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Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic (Bk Currents)
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Average Rating:  out of 99 Reviews
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Price: $19.95
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Sale: $9.57
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Manufacturer: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
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EAN (European Article Number): 9781576753576
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: John de Graaf::David Wann::Thomas H Naylor
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Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
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Edition: 2nd
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Dewey Decimal Number: 306.0973
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Publication Date: 2005-09-01
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Reading Level: 288
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Description: In their eye-opening, soul-prodding look at the excess of American society, the authors of Affluenza include two quotations that encapsulate much of the book: T.S. Eliot's line "We are the hollow men / We are the stuffed men," which opens one of this book's chapters, and a quote from a newspaper article that notes "We are a nation that shouts at a microwave oven to hurry up." If these observations make you grimace at your own ruthless consumption or sigh at the hurried pace of your life, you may already be ill. Read on. The definition of affluenza, according to de Graaf, Wann, and Naylor, is something akin to "a painful, contagious, socially-transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more." It's a powerful virus running rampant in our society, infecting our souls, affecting our wallets and financial well-being, and threatening to destroy not only the environment but also our families and communities. Having begun life as two PBS programs coproduced by de Graaf, this book takes a hard look at the symptoms of affluenza, the history of its development into an epidemic, and the options for treatment. In examining this pervasive disease in an age when "the urge to splurge continues to surge," the first section is the book's most provocative. According to figures the authors quote and expound upon, Americans each spend more than $21,000 per year on consumer goods, our average rate of saving has fallen from about 10 percent of our income in 1980 to zero in 2000, our credit card indebtedness tripled in the 1990s, more people are filing for bankruptcy each year than graduate from college, and we spend more for trash bags than 90 of the world's 210 countries spend for everything. "To live, we buy," explain the authors--everything from food and good sex to religion and recreation--all the while squelching our intrinsic curiosity, self-motivation, and creativity. They offer historical, political, and socioeconomic reasons that affluenza has taken such strong root in our society, and in the final section, offer practical ideas for change. These use the intriguing stories of those who have already opted for simpler living and who are creatively combating the disease, from making simple habit alterations to taking more in-depth environmental considerations, and from living lightly to managing wealth responsibly. Many books make you think the author has crammed everything he or she knows into it. The feeling you get reading Affluenza is quite different; the authors appear well-read, well-rounded, and intelligent, knowledgeable beyond the content of their book but smart enough to realize that we need a short, sharp jolt to recognize our current ailment. It's a well-worn cliché that money can't buy happiness, but this book will strike a chord with anyone who realizes that more time is more valuable than toys, and that our relentless quest for the latest stuff is breeding sick individuals and sick societies. Affluenza is, in fact, a clarion call for those interested in being part of the solution. --S. Ketchum
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Affluenza: The all-confusing epidemic |
Date: 2008-11-27 |
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Details: I originally purchased this book with the intention of having my strongly held beliefs regarding consumerism and materialism verified. I expected this read to consist primarily of me nodding my head in agreement as the authors trumpeted the evils of the consumerist lifestyle and brought their years of research and experience in this area to bear on this so very relevant and problematic issue. However, this did not turn out to be the case. After about page 10 I realised that something was wrong with this book and it had nothing to do with a lack of knowledge, experience or literary skill.
It is hard to criticise a book whose core arguments, underlying philosophy and general world view you agree with, but this book is filled with so much garbage science and biased logic it is impossible to award it special treatment for being right, as it is right for all the wrong reasons.
I am a scientific person and a realist. I am an avid environmentalist and have even removed my television because I believe it is a bad influence. For work, I conduct economic research for a university in Sydney, and as such I believe that the plausibility for any argument is based primarily on its supporting facts and underlying logic. For someone of my persuasion, this book is an arduous medley of disparate quotations, faulty logic and 'feel-good' exoneration. Do you feel "restless", "bored", "unsatisfied" or "de-individualized"? Well, dont worry its not your fault, its the evil corporations and mass media "which deliberately attempts to exploit them (consumers) by offering new products... repressing their individuality... and promises to fill the emptiness" (p.80). This is just one of the BS arguments that is presented over and over again in this book without any justification. Why feel guilty when you know you can blame someone else? And who else is easier to vilify than the money-grubbing corporations and advertisers who try to "vitiate the true purposes, dignity and savour of life". I can hear the shackles of the proletariat cracking already.
This book in a pseudo-Marxist tirade on capitalism and its uneven allocation of resources, which is fine in my books, and the main premise of this book promotes some form of idyll over continual industrial and technological expansion, but instead of offering a philosophy of their own they just bunch together a collection of random quotes on anti-consumerism. This is one of this books biggest failings - they never even alude to 'why' materialism and the capitalist system is wrong, they dont attempt to provide an alternative philosophy or why the alternative lifestyle they promote is superior or even justified. Instead they simply try to entice the reader with the promise that all your worries and hardship will evaporate when you give up the consumerist lifestyle and adopt something more minimalist. It is cold-reading and scapegoating at its worst.
