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Affluenza: How Overconsumption Is Killing Us—and How to Fight Back Kindle Edition
NEW EDITION, REVISED AND UPDATED
affluenza, n. a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.
We tried to warn you! The 2008 economic collapse proved how resilient and dangerous affluenza can be. Now in its third edition, this book can safely be called prophetic in showing how problems ranging from loneliness, endless working hours, and family conflict to rising debt, environmental pollution, and rampant commercialism are all symptoms of this global plague.
The new edition traces the role overconsumption played in the Great Recession, discusses new ways to measure social health and success (such as the Gross Domestic Happiness index), and offers policy recommendations to make our society more simplicity-friendly. The underlying message isn’t to stop buying—it’s to remember, always, that the best things in life aren't things.
“It is not a book that shakes a finger in our faces and reprimands hardworking Americans for wanting a little more comfort, elegance, and enjoyment… it creates something of real value—a new way of accounting for true happiness in our lives.” —Scott Simon, Weekend Edition host, NPR
“Affluenza is a sober indictment of the excesses and sheer waste in our increasingly consumer-oriented society. We would all be well served to read the book and pass it on to relatives, friends, and neighbors in the hopes of creating a great public conversation around how to eradicate the affluenza pandemic.” —Jeremy Rifkin, author of The Third Industrial Revolution
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBerrett-Koehler Publishers
- Publication dateFebruary 3, 2014
- File size10959 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
—Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and founder, 350.org
“The authors have packed their book with stunning facts, searing insights—and they point out a path forward.”
—Fast Company
“Clear, witty and heartfelt.”
—Sojourners
“It is not a book that shakes a finger in our faces and reprimands hardworking Americans for wanting a little more comfort, elegance, and enjoyment . . . it creates something of real value—a new way of accounting for true happiness in our lives.”
—Scott Simon, Weekend Edition host, National Public Radio
“Affluenza is a sober indictment of the excesses and sheer waste in our increasingly consumer-oriented society. We would all be well served to read the book and pass it on to relatives, friends, and neighbors in the hopes of creating a great public conversation around how to eradicate the affluenza pandemic.”
—Jeremy Rifkin, author of The Third Industrial Revolution
“This witty yet hard-hitting book provides evidence of the social problems caused by the American obsession with acquiring ‘stuff' and proposes solutions for living more sustainably. Highly recommended.”
—Library Journal
“Now here is a good reason to go shopping! The wonderful book that made consumerism the issue it should be, Affluenza, is here in a third, fully updated edition. The story of the Joneses, of ‘keeping up with the Joneses' fame, is itself worth the very modest price you will have to pay to enjoy this classic, now new and improved.”
—James Gustave Speth, author of America the Possible and former director, Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
“If ever there was a right book at the right time, Affluenza is it. This country needs this book.”
—Lester R. Brown, President, Earth Policy Institute, author of Plan B 4.0 and Full Planet, Empty Plates
“Affluenza makes us take a hard look at how the drive to excessive consumerism is personally, socially, and environmentally disastrous and then takes us on an exciting path to deeper happiness and satisfaction. It is a must-read for all who strive to create more healthy, just, and secure communities.”
—Anthony D. Cortese, former Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and founder, American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment
“De Graaf, Wann, and Naylor have achieved something special with Affluenza. They take an unflinching look at the train wreck of America's consumer culture and then extricate us from the wreckage by providing practical policies and achievable actions for building a healthier society. Affluenza is also a great read; it contains the hopeful ideas we need to reach a livable future.”
—Rob Dietz, coauthor of Enough Is Enough
“The programs offered at the end of the book work on many levels, from making personal choices to changing the rules of the game to reward all actions moving us toward a thriving, just, and sustainable future. So enjoy! This is a great book about a tough-to-face set of problems.”
—Vicki Robin, coauthor of Your Money or Your Life and author of Blessing the Hands That Feed Us
“Affluenza is an engagingly conversational, thought-provoking look at where we have perverted the American dream. Though the nature of books like these is to preach to the converted, Affluenza offers enough support to the arguments and enough depth to the solutions to have a good chance of reaching the unconvinced.”
—Detroit Free Press
“You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll cheer. You'll growl. But you'll be challenged and moved by this book. Affluenza looks at our epidemic of overconsumption and shows how we can live simpler, more meaningful lives. It's a fantastic book—very funny yet deeply serious.”
—Peter Barnes, cofounder, Working Assets, now CREDO
“If you sometimes suspect that American life has become a nightmare but you dare not admit the truth to yourself or talk about it to others, take a peek inside Affluenza. The way to end a nightmare is to wake up, and this book is an alarm clock. We have created a world that dishonors all that is honorable, good, and meaningful. There is another possibility.”
