Lecture Notes

Due to my continuing inability to make sufficient progress in commenting on our book, "Affluenza," in class, I am going to post some more lecture notes. As in the past, please be sure to copy these notes or print them out.

Chapter 10: Social scars

A. The authors open by reminding us of some 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.

B. No question that our economic system delivers the consumer goods in abundance and relatively cheaply, yet it also reinforces inequality. (See top 3 paragraphs, p. 82)

C. "The rising tide of American affluence 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 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. (Today he is worth only about half that, but it is still huge.)

2. Most telling in this regard is the gap between CEO salaries and ordinary workers. (See top paragraph, 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 (interviewed in the video), discovered this interviewing youthful gang members. (This actually relates to a major theory of crime and deviance -- Merton's "Anomie Theory": basically, people blocked from legitimate means to material success will often resort to illegitimate means.)

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

1. David Korten (of Harvard Business School, briefly interviewed in the video) got tired of promoting our high consumption lifestyle abroad.

2. Inequalities are extreme.

3. I wholeheartedly agree with their final recommendation -- "It is critical that we begin to set another example for the world and quickly." (p. 88) but I don't see much evidence that we've moved in that direction.


Chapter 11: Resource exhaustion

A. Did any of you pick up on the fact that the opening story from Washington, D.C. (from the "Onion") about an EPA study was SATIRE. As you read into this chapter, it certainly seems plausible.

B. I would characterize this chapter generally as providing several compelling examples of resource exhaustion stemming from everyday activities we take for granted. Generally speaking, I believe we all have a tendency to be ignorant of or even consciously ignore the effects of our everyday consumption patterns.

1. For starters, see middle two paragraphs, p. 90, from the book, "Natural Capitalism."

C. In the context of the story about a backpack trip to Vancouver Island, an important point is made. That: "You don't need as much stuff when you genuinely appreciate the value of what's already here." (p. 92)

D. Out of Mind (perhaps this section should be: "Out of Sight, Out of Mind")

1. Most of us are oblivious to the environmental impacts of production processes and what happens when we throw stuff away. For example, our computers (p. 93) and our cars, collectively, (p. 95).

E. The fact is, is that if everyone tried to emulate the typical American lifestyle, we'd need 5 MORE PLANETS' WORTH OF LAND AND RESOURCES.

F. Another serious aspect of resource exhaustion is the extinction of species due largely to pollution and habitat destruction. The graph on p. 98 captures the magnitude of this trend which is not just a tragedy for other species but will have adverse consequences for the human species. (BUT I WOULD TAKE ISSUE WITH THE WAY THIS TREND IS GRAPHED -- IT CLEARLY EXAGGERATES THAT UPWARD TREND. NEED SMALLER INCREMENTS OF YEARS TO GET A MORE REALISTIC VIEW OF WHAT IS HAPPENING.)


Chapter 12: Industrial diarrhea

A. Like the previous chapters, the title of this one is quite apt, especially when you consider the concluding point about the problem of pig waste, as we've converted hog raising into a mass production industry.

B. I would also say there is a lot of similarity with the previous chapter's emphasis on "out of sight, out of mind" -- only here what is mainly out of sight, out of mind are all the chemicals we have created, most of them never have been tested and are all around us: even our homes being a fairly toxic environment in many cases.

C. Generally, we have allowed industry to bring forth new products and only when "dead bodies" begin to show up do we respond and impose restrictions. But by that time it may be too late as the chemicals involved may already be prevalent in the environment.

1. What were once considered wonder products like DDT and dioxin have been banned, but not before they did serious environmental damage which may be long-term. And for what? -- to have cheap food, among other things.

D. The creation of "Dead Zones" in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere is a testament to "out of sight, out of mind." All sorts of hazardous substances find their way into the Mississippi and are then dumped in the Gulf. This is exacerbated by luxury cruise ships which are allowed to dump a lot of the waste they generate. (see, bottom, p. 105)
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That brings us up to Chapter 13, which is where I will pick up on Thursday. This should allow me to get into Part II, which is where you should be in terms of your reading. See everyone Thursday.