They say that people are working too hard, the hours they work are too long and they are forgoing the more meaningful pursuits of life in exchange for more stuff. That overwork is a primary cause of depression, divorce, listlessness, the break down of the family unit, stroke, cancer and car accidents. This point is argued over and over in this book, without any scientific support. Have these authors never considered the possibility that people may gain satisfaction from working hard and being the best they can be? That their work may be helping society or improving our understanding of the universe? Would you tell an olympic athlete who is dedicated to being the best that he shouldn't train so hard? Or that a charity worker shouldn't go overseas because it could put strain on their relationships at home? For anyone who believes that hard work and dedication are virtues, this book will be head-shakingly irritating.
However bad these problems, it is the logical contradictions and scientific solecisms made on almost every page (!) that is the real failing of this book. In one chapter they will argue that product homogenization is destroying individuality and in the next chapter say that the huge diversity of products is clouding our ability to make the 'right' decisions (chp 10 and 11). They will quote the statistic on the increase in the average work week, then quote the statistic on the rise in sleep deprivation, and then quote the number of car accidents resulting from people falling asleep at the wheel and without any justification say that working too hard causes car accidents (p.45). They run a double standard for profiteering corporations and environmental conservationists (p.56, 61 &186). They lack a basic understanding of the economic concepts of purchasing power parity, the measurement of GDP or efficiency wages, although they quote these economic variables to support their arguments freely. I couldn't possibly list every questionable or downright BS argument they make, but suffice it to say that every time I read something I disagreed with I would note down next to it why and mark the page with a fold in the corner. Well, my copy of Affluenze is now more than three times as thick as the original as 2 out of every 3 pages is folded.
I found this book and its corrupt form of argument unsatisfying and irksome. Other peoples quotes make up 50% of the book (and 95% of the valid points) and almost none of the ideas in the book are original. This book completely misses the point about why consumerism is bad; that its is wrong to judge people based upon the value of their possessions or the degree of their celebrity; that capitalism is a goal-less exercise that destroys the environment for the sake of 'individual utility' and a 'keeping up with the jones' arms race; that we (eukacaryotes) have battled through half a billion years of evolution just to squander everything Earth has to offer in a final outburst of maximising our emotional indulgence. |
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Review Summary: Afflu-Repetitive |
Date: 2008-08-06 |
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Details: I had to read this book for summer reading for an AP Gov course. It was a dreadful experience. It was very difficult to force myself to read more than one chapter per sitting because of the book's repetitiveness and dullness. If you actually want to read it, let me save you the time while I summarize it:
-Spend more time hiking than working.
-Don't get a well paying job, because it will make you miserable and you will undoubtedly go into dept.
-take a low paying job, because life will be great. As long as you dont want to buy anything.
-Don't buy material goods that make you happy.
-Only nature and people make you happy.
-Rich people, 90% of the time are littering, stuck-up, scumbags.
pack that into 250 pages, and there you go. |
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Review Summary: A failure of a book. |
Date: 2008-07-31 |
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Details: I bought this book after deciding it had a cool cover and reading a couple reviews promising to provide me insight. Maybe it would have, but I simply cannot read this because within the first few paragraphs I've noticed the following:
1. The common video rental store Blockbuster has been called "Blockbuster's" by the author. Not only is this just incorrect, but it doesn't even make sense.
2. A reference to a "Nintendo Play Station" has been made.
This perturbs me in all manner of ways because I feel like if I'm to submit myself to a few authors' collective views on our culture and society, they should AT LEAST know more about it than me. That is, they should know how to use apostrophes, what the name of Blockbuster is, and what a Sony PlayStation is.
Additionally, as I flipped through the book to decide if I wanted to read any more, I noticed that the writing is overtly pretentious and not really interesting, and also that the book is filled with these "witty" little cartoons reminiscent of the political garbage you see in newspapers.
Not recommended. |
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Review Summary: Are You Infected! |
Date: 2008-06-24 |
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Details: Odds are you're infected with affluenza but, don't worry, there is a cure. You'll just need to take the medicine. This book is both entertaining and thought provoking.
Take an honest look at the degree of your illness, make some changes to how you think and the results could amaze you. They say the best things in life are free but some of us had to buy this book (the book's not free) to really appreciate that. |
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Review Summary: Earlier edition a bit dated now |
Date: 2008-04-20 |
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Details: I read a first edition (2001) from the library and while the book is good it is very dated. Newer edition may improve the suggestions part as that was where i feel the book was weakest. Excellent history of consumption in the US. |
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