—Paul Hawken, author of The Ecology of Commerce and Natural Capitalism
“One of the wittiest, most dynamic treatments of the linked problems of our frenetic lives and the destruction of the planet. If you want to feel exhilarated, like jumping up and down and cheering humanity on as we find ways to save the Earth and ourselves, read this book!”
—Cecile Andrews, author of The Circle of Simplicity and Living Room Revolution
“The material basis for the American way of life is not sustainable here and is not replicable elsewhere. Our feverish mindset is burning up the natural systems that support us. Affluenza provides a witty, informed road map out of this unfulfilling dead end and describes sustainable alternatives that are stimulating, healthy, diverse, and fun.”
—Denis Hayes, Chair, Earth Day Network
“Affluenza lays out the symptoms, the causes, and (gratefully) the cure. With wit, intelligence, and pizzazz, this trio of authors has brought together a complete guide to the disease that most ails America. Proof of having read the book should be a requirement for opening a charge account, applying for a boat loan, or running a large corporation.”
—Yes! Magazine
About the Author
David Wann is the author of ten books on sustainable lifestyles and designs and the producer of twenty-five documentaries, several of them award winners. He codesigned the cohousing neighborhood he lives in and coordinates the community garden.
Thomas H. Naylor is a professor emeritus of economics at Duke University and is the author of over thirty books.
Product details
- ASIN : B00FBME6GQ
- Publisher : Berrett-Koehler Publishers; Third Edition, New edition (February 3, 2014)
- Publication date : February 3, 2014
- Language : English
- File size : 10959 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 289 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #339,726 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #29 in Retailing Industry (Kindle Store)
- #101 in Consumer Behavior
- #268 in International Economics (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
David Wann is an author, filmmaker, and speaker on the topic of sustainable lifestyles and designs - the creation of a joyfully moderate way of life that delivers twice the satisfaction for half the resources. He's written nine non-fiction books; his most recent, The New Normal: An Agenda for Responsible Living, identifies 33 high-leverage actions - largely collective - that can help create an age of regeneration and responsibility. Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle, is a sequel to the best-selling book he coauthored, Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic, which is now in a dozen languages and four editions. His first novel Tickling the Bear: How to Stay Safe in the Universe is about a band of self-guided change makers on the cusp of a more sustainable era.
He has also produced 20 videos and TV programs, including the award-winning TV documentary "Designing a Great Neighborhood," “Sustaining America’ Agriculture,” and "Building Livable Communities," for then-Vice President Gore. David is the father of two children, an amateur musician, and the organic gardener for 27 houses in the Cohousing neighborhood he co-designed and has lived in for 25 years. He’s taught at the college level and worked ten years as a writer and filmmaker for the U.S. EPA.
A FEW COMMENTS ABOUT "TICKLING THE BEAR: How to Stay Safe in the universe" (A novel)
"I found this book interesting, in a good way. When I started reading I thought I might skim through the pages but no. I started reading and found myself thinking of the book when it had to be put down. After reading sections to my husband he has asked me to preorder the book so he is able to read it as well. This book has a lot to offer. It says fiction but could be anyone’s story. Thank you for giving me a chance to read and review this book. Anne Herbst, librarian
"Quite good. Some readers may be surprised by what they get out of this. It's ultimately uplifting. Wann writes well and has created a compelling story will probably stick with readers for a while. Recommended to literary fiction fans." Paul Vanness, Reviewer
"When I began reading Tickling the Bear, I thought I was reading about a man's fight to survive an almost unknown disease. I was surprised to find out that was much more. This is the story of a man who is diagnosed with a virus that would most likely take his life within a year, and how he removed himself from the diagnosis and began to learn a different way of life by spending time with loving family and friends. There was a twist in that this extended family was seeking ways to extend his life and perhaps find a cure. He found peace, love, and another way of living in unexpected places while learning that love is not limited." Wanda Argersinger, educator.
Please visit davewann.net for excerpts and more info on Tickling the Bear.
FROM "THE NEW NORMAL:"
The 12 New Normal Paradigm Principles
1. The challenges we face are not just technical - they are social, biological, political, and even spiritual challenges. For example, green technologies won’t be sufficient if our current value system keeps pumping out too much stuff, and settling for sloppy services. Even green over-consumption is over-consumption, which results in more transactions and “throughput” than the planet’s living systems can handle without collapse.
2. Technology is no longer the limiting factor of productivity - resources are. Deeper wells can’t pump water that’s no longer there; larger boats and nets can’t harvest more fish when fish populations have been wiped out.
3. Major historical shifts occur when a majority of the population understands that is is easier to adopt a new way of life than prop up the broken one. Therefore, the “bad news” we’ve heard over the past three decades is not really negative, but rather useful evidence that systemic change is necessary.
