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Curing Affluenza: How to Buy Less Stuff and Save the World
Affluenza is the empty sense we feel when our wasteful consumerist lifestyle leaves us dissatisfied and unfulfilled. How can we cure ourselves of this strikingly modern affliction? According to Richard Denniss, we must distinguish between consumerism, the love of buying things, which is undeniably harmful to us and to the planet, and materialism, the love of things, which can in fact be beneficial. In this sparkling book of ideas, he shows why we must cherish the things that we own – preserve them, maintain them, and then gift them or sell them when we no longer have a need for them. If we as a society do not cure ourselves of affluenza, we make it impossible for all the people of our planet to enjoy a higher standard of living, and we condemn our environment to a polluted and unsustainable future.
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2017
50 people are currently reading
624 people want to read
About the author
Richard Denniss
12 books43 followersRichard Denniss is the Chief Economist and former Executive Director of The Australia Institute. He is a prominent Australian economist, author and public policy commentator, and a former Adjunct Associate Professor in the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. Dr Denniss was described by Mark Kenny in the Sydney Morning Herald as "a constant thorn in the side of politicians on both sides due to his habit of skewering dodgy economic justifications for policy".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
February 22, 2019
As I said in my review of Affluenza, I think this is the better book of the two and not just because it is more up to date, but also because it addresses questions of culture. Now, that is also going to be my main criticism of the book too. All the same, the fact the author spends the whole book hammering the idea that the economic choices we make are not decided by economic theory, that there are alternatives, that the world has millions of examples of such alternatives, and that culture decides which of these choices are obvious to us and which are nearly completely hidden, makes this book well worth reading.
In fact, given we now live in a world where virtually all of these (otherwise obvious) facts seem to run against the standing orthodoxy tells us how far down the ‘economics is the only available truth’ rabbit hole we have fallen.
This book is an appeal for people to think about the kinds of economic choices we make, to look at who is rewarded and who is punished by those choices, and to consider if changing those choices might produce a better society.
One of the things he makes very clear is that, you know, not to make this sound too scary, the world is ending and our current economic settings are accelerating us towards that doom. He says we need to move away from consumerism (yeah, I know my iPhone still does everything I need it to do, but the new one doesn’t have a button…) towards materialism (I love this thing so much that I’m just going to get it repaired).
Bauman talks about our current economic settings as being based on the imperative to reduce the distance (in time and space) between the showroom and the rubbish bin. That our planet cannot sustain such ‘growth’ is becoming daily more apparent.
This book argues that most of the ways we measure ‘growth’ don’t really tell us if life is getting better or worse because of that ‘growth’. So, GDP increases whether it is from more vaccines being sold to avoid cervical cancer or for cleaning up oil spills that kill millions of fish. The unadorned figure (GDP grew by 0.5% this year…) is virtually meaningless.
Like I said, this book hammers these ideas and as such serves a very useful purpose.
My problem with the book is that it seems to imply that since ‘culture’ is the problem, we should just change our ‘culture’ and that will fix things. And in part he is exactly right here – we often spend far too much time trying to change people’s minds (a more or less complete waste of time) while the only thing that works is changing people’s way of life. Culture and cultural practices might be completely nuts – but that doesn’t for a second mean that they are easy to change – even if you convince people that what they are doing is crazy, they are still likely to keep on doing it from cultural inertia. Culture is the hidden curriculum, it is what Bourdieu used to refer to as the answering yes to a question that hasn’t even been asked yet. Saying, ‘we just need to change our culture’ is a bit like advising someone wanting to play basketball that they will find it easier if they just grow another couple of dozen inches. All true enough, but as advice it is close to useless. That said, you should probably read this anyway.
In fact, given we now live in a world where virtually all of these (otherwise obvious) facts seem to run against the standing orthodoxy tells us how far down the ‘economics is the only available truth’ rabbit hole we have fallen.
This book is an appeal for people to think about the kinds of economic choices we make, to look at who is rewarded and who is punished by those choices, and to consider if changing those choices might produce a better society.
One of the things he makes very clear is that, you know, not to make this sound too scary, the world is ending and our current economic settings are accelerating us towards that doom. He says we need to move away from consumerism (yeah, I know my iPhone still does everything I need it to do, but the new one doesn’t have a button…) towards materialism (I love this thing so much that I’m just going to get it repaired).
