean ways to produce energy. But I do believe that we are a long way from depending on it solely. I have this belief because our obvious obsession with oil. Oil companies have so much say in our government that it is almost impossible to lobby against them. They have put in countless dollars to fight off any tax rises on their companies and therefore they can afford to find more ways to raise the cost of energy and force our dependence on oil. In order to be able to invest in clean energy, and buy environmentally friendly materials, we need to find ways to stop oil companies from lobbying so high in Washington.
    Consumption has led us to believe that our only way to harness enough energy to power our daily functions is to use oil and coal. Hopefully one day we will find a way to be more responsible consumers in order to not destroy our planet.

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  3. I mentioned this in class one time, i find this idea of us disposing of everything that we have disturbing.In the old days, things were repaired, which meant less trash. Nowadays, everything is made of plastic and can be thrown away just as easy as a soda can. The problem has gotten so out of control that now scientists are looking towards space as an effective and vast landfill.

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  4. The volume and magnitude of the waste and pollution that is caused by humans is staggering to say the least. It is not that we discard products that no longer work, their being discarded is based not on their quality but on their "newness." That is what we have to change about our culture, this desire to constantly have the latest and greatest product. Instead people should replace their products not every year but when the product's performance drops off and it can no longer perform its function.

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  5. Everyone in America treats the inexpensive materials like paper and plastic as obsolete. I agree that it is the tendency for us to use some things once and throw them out. Unfortunately for those who wish to conserve, capitalistic societies choose to deal with waste management in their own way where the more money a society makes, the more money they can put towards dealing with pollution by creating less harmful products. This means that we continue to encourage spending more and more, just on safer products such as this wind turbine. I think works in some ways and covers up some of the stuff that is being harmed but ignored.

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  6. I agree with you in as much as our community is generally infected by affluenza. I also enjoyed the Sauer Energy video. It was also a wake up of sorts. As I watched it, I thought, “I need ten of those!” Another symptom of affluenza…excess. I think an intrinsic part of any meaningful recovery from this “epidemic” is the communal effort. Committed participation to implement environmental, as well as consumptive, changes is necessary for each individual, but commitment is achieved in the group setting more significantly.

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  7. It is interesting that environmentally friendly products such as wind turbines can serve the dual purpose of reviving the economy and providing clean, efficient energy. If a concerted effort was made by the community to build an environmentally stable society, perhaps our economy could also benefit. Unfortunately, it seems like most people do not want to make more than a halfhearted effort at being environmentally conscious. Until the effects of climate change and environmental waste begin to have a noticeable and detrimental impact on peoples’ lives, it is likely that consumers will continue to place convenience over environmental prudence.

    Tom Reilly, Section 01.

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  8. The fact that 80% of the things we buy are thrown out after one use is staggering, but it also makes a lot of sense. We have done more damage to this earth in the past 70 years than what has been done all the years of earth's existence prior to that. Or addiction to buy has become an epidemic, and perhaps too late we are trying to save our planet through new lines of consumption. The wind turbine is a great idea along with solar because it is something new to consume and save our planet, although the government no longer gives those tax breaks that you spoke of

    Austin Payne, Cultures of Consumption, Section 80

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  9. The fact that 80% of consumer goods are thrown away after one use is both frightening and understanding. Americans are wasteful and do so without thinking about the long term effects this will have on other people and the planet. When I first read this statistic, I was shocked, and then I thought about how many purchases I have made that were for products I used only one time. Even the products that are used multiple times are not meant to last a person forever, the way things use to be made. My dad and I have had a conversation about cell phone many times; he feels that when he first got his cell phone, it lasted him well over two years, now cell phone companies give a person a two year contract and when that contract is up, there are great deals for person to purchase a new phone. He thinks many people have to buy a new phone at this time (or even sooner) because the batteries on the phones are not meant to last a person longer then it needs to. Is this true? Are good made not to last so a person needs to purchase and consume more?

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  10. I feel like often times there is this argument like, "Oh just do things green, it'll save the planet" as though it is that simple of a fix. Yes, the idea of everyone investing in a wind turbine might seem ideal but it is not necessarily a practical plan. For example, if you live in an area surrounded by trees, your wind turbine is not going to be cost effective. My parents saw this in recent years when they looked into putting solar panels onto our house. In order to put these solar panels in place, to a point where they would be effective, 10 trees surrounded our house would have to be cut down. This might be naive of me, or just the fact that I particularly enjoyed Dr. Seuss' The Lorax as a child, but cutting down 10 trees does not sound particularly "green" to me.

