LOOKING AHEAD: Tomorrow we will wrap up Consuming Kids with plenty of time to spare, so it is quite likely we'll dismiss early. This would be a good opportunity to ask any questions about the paper due next week. Also, it will give us time to start to get organized for our final family activity (described below), which will be making up questions for the final exam. Next week our two classes will be devoted to brief presentations (10 min.) of your paper topics. Yesterday, we drew cards to determine who will present on Tues. & Thurs. This is what we came up with:
TUESDAY, MAY 4: CAMERON, KATIE, SAMI, BRANDON, LACIE, LELAND
THURSDAY, MAY 6: HOLLY, CAROLINA, CINDY, NATALIE, HANNAH, KARIESHA
It is ok for you to switch with a classmate, especially if you may not be feeling well or if something else comes up at the last minute. In any case, please remember that I would like ALL THE PAPERS ON TUESDAY, so I can begin reading and evaluating them. And finally, please show respect for you fellow classmates and show up to hear what they have to say. You are not just doing this for me or for a grade, but hopefully to educate others about what you consider an important social problem.
Also, don't forget that third and final short essay, a description of which I handed out yesterday. Today or tomorrow I will be sending you an e-copy of my paper, "Unraveling the Perverse Logic of Consumer Capitalism," on which that essay is based and which we will discuss during the final week.
I did see that all of the families had posted their findings about the video, "Consuming Kids" on the previous blog post, so you all earned the 5 points for this activity. Please remember that you will need to review that information for the final exam because I may (or the families may) make up a question or two based
on that material.
_______________________
FINAL FAMILY ACTIVITY: MAKING UP QUESTIONS FOR THE FINAL EXAM
I want each of the families to come up with FIVE short-answer questions (and answers) from the material we have covered since the midterm exam. The midterm exam was given on March 23rd, so beginning with March 25th and the viewing of "Escape From Affluenza" and Chapter 25 in the book, "Affluenza," is where you should begin your review for making up questions. Remember, all lecture material, including lecture notes posted on the blog (such as my reflections on the video, "Escape From Affluenza") is fair game. Since you have been through this before, I assume you have a good idea of the kinds of questions I am looking for. Each family should submit these FIVE questions (and answers) to me NO LATER THAN NOON, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12TH. I will try to accept at least three questions from each family, and for each addditonal question I accept, that family will earn a bonus point. I will make my selections and then post these questions and answers on the blog by Friday, May 14th, so you may study them for the final exam, which is scheduled for TUESDAY, MAY 18TH, 2-5PM. This exercise is worth 5 activity points for all participating family members, with the possibility of earning a maximum of 2 bonus points.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Family Activity on "Consuming Kids," the Video
Next week Tuesday (4/20) we'll be seeing the video program, "Consuming Kids," based on the book we are currently reading. After seeing the program, I want each of the families to discuss it in the context of a passage from the book I cited in class yesterday. Susan Linn observes:
"In the long run, our children's immersion in this commercial culture has implications that go far beyond what they buy or don't buy. Marketing is designed to influence more than food preferences and choice of clothing. It aims to affect core values such as lifestyle choices: how we define happiness and how we measure our self-worth. Meanwhile, the very traits that today's marketing encourages -- materialism, impulsivity, entitlement, and unexamined brand loyalty -- are antithetical to those qualities necessary in a healthy democratic citizenry. Instead of being a mainstay of American life, intensive advertising to children may be eroding its foundations." (p. 8)
I would add to this that you should not only consider how marketing may undermine the creation of a democratic citizenry but also may be undermining the health of individuals as well as the larger society. So, in that broad context, I want each family to identify any FOUR points from the video that support that broad argument. I also want each family to come up with ONE critical point, that is, one point which perhaps Susan Linn overlooked or downplayed which would challenge her argument. This critical point does NOT necessarily have to come from the video itself.
A representative from each family will be called upon to present your family's findings to the rest of the class a week after we see the video (Tues. 4/27). And someone from each family (not necessarily the same person who presents the findings in class) will post your findings as a comment on this blog post. I may use this as a basis for a question or two on the final exam.
This exercise is worth 5 activity points and you have to participate to earn these points.