Bauman talks about our current economic settings as being based on the imperative to reduce the distance (in time and space) between the showroom and the rubbish bin. That our planet cannot sustain such ‘growth’ is becoming daily more apparent.
This book argues that most of the ways we measure ‘growth’ don’t really tell us if life is getting better or worse because of that ‘growth’. So, GDP increases whether it is from more vaccines being sold to avoid cervical cancer or for cleaning up oil spills that kill millions of fish. The unadorned figure (GDP grew by 0.5% this year…) is virtually meaningless.
Like I said, this book hammers these ideas and as such serves a very useful purpose.
My problem with the book is that it seems to imply that since ‘culture’ is the problem, we should just change our ‘culture’ and that will fix things. And in part he is exactly right here – we often spend far too much time trying to change people’s minds (a more or less complete waste of time) while the only thing that works is changing people’s way of life. Culture and cultural practices might be completely nuts – but that doesn’t for a second mean that they are easy to change – even if you convince people that what they are doing is crazy, they are still likely to keep on doing it from cultural inertia. Culture is the hidden curriculum, it is what Bourdieu used to refer to as the answering yes to a question that hasn’t even been asked yet. Saying, ‘we just need to change our culture’ is a bit like advising someone wanting to play basketball that they will find it easier if they just grow another couple of dozen inches. All true enough, but as advice it is close to useless. That said, you should probably read this anyway.
November 13, 2017
I found this so motivating to read. It is very accessible to someone like me who has no economics training, with Denniss demystifying a nomenclature that is often intimidating to lay people.
Denniss lays out why some of our most seemingly innocuous or simple choices - and buying bottled water gets considerable air time -can make a significant difference to shaping our economy and our society and environment in positive or negative ways.
This book presents some big ideas for change but is clever in making potential action feel achievable.
Denniss lays out why some of our most seemingly innocuous or simple choices - and buying bottled water gets considerable air time -can make a significant difference to shaping our economy and our society and environment in positive or negative ways.
This book presents some big ideas for change but is clever in making potential action feel achievable.
October 13, 2018
"This book is not a plea for self-sacrifice. Nor is it an attack on the morality or rationality of the billions of people who spend little (if any) time thinking about how to prevent climate change or reduce global inequality... Anyone who wants to change the behaviour of billions of people must focus on reshaping the context in which individual decisions are made... [R]apid cultural change requires not just personal and political action, but also personal actions that make political action easier, and political actions that make personal actions easier."
In addition to being a well-written book on the topics of consumerism, capitalism, the economy and the environment, this was also a very important book for me to read right now, as I'm going through the various stages of grief for our dying planet. I highly recommend it.
Well-made points from the book (I'm putting it all in my own words here, but I encourage you to still read the book for yourself):
- The decisions we make (including those that impact on the economy and the environment) are largely influenced by our culture. It doesn't make sense to only seek individual change, or government policy change. Sometimes a policy change will have flow-on effects to the culture, and sometimes it's the other way around. We have to approach the problems of our generation from every angle.
- The economy exists to serve people, not the other way around. It makes no sense to pursue the increasing size of the economy without any reference to the shape of the economy. What do we want more of, and less of, in our society? For example, we can increase GDP by buying consumer goods that elevate our status, or by giving money to charities; by investing in renewable energy, or by subsidising the fossil fuel industry.
- Conservative governments who claim to be all about boosting the economy are really about maintaining the status quo for those with wealth and power. They're about boosting profits for shareholders and keeping their own jobs. (Otherwise they would spend a lot more on crime prevention, preventative health, early childhood education, and supporting women to re-enter the workforce after having children.)
- The negative impacts of capitalism are to do with its influence in our society relative to a well-run public sector, and what boundaries and regulations are put in place. It makes no sense to demand an end to capitalism when we see we have the ability to shape it through culture and government policy.
- It makes no sense to prop up industries to "save jobs" (such as the fossil fuel industry). Change happens constantly, and a huge proportion of people lose work and find other work all the time. As a society and for those in government, we can choose how compassionate and helpful to be to those who've lost work in dying industries.
In addition to being a well-written book on the topics of consumerism, capitalism, the economy and the environment, this was also a very important book for me to read right now, as I'm going through the various stages of grief for our dying planet. I highly recommend it.
