Crap We Dont Need: Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

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Crap We Dont NeedWork, Leisure, Consumption
and Alienation

• Last Lecture!!!!!

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 1.0 Work Leisure Establishing The
  Connection
• 2.0 Consumerism
• 2.1 Impacts Environment
• 2.2 Impacts Social/ Individual
• 2.1.1 The Limits of Consumption Financial
• 2.2.2 The Limits of Consumption
  Spiritual/Psychological
• 3.0 Consumption and Alienation

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 1.0 Work Leisure Establishing The
  Connection
• examined changing relationship between work and
  leisure in PostFordist era in first term
• see Lecture 10 notes especially

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 2.0 Consumerism
• Each day men sell little pieces of themselves
  in order to try to buy them back each night and
  weekend with the coin of fun. -- C. Wright
  Mills
• Compensatory Leisure Thesis

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 2.0 Consumerism
• How much do we consume?
•  -- global consumption expenditures have
  quadrupled over the past 40 years
•  
• -- geographic component only 12 of the worlds
  total population live in Europe and North
  America, but they account for over 60 of global
  consumer spending --contrast this to Sub-Saharan
  Africa where 11 of the worlds population consume
  1/50th of that amount).

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 2.0 Consumerism
• Why do we consume?
•  at base, for shelter. But in an affluent
  society like ours idea of what we need goes
  beyond simple survival
• how much we need is constructed in relation
  to others in our society
• Juliet Schor Post WWII society keeping up
  with the Joneses ? PostFordist society keeping
  up with the Trumps

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 2.0 Consumerism
• Traditional Views Religion -- Islam
• It is difficult for a man laden with riches to
  climb the steep path that leads to bliss.  
• Riches are not from an abundance of worldly
  goods, but from a contented mind.

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 2.0 Consumerism
• Traditional Views Religion -- Hinduism
• When you have the golden gift of contentment,
  you have everything.

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 2.0 Consumerism
• Traditional Views Religion -- Christianity
• Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of
  greed a mans life does not consist in the
  abundance of possessions.

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 2.0 Consumerism
• 2.2 Impacts Social/ Individual

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 2.0 Consumerism
• 2.2 Impacts Social/ Individual
• 2.1.1 The Limits of Consumption Financial
• 1982-2001 debt-to-income ratio rose from
  55 to 97 in Canada and per capita debt doubled
• percentage of households out-spending their
  income 39 (1982) ? 47 (2001)
• saving rates plummeting around industrialized
  world

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 2.0 Consumerism
• 2.2 Impacts Social/ Individual
• 2.1.1 The Limits of Consumption Financial
• Credit Card Debt !
• Frontline The Secret Life of the Credit Card
•  
• Available in streaming video _at_
•  http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/view/
• -- click on Part 2 A Closer Look at the
  Industrys Best Customers (12 minutes)

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 2.0 Consumerism
• 2.2 Impacts Social/ Individual
• 2.2.2 The Limits of Consumption
  Spiritual/Psychological
• One recent study (psychological) found that
  individuals who placed a high value on financial
  success and the acquisition of material goods
  reported lower levels of overall happiness than
  those that didnt interestingly, they also
  reported higher rates of depression, anxiety and
  antisocial behaviours, relationship breakdowns,
  substance abuse problems, and numbers of physical
  ailments.

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 2.0 Consumerism
• 2.2 Impacts Social/ Individual
• 2.2.2 The Limits of Consumption
  Spiritual/Psychological
• Worldwatch Institute
•  
• http//www.worldwatch.org/features/consumption/
•  
• click on Gary Gardner, Rethinking the Good
  Life. Streaming video

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 3.0 Consumption and Alienation
• endless scramble to obtain material
  possessions and status actually frustrates
  individual attainment of personal autonomy
• gets in the way of individuals ability to
  engage in creative and self-directed activities
  
• interferes with the development of strong and
  supportive social relationships
• with millions of people sharing this very common
  social experience, the alienation of
  consumerism becomes a social condition

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Work, Leisure, Consumption and Alienation

• 3.0 Consumption and Alienation
• Consumer Society,
• Youth and
• Alienation