4. In our search for a new way of life and the products that will help achieve it, we are exploring whole new ways of thinking and designing. We are choosing not just hybrid cars, but hybrid systems that provide food; mobility, wellness, shelter; energy and employment synergistically. The overall goal is not arbitrary, anything-goes growth - often burdened with dysfunction, illness, and waste- but growth/improvements that meet essential needs fully.
5. New systems of accounting will track productivity in terms of quality, not just quantity. For example, exemplary companies now track tons of cement or sheets of paper produced per unit of energy (not just per dollar invested). Similarly, to evaluate the overall productivity of farming, the new metrics will track the nutritional value of the food and the health of the farms it came from, not simply bushels of grain or pounds of beef.
6. Decisions will be made and priorities set using far wider criteria than price, profit, and prestige. For example, living capital – life itself - should unquestionably have a higher priority in decision-making than transitory material capital.
7. We can’t change the realities of resource scarcity and population increase, so we need to change our way of life instead. For example, we are a social species that uses status to organize the group, but there are many other ways of awarding status besides material acquisition, such as trustworthiness, knowledge, kindness, and integrity. The new normal reminds us that a leaner way of life is healthier.
8. Designers can’t assume that energy will be abundant, or that discretionary time will continue to be scarce. In the future, we will use more human time and energy and less fossil fuel energy. We will once again participate in activities such as walking rather than driving; operating window covers to maintain desired temperatures in homes and offices. “Totally automatic” may be a desirable goal for robots, but not humans.
9. A sustainable economy maximizes the productivity of resources in addition to people. Writes Paul Hawken, “When you maximize the productivity of people, you use fewer people, but we have more people than there are jobs. Basically we are using less and less of what we have more of, and with natural capital, using more and more of what we have less of.” That kind of economy doesn’t make sense. Why not move toward full employment of a part-time workforce, giving us enough income as well as more time for living? To fund public services and infrastructure, why not tax fossil fuels and pollution, not work?
10. Some products and resources – such as food, water and gasoline – need to be priced higher to ensure both full cost accounting and minimal waste. For example, gasoline should rightfully cost much more because its environmental and health effects are not currently accounted for.
11. Saving a civilization is not effortless and convenient; it takes focus, strategy, and engagement. Our generation’s mission should be to create and maintain an economy based on fully satisfying finite needs rather than chasing insatiable, market-driven wants. Let’s slow down and meet needs directly, delivering more value per lifetime.
12. Democracy may be our greatest social invention to date, but it can’t work unless citizens are informed and have both political access and sufficient time to exercise their shared power.
FROM "SIMPLE PROSPERITY:"
Beginning when I was about four and continuing for several decades beyond that, a lumbering grizzly bear invaded my dreams whenever my life felt out of control -- at least a few times a year. The bear was a thousand pounds of snarling, razor-clawed mammal, blundering up the dark stairway toward my bedroom. I told my parents about the bear but they assured me he wasn't real. (Why then, I wondered, did he have so much power?)
Thankfully, somewhere in my late twenties, I began to get a grip. One very significant night, I leaped onto the stage of my own nightmare - a lucid dream they call it - and decided to try tickling the bear, of all things. Miraculously, it worked; the bear chuckled like a huge, shy, department store teddy bear! My unconscious mind had staged a coup, asserting my right and power to come out of the shadows and live fearlessly in the light -- never mind the horror of rejection slips or credit card interest rates that jump fivefold if you miss a payment by two and a half hours. The confused and defused bear plodded, mumbling, out of my life forever.
Tickling the bear became a life strategy (and I believe it can be a cultural strategy too, for taking back our power). It seemed like the bear's ghostly mission was to terrorize we humans who inhabit a harried, self-destructive Dream of too many choices, too many competitors, and too much to know. I wondered, even then, why didn't we just start out content and let that be more than enough? Why didn't we unplug from the fear, the shame, and the fantasy-based expectations, rather than chasing a Dream all our lives? Many remember how the Bomb hung over our lives in those days, but I suspect it really was the chasing that was making the country so nervous.
I look back at that night with a certain degree of pride. I had symbolically taken charge of my own life, exorcising a fear capable of immobilizing me in moments of insecurity. Since then, I've had the guts to speak up to corporate polluters; close-minded supervisors and would-be kings; spoiled scramblers for the money; control freaks and neighborhood bullies of my boyhood. By tickling the bear, I've played a role in defusing the nuclear bomb, flipping the switch on machines that steal our jobs and contaminate our food.Yes, the risks and threats of global climate change, genetic engineering, child abuse, deceit, corruption, and perverted power are staggering, but we are capable of finessing them. Ultimately, the bear becomes Gentle Ben when he's tickled because he finally understands that despite the dramatic, grizzled costume he finds himself in, he's really one of us.
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I think starting with the ultra rich and trickling down should perhaps be explored. They won’t even give up water use in a major drought….