Well-made points from the book (I'm putting it all in my own words here, but I encourage you to still read the book for yourself):
- The decisions we make (including those that impact on the economy and the environment) are largely influenced by our culture. It doesn't make sense to only seek individual change, or government policy change. Sometimes a policy change will have flow-on effects to the culture, and sometimes it's the other way around. We have to approach the problems of our generation from every angle.
- The economy exists to serve people, not the other way around. It makes no sense to pursue the increasing size of the economy without any reference to the shape of the economy. What do we want more of, and less of, in our society? For example, we can increase GDP by buying consumer goods that elevate our status, or by giving money to charities; by investing in renewable energy, or by subsidising the fossil fuel industry.
- Conservative governments who claim to be all about boosting the economy are really about maintaining the status quo for those with wealth and power. They're about boosting profits for shareholders and keeping their own jobs. (Otherwise they would spend a lot more on crime prevention, preventative health, early childhood education, and supporting women to re-enter the workforce after having children.)
- The negative impacts of capitalism are to do with its influence in our society relative to a well-run public sector, and what boundaries and regulations are put in place. It makes no sense to demand an end to capitalism when we see we have the ability to shape it through culture and government policy.
- It makes no sense to prop up industries to "save jobs" (such as the fossil fuel industry). Change happens constantly, and a huge proportion of people lose work and find other work all the time. As a society and for those in government, we can choose how compassionate and helpful to be to those who've lost work in dying industries.
August 22, 2021
Absolutely brilliant. Denniss explored in-depth economic theories and solutions towards tackling the issues of affluenza and climate change. I struggled to put the book down towards the end, it was that good. I almost felt like I struggled to come up for air, food or a toilet break. I was hooked. Denniss is a brilliant master-mind who has a large potential to make a big contribution to Australian politics if he made the choice to go down that pathway. I particularly enjoyed the sections about GDP, growth and services over goods. I throughly liked how Denniss did not object to calling out the rich who cry poor when taxes are raised; “The fact that the most prosperous countries in the world have some of the largest public sectors, some of the highest tax rates and some of the highest wages in the world tends to confirm not just the existence of alternatives, but their success.” I think Denniss and I would be friends in real life.
January 7, 2018
I agreed with most of the arguments and sentiments of this book. I found the reflections on technological change and shifts in employment fascinating. I think he was too short on examples of how things could look different, and while he mentions there are lots of places in the world leading the way he doesn’t give any detail. He made one mention of co-operatives but again no fleshing out of these models and he disparaged socialism at one point, then left the door open at another. Really he was barracking for Scandinavian social democracy where more taxes are collected and spent on public services, which is great but in my opinion not the best we can do. How about including some discussion about democratizing our economy, our government and really shifting our collective approach to more rationally plan how we use and distribute our earth’s resources. He makes some good points and it’s a helpful addition to the debate about stuff, but he repeats certain points and declines to elaborate on others. I probably should have read his original affluenza book first and might seek it out one day.
October 3, 2018
A sometimes repetitious writing style and lack of clear direction in parts keeps me from giving a five-star rating, but the ideas that Denniss presents are powerful and an oh-so-refreshing counter to the dominant economic ideas in Australian society and politics. I have already been spurred to take action on local issues as a result of reading this book!
May many more read it and take hold of the notion that change is indeed possible on many levels and in relation to many issues, but only if people work together.
May many more read it and take hold of the notion that change is indeed possible on many levels and in relation to many issues, but only if people work together.
June 11, 2019
The hyperbolic title really says it all, although focuses too much on the individual
June 17, 2019
“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need.”*
Richard Denniss' Curing Affluenza seeks to define the problems our current consumerist society has and how to address it. He posits that we need to abandon consumerism and opt instead for materialism if we have any chance of changing the shape of our economy, which will, in turn, allow us to address issues like climate change and environmental degradation.
For many years now I've been a fan of Richard and The Australia Institute's work. He and they manage to talk economics without making it feel like you've been hit with a brick made of buzzwords. As such, this book has been on my TBR pile since its release. It has not disappointed.
Richard makes his arguments simply and clearly, in a way that make sense. Even if you disagree with him politically, you would have to agree with his points about economics and politics being about choosing a shape for the economy - the shape being what we choose to spend money on and value. You may argue that we need more spending on tanks and less on healthcare, which has a different shape than an economy where I want fewer tanks and more healthcare. This also applies to our purchases; so if I'm buying tickets to see a bands play rather than upgrading my phone every 6 months, the economy changes shape.
