Second, it does not take into account ability to choose any other answer. For example question 5 asks, "Do you buy home-improvement products in a large chain store rather than the neighborhood hardware store?"(174). This can leave no option to yes or no for the taker because the only store in their town may be the large hardware store. If their even is a neighborhood store, you could also argue that the large store offers lower prices that a family might want to take advantage of in these tough economic times.
Third, it offers questions which people will say yes to because of their lifestyle. Question 50 asks, "Do you eat meat nearly everyday?"(176). Although meat may contribute to consumption, we need to eat to survive and some people like eating meat. Some people like being vegan or vegetarian and have their reasons, but for some people the most fulfilling thing in the world is sitting down after a long day at work and eating a juicy, tender cheeseburger and drink a cold beer. Some people are fulfilled by knowing that they saved an animal, but that animal is already destined to be killed and in fact is only alive to be killed and consumed. If you disagree with the means that animals are suffering from that is fine, but I believe it is a right that "Americans" (I am using this as a term to include past, present, and future peoples of the United States) have earned through years of work and dedication.
Finally, the rest of the book continues to talk about ways we can reduce Affluenza. This book may be exaggerating the point to which individual families consume. For my family we usually take a vacation once a year for a week to either South Carolina or elsewhere around the United States. My parents work hard for their money and have earned the right to spend their money however they please. The book says that Americans spend too much time working, but then criticizes them for going on expensive vacations. You cannot have it both ways when people are not working in affluent countries they want to spend their money on things they enjoy. (And who am I to judge and say that shopping is a harmful form of self fulfillment) Every person has their own interests and own things that bring themselves joy. Even though Americans consume more than any other country, we must also acknowledge the facts that the book Affluenza creates a conflicting opinion and in my opinion ignores some key factors that contribute to American consumption.
Adam Shanley (Section 1)
Your analysis of the the book Affluenza is quite interesting. I liked how you went through the test point by point. However, there are some points that I disagree with you on- the meat consumptions is one of them- the production of meat or animal products has a great impact on the planet and the health of the individual. The high rate of illness affects medical costs which in turn affect the economy. I do agree that the book does give conflicting opinions of consumption- the price of the book is one of the conflicting messages- Thomas Walsh 01
ReplyDeleteI noticed that about the flowers too, my guess is that his point is people don not go out side unless it is a short walk, he is probably think they walk to a clos shop. I believe he thinks most people are too busy to "stop and stop and smell the roses" he used that exact fraze. by asking about plants and animals the author is trying to prove modern americans do not spend enought time in and payattention to nature. I do agree with you that it is bias, but sometimes we can recognize with out know ing a name, or some times you can know something but it is not allways at the top of your head
ReplyDeleteI Agree, the book does contradict itself when it says Americans spend too much money on vacations. I feel like that is a disrespectful statement to the American worker. Why do we work so hard if we do not want to have the finer things in life? why should we be condemned as mindless petty people who only buy and never earn.
ReplyDeleteBecause the main focus of this book is on how consumerism has gotten out of control in America, of course there are going be biased questions and the most outrageous statistics will be presented. That's not to say, however, that the book doesn't make some really interesting points. For example, Question 5 that was mentioned in the book about hardware stores isn't necessarily commenting on one individual's personal consumption habits, but rather the habits of their community. If there are no neighborhood hardware stores in one's community, then that is usually an indication that the entire community has a high enough consumption rate to warrant a big chain hardware store and eliminate the need for a local store. I think that maybe the Affluenza test may not be well enough designed to analyze an individual, but rather an entire community, for shopping habits may be defined by what's available in one's neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the Affluenza Self-Diagnosis Test. I think it calls into question what we think of as normal. Just because a majority of Americans thinks, behaves and acts a certain way doesn’t make it right. This is especially true when overconsumption and the through-away culture are compromising the quality of life of one’s neighbors. I use the term neighbors, inclusively. Think of the burden overconsumption creates on the poor. Question 8: When you pay utility bills, do you ignore the amount of resources used? Power plants in this country contribute alarming amounts of hazardous wastes. Who lives in the areas that are polluted? “[The poor] live disproportionality in areas where environmental contaminants and patterns of pollution are most severe” (Graff, Wann, Naylor 86). I reject the idea that affluenza is a problem of the wealthy. In this case our conditioned ideas on what “normal” consumption is, has adverse consequences on every segment of society. Some, obviously, worse than others.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the book is somewhat contradictory and over exaggerates the factors that cause the problems of consumption in America. For example, I don’t believe that Americans are dooming themselves to unsustainable consumption because they like to eat meat. Eating is a necessity, shopping for things to impress one’s friends is not. Vacationing is also not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, there are whole areas of the United States with economies that rely primarily on tourism. Obviously, most Americans contribute to over-consumption in one way or another, but there are bigger problems in the United States than eating meat or going on vacation.
ReplyDeleteTom Reilly, Section 01.
This analysis of the book is really intriguing. The Self-Diagnosis Test, while extreme in some of its questioning, really was an eye-opener for me. I think sometimes the book might have been taken too literally. Some of the questions were extreme in a way that was meant to make one aware of their decisions. I agree with an above blog reply where they noted that just because the rest of the United States is participating in many of these acts that doesn't necessarily make it okay or the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I'm still going to vacation.