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  11. I agree with Kara's point. Many times these ideas of how to save the world from being "destroyed" usually involve high costs that the average consumer cannot and will not pay for. Also ideas such as wind mills take up huge amounts of open space and are really impractical in fueling an entire nation. Yes, I agree that we are hurting the earth in ways that may be irreversible. Things most definitely need to change but thinking that simple methods such as switching to wind energy or solar energy at their current state is not the necessary change. These options may become the answer in the future but I believe that consumption needs to be changed in that products are made durable and longer lasting. Also producers need to find more green methods of production and getting rid of waste that does not include putting everything into landfills. Those points are valid and will make a significant difference if they happen world wide.

    Josh Rengulbai 01

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  12. We as a society, are all "infected" by affluenza, because we are driven by mass consumption. In our modern world, more and more products are coming out at an exponential rate, things that we haven't even thought about are now mandatory to possess, and we "can't" live without. Not only are we now consuming more than even, and much more often, but at the rate technology progresses, things that we bought a few years, or even months ago become outdated very quickly, and we throw out much more products now than ever before, and aren't thinking much about all the negative impacts this will have in the future. The life of many products are becoming short-lived as they get replaced by newer and better forms, and the older products are piling up and are not recycled or disposed of properly. We need to do more as a society to become "greener" as a modern society, and take on more responsibility and actions as consumers to help out with the affluenza problem. There needs to be more initiative to do good for our environment at a crucial time in our society, where products and garbage are piling up and having no place to put them. The government needs to do more to control the flow of products and proper disposal of used goods. More needs to be done than said about this subject and we all need to take part in a responsible world where effects follow cause, and our problems are piling up, like our products.
    Kirill Kushnsky section 1

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  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  14. I think the wind turbune is a wonderful idea! and even if it can be costly, what if the groups that are talked about in "affluenza" combine their efforts and money and purchase one together. In this way one household would not have to put all the money in, and the entire block could benefit from just one wind turbine! If that seems a bit too far fetched, maybe the voulentary simplicity groups that meet at churches or other large buildings they have a mutual interest in, could purchase one for their meeting place.
    I also agree with your being scared that the products we purchase currently are not as environmentaly friendly as they should be, however i have seen great progress in recently. Many items at stores are labeled "environmentaly friendly", "biodegradable" and other thought provoking stickers. I feel like even though the change is happening slowly, its better than no change at all!

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  15. Again, the fact that 80% of consumer goods are thrown out after one use is a very high percentage, however none the less realistic. An example of this would be cases of water. When people drink a bottle out of the case they don't save that bottle and keep refilling it, they throw it out and move on to the next one because they can. We are too stuck in our ways to try and 'Go Green' and this point in time. Yes, we can continue to try but the reality of it is that depending on how you're raised and grow up you either care about the way you dispose of products or you don't. Over the years consumers have created a variety of negative and detrimental habits through the buying of goods; it's now however, that it is starting to catch up with us and that people are beginning to look at the big picture.

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  16. Again, the fact that 80% of consumer goods are thrown out after one use is a very high percentage, however none the less realistic. An example of this would be cases of water. When people drink a bottle out of the case they don't save that bottle and keep refilling it, they throw it out and move on to the next one because they can. We are too stuck in our ways to try and 'Go Green' and this point in time. Yes, we can continue to try but the reality of it is that depending on how you're raised and grow up you either care about the way you dispose of products or you don't. Over the years consumers have created a variety of negative and detrimental habits through the buying of goods; it's now however, that it is starting to catch up with us and that people are beginning to look at the big picture.