"In the long run, our children's immersion in this commercial culture has implications that go far beyond what they buy or don't buy. Marketing is designed to influence more than food preferences and choice of clothing. It aims to affect core values such as lifestyle choices: how we define happiness and how we measure our self-worth. Meanwhile, the very traits that today's marketing encourages -- materialism, impulsivity, entitlement, and unexamined brand loyalty -- are antithetical to those qualities necessary in a healthy democratic citizenry. Instead of being a mainstay of American life, intensive advertising to children may be eroding its foundations." (p. 8)
I would add to this that you should not only consider how marketing may undermine the creation of a democratic citizenry but also may be undermining the health of individuals as well as the larger society. So, in that broad context, I want each family to identify any FOUR points from the video that support that broad argument. I also want each family to come up with ONE critical point, that is, one point which perhaps Susan Linn overlooked or downplayed which would challenge her argument. This critical point does NOT necessarily have to come from the video itself.
A representative from each family will be called upon to present your family's findings to the rest of the class a week after we see the video (Tues. 4/27). And someone from each family (not necessarily the same person who presents the findings in class) will post your findings as a comment on this blog post. I may use this as a basis for a question or two on the final exam.
This exercise is worth 5 activity points and you have to participate to earn these points.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Tomorrow (4/8) & Final Lecture Notes on "Affluenza"
TOMORROW (4/8): As of now (Wed. 9AM) I have heard from and given the ok for three paper topics. I expect to hear from everyone else by tomorrow, and if I don't, I may put you on the spot in class to give a topic. Yesterday, I realize I may have gone through some of the questions on the midterm too fast. If you did not get an answer or want me to take another look at any question on your exam, I will be happy to do so. Remember, it is important to get the correct answers because I will be re-asking many of these questions on the final exam. Also, remember that, since everyone missed question #38 I decided to discount it and give everyone the point. That is the reason for the +1 added to what I orignally figured as your final score.
Tomorrow we will be seeing another video, "Advertising and the End of the World." I have decided NOT to do a family activity in connection with that. I will highlight some points about that next week. And next week, we will begin to discuss our next book, "Consuming Kids." I'll give you a reading assignment tomorrow.
Finally, don't forget about Essay II, which I handed out yesterday and is due next week Thursday, April 15th.
____________________
FINAL LECTURE NOTES ON "AFFLUENZA"
Chapter 28: Political prescriptions
A. Michael Jacobsen opens with a simple, but profound, truth -- "Our country is set up structurally to oppose voluntary simplicity." (p. 221) The authors then warn the reader that this is going to be a longer chapter, and it will acknowledge something that I've stressed all along -- social ills such as affluenza won't be cured by personal action alone.
B. So, let's touch on some of the larger, institutional actions they see as necessary to really come to grips with this disease.
1. A very important step would be to allow workers to take back some of the TIME they've earned due to increased productivity, as Juliet Schor reminds us. See top paragraph, p. 224. Government will have to intervene as it did back in 1938 when the 40-hour work week was established.
a.) It is amazing how far behind the rest of the world (and not just rich countries) we are in terms of public policies designed to guarantee adequate working conditions for families. See bottom p. 226.
2. Work sharing, especially during recessions, makes sense. And they also talk about the importance of universal health care and some other tax proposals.
C. The authors admit up-front that given all this stress on cutting back, spending less, slowing down, etc., that this may cause our economy to collapse. Perhaps (but I would add, if it does, perhaps that means we need to build something new based on new principles.) Other countries seem to have made peace with slower or no growth. For example, note what a former Dutch prime minister said -- see bottom p. 232-233.
Chapter 29: Annual check-ups
A. Back to the medical analogy: we need to give our communities and society annual check-ups such as Seattle (see p. 238). The "Fever Index" is interesting.