-Kara Kiensicki (Section 01)
We are definitely, without a doubt, not only dooming Americans but we are putting the rest of the Earth in peril. Eating meat is not wrong, but the means of producing it is what may be most detrimental to the environment.
ReplyDeleteAs Americans, we consume so much more than other nations and we are in the top of the "food chain."
Consumerism is a huge problem in America. When people get killed, beat up and trampled to get a chance to buy a PS3 or get the greatest "deal" at your local WalMart Superstore because there is no place else in town to shop because WalMart put them out of business and people are lined up outside to buy at 2am....it's an obvious problem. But I digress. BUY NOTHING DAY, this black friday.
If what you are arguing is that the self-diagnostic test is unscientific, and in some way posing loaded questions, I think you are right but are missing the point.
ReplyDeleteAs you've pointed out, the reason this book is so unscientific is because it cannot possibly address the particular circumstances that we all live in. It isn't about knowing 3 species of wildflower in your area, it's about the thought never having crossed your mind. The fact that our culture is focused more on the differences in high fashion clothing designers than distinctions between roses and a tulips is what is being addressed here covertly. We are more concentrated on the ingenuity of things we create, for good or for worse.
To your statement about hardware stores, yes, some towns may literally only have one hardware store which is part of a large commercial chain, but how many people assume they have lower prices? Did the hardware stores go out of business because a great deal of people price checked for that one light bulb, a piece of plywood, or new drill bits and saw a better deal was at Lowes? Or did they just go to Home Depot because they didn't want to waste their time going to a store with the possibility of it not carrying what they needed? This question has too many possibilities and can clearly not be scientific, because in my mind, it's about decision making on a miniscule level.
And finally, to address your last opinion, you said, "My parents work hard for their money and have earned the right to spend their money however they please. The book says that Americans spend too much time working, but then criticizes them for going on expensive vacations." That's exactly the problem that is contributing the American consumption. You believe that there is a right which comes with obtaining money, allowing for expending it in which ever way. It first declares that people assume the only way to relax is by "getting away". Second, if we say a vacation costs $1,000 for a week long get away and I make $10 an hour after deductions, that's 100 hours worth of work. Let's say that instead of spending it on a "vacation", you took a week off without pay and invested it into yourself? How many people see personal development (reading, crafting, learning) as valuable as a cruise? The point is, you don't need to take a cruise that exploits foreign cultures, damages the environment, and gives a false sense of value for you to enjoy life.
Although there are other ways to relax such as reading or hanging out at home, etc. people should be able to spend their money however they like. I don't think it is wrong for an individual who works very long weeks and makes a good living wants to escape for a week and go on vacation with their family. Vacations for example are ways for consumers to spend money in a reasonable way, granted that it's not realistic for people of the world to never travel or enjoy other places they've never seen. Furthermore, tourism creates jobs and also has the ability to help the economy grow. I do think however consumption becomes a huge problem when individuals just spend money because they have the ability to buy and buy and when there is no particular cause or reasoning behind it except for more want, luxury and desire.
ReplyDeleteHansen, I do not believe that earning money is a right, but choosing what you do with your money is a right. Like I stated it is all about your own preference. Also when someone has time off they want to do something they cannot normally do because they do not have the time, so basically travel. In truth you can read and craft in your free time at home and on weekends, but you cannot take week long vacations because you would loose your means of survival. Finally when I go on vacation I often do read because it is a relaxing form of entertainment and you ignore that fact that you can learn about other cultures and much more by taking vacations to far away places.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very intersting blog and I agree with the bloggers is stressing through his blog. Some of the questions are bias and there looking for a specific answer for the questions. We as americans are not dooming our lifestyles and culture because we like to eat meat and dont notice three different types of wild flowers. I understand what the author was trying to prove through his writting but I believe that it was to an extreme. I also disagree with the author when they state that americans spend to much money on vacations. We work hard so we want to play hard as well. That is my opinion and the authur has his as well. Vacations off from work help many people when they return to their jobs. Its true that people find joy in various things but I also think it is safe to say that people spend their money on what they want because they have the choice to do what they want because they earned it and can spend it on whatever they like.
ReplyDeleteJustin Olsen
This blog is interesting in the following ways. Our lifestyles hurt Earth and the animals that do not have a say in the matter. On, one side I have my family and relatives that love to eat meat. Then on the other side, there are few family members (like my sister) that virtually eat fruits, nuts and vegetables only. It seems like the only way for me and my meat-eating family and friends to stop eating meat is if we get a health scare. As well as the wildflower scenario, we are all busy caring about the products that we use and we can sometimes care less about the planet in general. It’s a pretty shocking to say, but it’s the truth.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Rizzo section 80.
I thought the test was an eye opener. It helped me realize that sometimes I am infected with this "disease." But there were also questions that I wondered if anyone said yes to. An example is number 6 "have you gone on a vacation primarily to shop?" My answer is no, but I am sure there is somebody who has done this. And I think that would be crazy. People have the right to spend money on whatever they desire, because that is why we work so hard. But, to travel just to purchase things is definitely a bit crazy and a problem derived from affluenza.
ReplyDeleteThe book, Affluenza, was observing the negative parts of the American consumers for overusing their resources. There are some areas that I disagree, I disagree that vacations are not bad. They are supposed to help an individual refresh and have an open point of view of the world. I suspected it is the American's desire to work less, earn more money are causing problems and frustrations in the society.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Chen
Section 01