’The Story of STUFF’ has left me pondering how all the pieces in the line of consumption fit together. It has also made me realize that how the economy is run, might not be in my best interest, but in the corporations’ and the people behind them. At least that is what Annie Leonard believes, and I think she is probably right. With 51 corporations among the 100 biggest economies in the world, it is inevitable that they gain power over the decisions made by governments. And these decisions help the corporations grow even bigger. How do we stop this development?
The consequences of our consumption are polluted air, land, water and climate change. All these affect our well being, not to mention the people at the bottom of the ‘food chain’, the workers that are being exploited in unhealthy factories so that we can keep on consuming.
In the US the peak of national happiness was in the fifties. The reason, apart from the end of world war two, was the growing economy. Unemployment shrunk, people were better off financially than ever before, and the future looked promising. Economic growth has always been paramount for our material well being. Somewhere between then and now however, things got out of control. Owing and buying stuff has become our measure of success. In order to be able to do so, we work harder than ever, and other values in life are lost to us. According to Annie Leonard, the commercials are to blame, and again I am inclined to agree. People are affected directly or indirectly without even knowing it most of the time.
So how do we stop the exploitation of people and resources and save the planet? Where there is a buyer, there is always a seller. The ultimate buyers are the consumers, us. The obvious answer would be to decrease consumption. That is how ordinary people can contribute to the environment. This might create unemployment , but by consuming less, we’ll be able to work less, and that in turn will give us time to rediscover other values in life than STUFF.
Give an inch and he Will take a yard!
ReplyDeleteThe companies have been a proper grip on the government and they are skilled at steering the boat where the wind blows.
There are incredible amounts of money to entice us gringo's to feed their greed, it becomes a rat-race.
today's way to relax, go shopping.
Tomorrow's way to relax, socializing!
Why not go back to the community where we could be with our loved ones.
Consume less and integrate more.
I think it can not happen overnight but there is a note of caution nature gives us.
I totally agree with you that our behavior contributes to values that are unhealthy for the environment. But I don't think that the commercials are all to blame. We have a attitude towards consumption that is letting us behave like this and letting us be controlled by the companies attempts to reach for us.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't know if the clear answer to all our problems are to consume less. We have a world build where economy forms the foundations of our countries and we need to maintain a balance with that if we are going to survive. I think it is more important to focus on a life style for people where we are aware of our choices. If we show the companies that we will not accept that our stuff are made in this way and that it is not alright for them not considering the wellbeing of people in other countries then maybe we have good start.
Knowledge is something else that we need to work on. Spreading this kind of information not just between us but also to the people that are more directly affected by this, the people that live in the counties where our companies produce their toxic that we later use.
I think that companies are always going to have some influence over decision making in governments. As you mention, among the hundred biggest economies in the world, fifty-one are companies. This means that companies are an important source of income through taxes for governments. The government becomes a bit depending on companies. I therefore think that it is important to educate and make people understand how they participate in this cycle through consumption and what they can do to prevent it. In the end, if we don’t consume as much as we do the companies would not grow as much and become such large economies and have as much influence on the decision making. Making people aware of what the cost of producing goods are and how my actions contribute to contaminating the planet. I can agree the advertisement is a part of the problem where we are constantly fed with images of how we should look and what we should ware and this creates an addiction towards consumption and material goods.
ReplyDeleteThat economic growth have been paramount for material well being show´s nowdays many local and global problems for everyone and everything . That we buying stuff and that is our measure of success I can´t agree with that. That’s what we “ imagine” . Behind this kind of success there are many disadvantages as we seen with Annie Leonard.
ReplyDeleteAnd now how to decrease the consumption, I agree with you about that where there is a buyer there is always a seller. In the market the demand and the supply meet in equality point, to decrease the point actually the government can affect and start think in new consumer way which can balance more better ways for all.