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  17. A home wind turbine is a great step in helping our earth become that much cleaner. We as human beings dont notice how much we affect our enviorment on a daily basis. By taking steps such as a wind turbine, and buying good that are enviormently friendly, makes a difference in the big picture. Its true that its a costly figure to put money up front for a wind turbine but it would eventually be cheaper for consumers. The first step in helping our earth be a cleaner and more enviormently firendly place is to notice that we are not taking the right steps in making our planet are cleaner place. Affluenza plays a huge part in lives and its hard to avoid it. Although, we can control it. It was a great statement that the blogger made by saying that we can choose products that help our planet grow, and not destroy it. We each have to make the sacrifice of controlling affluenza and making purchases that help our planet and not ruin it!
    Justin Olsen

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  18. Really cool video and find! The benefit for planet and the long term cost benefit for the individual is definitely worth the investment. The trick will be to market these turbines in a way that will not focus on the possibly tacky looking thing sitting on your roof. Even on Joe's cartoon house, is looked a bit ridiculous. If we can get past our desire to make everything we own aesthetically pleasing and desire to make the planet sustainable, than America will be on the right track.

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  19. I understand what you're saying and think that adapting to this consumption tenancies is a good idea, but I am afraid that even though we are being environmentally conscious about our consumption trends, we are still not addressing the drives that lead us to consume which proliferates in other aspects of our lives.

    For example, lets say we gained unlimited electricity through sustainable devices. Eventually we are going to run out of the materials that let us make these devices, and then there is going to be a shortage on the natural resources that go into the devices, not electricity. (Funny enough, it might push us back into fossil fuel consumption)

    Or lets say that we all have electric cars, now we need to invest in the infrastructure such as highways and recharge stations to keep them running. Really the question is, why do we need such mobility? Why do we expect and demand so much freedom? And is the cost it claims on not only the environment, but families and communities worth it?

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  20. I definitely agree with Chris Curro's opinion that affluenza was not much of a problem of the old days, where people simply repaired items that were broken.

    Nowadays, Consumer tendencies really seem to be oriented towards frivolous wastefulness. As much as I or the next person likes the iPhone, for example, how much more of a burden is it to just carry an iPod, and have a phone? Then you get onto the point of the Ipad, which is just a larger Itouch, which was an improvement over the Ipod, and this whole process barrels into ridiculous, thanks to Affluenza.

    Now with regards to alternatives, I really feel that Kristin really makes a serious comment / point that even if we use up products to reduce wastefulness, that we are only delaying a problem. Waste will still pile up, and inevitably, becomes problematic regardless of how long we use these non-biodegradable products.

    I really do think the problem though with this same logic is mainly that there is a serious lack of cheap alternatives in whatever we buy. For example an Electric Car, although it saves money in the long run, is simply not affordable to many people there. IT is not a practical alternative to a greater population who can't afford it.

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  21. The article you posted is something that I totally agree with. I think that people need to consume properly, save and reuse items. It’s an eye opener to see that 80% of products are thrown away after one use. I personally don’t think that people understand the great danger the world and the environment are heading in. Wind turbines are a great idea along with many other natural producing items. The solar panels that are going up on houses and businesses are also something that more people need to do. It is expensive but does pay off in the long run. Hopefully, things like this will become more common. With 7 billion people in this world now, we need to help the environment and consume properly.

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  22. I agree witht he fact that wind energy will help improve our planet. However some people still may not want to have wind turbines because depending on where they are set up some people do not want to "lose the view" or feel it can be displeasing to look at if you have water front property & all of a sudden you have 100's of wind turbines in your view, also the cost of having these alternatives is high for most people.The idea to have it be more cost effective for consumers if there is a tax credit or some type of benefit to them saving money over time will definatly help the change to other energy sources. I think it is a great alternative energy source & think it would be a great benefit for people. Wind is always blowing so why not use it to benefit us & the planet. There has already been a surge in the use of solar energy, that also is slightly expensive to have installed but there are benefits that help people gain there money back.
    AnneMarie Esemplare sec. 80

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  23. It seems like no matter what we do, we hurt Earth. We use vehicles to get to our destinations and that causes air pollution. We throw our trash in plastic bags and the trash is turning some animal’s habitat into smelly pile of nastiness. I do remember the video fondly and I was shocked to learn about all the things that we do impacts the environment. We really do need to think of a more eco-friendly way to make products and reduce our carbon footprint. One person can make a difference, but a lot of people can make a revolution.
    Andrew Rizzo section 80.

