Lecture Notes on AFFLUENZA

I never seem to make as much progress as I'd like in class on my commentary on our book, "Affluenza," so here are some more lecture notes. We left off in Chapter 8 on p. 65 and James Kuntsler's comment about citizens being turned into consumers over the last sixty years, and what is wrong with that.


D. The so-called "chaining of America," i.e., increasing dominance of big box retail chains such as Wal Mart have also contributed to the "community chills" by undercutting small businesses that are often the heart and soul of a community -- all mainly for the sake of "lower prices," so we can consume more.

E. We have seen a tremendous growth in "gated communities" which sociologist Edward Blakely suggests in "Fortress America" divides people of different income levels and races rather than bring them together.

1. Division undermines trust, and in this context the authors cite David Callahan's "The Cheating Culture," which we'll be reading later. (see p. 69)

F. Another indicator of community chills is the decline of public institutions such as parks, libraries, schools. Since 1950, tha amount of land devoted to public uses has declined by one-fifth, while the amount we pay for rent or mortgages increased to one-half of our income. "The evidence shows that as we've disinvested in the public areas and "privatized" our lifestyles, we've often left citizenship and care at the front door. So many services are now delivered for a profit by the private sector, we seem to have just gotten out of the habit of taking care of each other." (p. 70)

G. They conclude by describing a vicious cycle at work here which has actual health consequences. (See 1st paragraph, p. 71)


Chapter 9: An Ache for Meaning

A. The acquisition of money, stuff, power is clearly not enough by itself to give our lives meaning. And, as this chapter notes, there are all sorts of indicators that our consumer paradise has not brought fulfillment to Americans. (eg., that "The rate of clinical depression in the U.S. today is 10 times what it was before 1945." p. 77 -- although I am sure part of this huge increase is due to the fact that we look for depression more these days.)

1. Mother Teresa's remark about the U.S. is interesting in this regard: "this is the poorest place I've ever been in my life." (p. 74) - poor, spiritually.

B. In contrast, the authors note the meaning, sense of fulifillment CCC workers got during the Great Depression -- that they were helping "build America."

C. Cite some studies which challenge what might be regarded as common sense (especially among economists) -- that we are primarily motivated by material self-interest.

1. Note what Dr. Michael Lerner found. (see mid. p. 76)

2. Also, psychology professors, Tim Kasser and Richard Ryan: "They compared individuals whose primary aspirations were financial with others who were oriented toward lives of community service and strong relationships with other people."
"Their conclusions were unequivocal. Those individuals for whom accumulating wealth was a primary aspiration 'were associated with less self-actualization, less vitality, more depression and more anxiety.' Their studies, they wrote, 'demonstrated the deleterious consequences of having money as an important guiding principle in life.'" (p. 77)

3. Even so, they cite evidence again of how students' attitudes have changed and they have come to embrace the dream of money, status, etc. rather than public service.

D. Even some conservative, free-market defenders acknowledge the soulless quality of our economic life. However, when they talk about the need for individuals to seek meaning beyond that, they appear to focus only on individual meaning; they do not seem to appreciate individuals' connection with the larger life of society.

1. To cite one of these conservatives, Ernest van den Haag, some of his criticism of mass consumption and mass production is reminiscent of Marx. (see section, "Standardized People", pp. 79-80)


Chapter 10: Social Scars

A. They open by reminding us of some of the costs of the age of affluenza -- for example, in Thailand where hundreds of women died in a factory fire where plastic toys were made for American children. (see "Toys for Saps" handout)

B. No question our economic system delivers the consumer goods in abundance and relatively cheaply, yet it also reinforces inequality (top, p. 82).

C. "The rising tide of American affluenza hasn't lifted all boats, but it has drowned a lot of dreams. A titanic gulf now separates rich and poor in America." (p. 82)

1. The authors go on to recite several statistical indicators of the growing economic inequality. For example, that at one time Bill Gates had assets worth $90 billion, more than the bottom half of the American population and more than the GNP of 119 nations.

2. Most telling in this regard, as the authors emphasize, is the gap between CEO salaries and ordinary workers. (see top p. 84)

D. The poor also tend to live in communities where pollution is more widespread.

E. Finally, they draw a connection between affluenza and the social scar of crime. The sense of deprivation, especially among young people in poor communities is intense and often leads to crime. Trend spotter, Gerald Celente, discovered this in interviewing youthful gang members. (This relates to a major theory of crime and deviance -- Merton's "anomie theory.")

G. They also briefly address the "Global infection" -- how social scars left by affluenza are being replicated throughout the entire world, as more and more cultures copy the American lifestyle.

1. David Korten got tired of promoting our high-consumption lifestyle abroad.

2. Inequalities are extreme.

3. I agree wholeheartedly with their final recommendation -- "It is critical that we begin to set another example for the world, and quickly." (p. 88) Unfortunately, there is no evidence that we have moved in this direction.


That's all for now, so we will pick up with Chapter 11 next Tuesday, 3/3. I will hand out that "Toys for Saps" article I referred to above. And I will hand your essays back.