B. Need to ask ourselves basic questions, as if we only had another year to live: are we really doing what is important?
C. A national check-up could be facilitated by more realistic measures of health and wealth (rather than GDP). They make a very good point about all the negative things the GDP counts as positives. (See last paragraph, p. 240) The GPI (Genuine Progress Indicator) factors out the negative and measures things that should really count. (p. 241)
Chapter 30: Healthy again
A. In this concluding chapter, the authors underscore our need to acknowledge how sick we are.
B. We need to "Dream a New Dream" -- not a dream of more and more, endless economic growth, etc., but a dream of restoring QUALITY to our lives. Really a dream of simplicity. They, then, quote Betsy Taylor of the Center for a New American Dream. "In Taylor's new dream, the word SIMPLICITY means far more than cutting back on consumption. It means cutting back on unwanted thoughts, waste, stress -- scraping the artificial and superficial in favor of the authentic. It's not just simplicity of stuff, but also simplicity of purpose, and clarity of mind. It's about being content and connected, rather than confused." (p. 245)
C. And one final observation from "Moving at the Speed of Quality:" "In a way, quality is to affluenza what garlic is to vampires. Durability, appropriate materials, and good design eliminate the need for mountains of stuff, without reducing overall value. It's a different kind of math, which asks not how MUCH, but rather how WELL." (p. 246)
______________________
That wraps up what I planned to say about "Affluenza." Make sure to incorporate the above notes in your class notes. See you tomorrow.
Tomorrow we will be seeing another video, "Advertising and the End of the World." I have decided NOT to do a family activity in connection with that. I will highlight some points about that next week. And next week, we will begin to discuss our next book, "Consuming Kids." I'll give you a reading assignment tomorrow.
Finally, don't forget about Essay II, which I handed out yesterday and is due next week Thursday, April 15th.
____________________
FINAL LECTURE NOTES ON "AFFLUENZA"
Chapter 28: Political prescriptions
A. Michael Jacobsen opens with a simple, but profound, truth -- "Our country is set up structurally to oppose voluntary simplicity." (p. 221) The authors then warn the reader that this is going to be a longer chapter, and it will acknowledge something that I've stressed all along -- social ills such as affluenza won't be cured by personal action alone.
B. So, let's touch on some of the larger, institutional actions they see as necessary to really come to grips with this disease.
1. A very important step would be to allow workers to take back some of the TIME they've earned due to increased productivity, as Juliet Schor reminds us. See top paragraph, p. 224. Government will have to intervene as it did back in 1938 when the 40-hour work week was established.
a.) It is amazing how far behind the rest of the world (and not just rich countries) we are in terms of public policies designed to guarantee adequate working conditions for families. See bottom p. 226.
2. Work sharing, especially during recessions, makes sense. And they also talk about the importance of universal health care and some other tax proposals.
C. The authors admit up-front that given all this stress on cutting back, spending less, slowing down, etc., that this may cause our economy to collapse. Perhaps (but I would add, if it does, perhaps that means we need to build something new based on new principles.) Other countries seem to have made peace with slower or no growth. For example, note what a former Dutch prime minister said -- see bottom p. 232-233.
Chapter 29: Annual check-ups
A. Back to the medical analogy: we need to give our communities and society annual check-ups such as Seattle (see p. 238). The "Fever Index" is interesting.
B. Need to ask ourselves basic questions, as if we only had another year to live: are we really doing what is important?
C. A national check-up could be facilitated by more realistic measures of health and wealth (rather than GDP). They make a very good point about all the negative things the GDP counts as positives. (See last paragraph, p. 240) The GPI (Genuine Progress Indicator) factors out the negative and measures things that should really count. (p. 241)
Chapter 30: Healthy again
A. In this concluding chapter, the authors underscore our need to acknowledge how sick we are.
B. We need to "Dream a New Dream" -- not a dream of more and more, endless economic growth, etc., but a dream of restoring QUALITY to our lives. Really a dream of simplicity. They, then, quote Betsy Taylor of the Center for a New American Dream. "In Taylor's new dream, the word SIMPLICITY means far more than cutting back on consumption. It means cutting back on unwanted thoughts, waste, stress -- scraping the artificial and superficial in favor of the authentic. It's not just simplicity of stuff, but also simplicity of purpose, and clarity of mind. It's about being content and connected, rather than confused." (p. 245)
C. And one final observation from "Moving at the Speed of Quality:" "In a way, quality is to affluenza what garlic is to vampires. Durability, appropriate materials, and good design eliminate the need for mountains of stuff, without reducing overall value. It's a different kind of math, which asks not how MUCH, but rather how WELL." (p. 246)
______________________
That wraps up what I planned to say about "Affluenza." Make sure to incorporate the above notes in your class notes. See you tomorrow.
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