Given my continuing struggle to get through our book, I am going to post some of my lecture notes. Please be sure to incorporate these notes in your class notes, and be sure to pay attention to passages in the book that I cite, keeping in mind that these passages and highlights may be the source of exam questions.
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Chapter 9 The ache for meaning
First, note the comment from Mother Teresa upon visiting the U.S. "...this is the poorest place I've ever been in my life." (p. 74) Of course, she does not mean materially since she lived and helped the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India, but she means spiritually ( but not necessarily in terms of organized religion).
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 about 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 -- but I would add that part of this huge increase is that we simply diagnose more such depression today.)
B. In contrast, the authors note the meaning, sense of fulfillment CCC workers got during the Great Depression, and not because of the pay but because they felt they were helping to build America.
C. The authors cite some studies which challenge what might be regarded as common sense (especially among economists) -- that we are primarily motivated by material self-interest. See, comment by Dr. Michael Lerner, mid. p. 76, and what psychology professors Kasser and Ryan found, see mid., p. 77.
1. Even so, they cite evidence again of how students' attitudes have changed over the past few decades and they have come to embrace the dream of money, status, etc., rather than public service. (That may be changing today.)
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, 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. (You should see the obvious relevance of the the xerox handout, "Toys for Saps," here.)
B. No question our economic system delivers the consumer goods in abundance and relatively cheaply, yet it also reinforces inequality, which the authors see as a "social scar." (top, 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 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 growing 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 young gang members.
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) (I personally see no evidence we have moved in this direction.)
Chapter 11 Resource exhaustion
A. Did any of you pick up on the fact that the opening story from Washington D.C. about the EPA study was SATIRE? As you read this chapter, the notion that consumer product diversity is surpassing biodiversity certainly seems plausible.
B. I would characterize this chapter generally as providing several compelling examples of resource exhaustion stemming from everyday activities that we take for granted. Generally speaking, I believe we all have a tendency to be ignorant or even consciously ignore the effects of our everyday consumption patterns. For starters, note what the book, "Natural Capitalism" brings out, see, p. 90.
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 envirnomental impacts of production processes and what happens when we throw stuff away. For example, our computers (p. 93), or our cars (p. 95).
E. The fact is, if everyone on this planet 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 these other species but will have adverse consequences for the human species. (BUT THE WAY THIS TREND IS GRAPHED CLEARLY EXAGGERATES THAT UPWARD CURVE.)
Chapter 12 Industrial diarrhea
A. Like 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 which have never been tested and are all around us -- our homes being a fairly toxic environment in many cases.
C. Generally, we've allowed industry to bring forth new products and only when "dead bodies" begin to show up do we respond and impose retrictions. 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 and health damage which may be long term. And for what? to have cheap food, among other things.
D. 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 river 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.
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That brings us up to Chapter 13, where I will start tomorrow (Thurs. 3/10).
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