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  24. Really neat video! I totally agree with you and the video as well. We actually looked into wind power for our house. The cost upfront was extremely high, but the rewarded pay off after a few years of using it was great. The only problem is having this large amount of money upfront. It also had a lot to do with where you lived and how effective it was truly going to be. They have wind charts and effectiveness listed for certain areas documented by the wind patterns and speed ect. I know in areas of northern jersey they would not benefit as much as we would down here at the shore. I’m actually going to check out this company, “Sauer” we have been looking into the company Honey well for this, as well as forward the video to a few people I now that have been looking into alternative energy sources for their houses. Thanks for the Info!

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  25. I completely understand how human waste could easily take over the globe! Forty years ago we didn't worry about carbon footprints or reduce/reuse/recycle; we tossed it in the trash. My family cottage is a member of a private community with no local garbage pick-up. When my parents were young (and continuing while I was young), garbage was separated into two piles: burnable and not-burnable. The burnable stuff was (obviously!) incinerated in an old steel drum, and each of the dozen cottages on our road had one. Our non-burnables were taken to the "dump"--a small area where glass, metal, and ashes from our fires were unceremoniously left for nature. When we were kids, my brothers, my cousins, and I used to play on the pile of cans--40 years of crap that wouldn't/couldn't burn.

    We didn't stop burning/dumping our garbage until the recycling craze of the 1980s, when a cottager bulldozed our dump, covered it with fill, and nailed a "closed" sign to a tree. But if you dig underneath today, that crap is still there.

    People don't realize how much difference one person makes, but I've seen the damage a few summer cottages have caused, and recognize the difference one person makes. Now that we separate wet/dry garbage, paper/plastic/glass recyclables and cart everything to the municipal dump, I recognize how much we were throwing in our little dump.

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  26. Going Green is a new epidemic within our society, everyday products are becoming green and the new products that are emerging into consumer markets are green. We see water bottles becoming green by using less plastic, paper towels, napkins and even our toilet paper becoming green by not using the paper roll inside of it. The realization has set in, that the more we consume the more waste ends up in the landfills. Not only do we see the above products shift into becoming green but we also see counter top being made by recycled materials, and a new wave of energy becoming more popular by using wind turbines and solar panels. The best new “thing” when it comes to consuming is “being green’.

    Aly Palumbo Section 80

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  27. It's quite disconcerting to think of how disposable everything in our society is. Writing this in WMHEC's computer lab gets me to thinking...where will all these computers go after they become obsolete? Is it inherently human to waste materials without a second thought until we're living on top of garbage? Is that the price of having the newest and "greatest" model of everything?

    But besides the rhetorical questions I really liked the video you posted. I didn't know wind power could be that small and harnessed by individual homes. In my boyfriend's hometown of East Brunswick there are solar panels on neighborhood telephone poles. I just read in an article that mentions New Jersey is under a mandate by 2021 to have power providers get 23 percent of their electricity from renewable sources (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/science/earth/28solar.html?pagewanted=all). I honestly don't know if that's too little/too late for our current situation but I think it's interesting that our state is only second to California in solar power capacity. Hopefully we'll keep up where Corzine left off.

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  28. I agree with your post and I believe we are becoming more conscious about preserving our planet. "Going green" is trending right now in our society and now is the time for companys to attach themselves to this buy producing products that are environmentally friendly. Like the wind turbine you suggested in your post, I believe technology will allow other "green" products to be created. I certainly see this trend only in its beginning and hopefully it will not fade out for as long as we are around.

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  29. I agree that we really need to make a change quickly or we will have no planet left. Luckily the 'green' movement has some money in it or companies would be trying to fight it more. I think the way we can go about it is to try and influence companies to do greener things by buying green products. When they smell the "green" they'll come running. Companies have more clout than we ever will in the small groups that we've been using up until now. Maybe we can change that by banding together, but that wont be for a while I think. For right now the simplest thing to accomplish is to change our habits in little ways and try to appeal to large companies.

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  30. A reminder that affluenza is part of the enviornmental problem. Due to the increase of population it have consumed a lot of resources and materials. I am skeptical of the usage of wind and solar power because who will build them? The consumers need to learn how to be producers and be resourceful as well in order to be enviornmental friendly. Such as building a recycle factory and used products to made stuff that will profit the people and the nation. Or in order to conserve engergy, people should go to bed early. To save fossil fuel and to help small buisnesses, the town needs to be pedestrian friendly.
    Jennifer Chen
    Section 01

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