On the Affluenza front, Richard suggests 7 principles for tackling it:
1) First, do no harm.
Think of this as consumer boycotts and active decisions about consumer/lifestyle choices.
2) Some change is better than no change.
Baby steps. It isn't possible to stick 100% to #1, and larger changes may take longer.
3) It's not about sacrifice and denial; it's about saving money and having a better life.
We're trying to change the shape of the economy, not become monks.
4) Services are good for you.
Newstatus symbol phone or see a live music act? Stuff doesn't make you happy but experiences do, and they help change the economy's shape.
5) When you are full, stop consuming.
Because there is such a thing as too many books... Wait, what?
6) Get yourself and your country into better shape.
Our saving and spending, especially when organised with others, can reshape the economy.
7) Flatter is fairer.
Equality of resources and opportunity for all. I.e. redistribution.
Whilst this was a very good book, I did have two problems with it. The first issue was that the middle chapters labour the point, so much so that it felt like needless padding. This was frustrating because as someone who has read various articles and essays from Richard before, I know he can be very concise. It also didn't help that I was already familiar with what he was trying to argue and the examples used, so some may appreciate these chapters more.
The second issue was that Richard was largely dismissive of options that didn't involve capitalism. There was a big assumption that we still need/want capitalism and thus should be reforming/tinkering with it. This assumption was never examined nor justified adequately. It would have been nice to see some discussion addressing those other options, especially in a pros and cons manner.
A very interesting read and one that ties into several other books I have read recently.
Utopia for Realists
Austerity: History of a bad idea
Winners Take All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o7wu...
* Quote is obviously from Fight Club and not this book. I'm almost certain that Richard is not advocating young men beat each other up and try to destroy capitalism.
Richard Denniss' Curing Affluenza seeks to define the problems our current consumerist society has and how to address it. He posits that we need to abandon consumerism and opt instead for materialism if we have any chance of changing the shape of our economy, which will, in turn, allow us to address issues like climate change and environmental degradation.
For many years now I've been a fan of Richard and The Australia Institute's work. He and they manage to talk economics without making it feel like you've been hit with a brick made of buzzwords. As such, this book has been on my TBR pile since its release. It has not disappointed.
Richard makes his arguments simply and clearly, in a way that make sense. Even if you disagree with him politically, you would have to agree with his points about economics and politics being about choosing a shape for the economy - the shape being what we choose to spend money on and value. You may argue that we need more spending on tanks and less on healthcare, which has a different shape than an economy where I want fewer tanks and more healthcare. This also applies to our purchases; so if I'm buying tickets to see a bands play rather than upgrading my phone every 6 months, the economy changes shape.
On the Affluenza front, Richard suggests 7 principles for tackling it:
1) First, do no harm.
Think of this as consumer boycotts and active decisions about consumer/lifestyle choices.
2) Some change is better than no change.
Baby steps. It isn't possible to stick 100% to #1, and larger changes may take longer.
3) It's not about sacrifice and denial; it's about saving money and having a better life.
We're trying to change the shape of the economy, not become monks.
4) Services are good for you.
New
5) When you are full, stop consuming.
Because there is such a thing as too many books... Wait, what?
6) Get yourself and your country into better shape.
Our saving and spending, especially when organised with others, can reshape the economy.
7) Flatter is fairer.
Equality of resources and opportunity for all. I.e. redistribution.
Whilst this was a very good book, I did have two problems with it. The first issue was that the middle chapters labour the point, so much so that it felt like needless padding. This was frustrating because as someone who has read various articles and essays from Richard before, I know he can be very concise. It also didn't help that I was already familiar with what he was trying to argue and the examples used, so some may appreciate these chapters more.
The second issue was that Richard was largely dismissive of options that didn't involve capitalism. There was a big assumption that we still need/want capitalism and thus should be reforming/tinkering with it. This assumption was never examined nor justified adequately. It would have been nice to see some discussion addressing those other options, especially in a pros and cons manner.
A very interesting read and one that ties into several other books I have read recently.
Utopia for Realists
Austerity: History of a bad idea
Winners Take All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o7wu...
* Quote is obviously from Fight Club and not this book. I'm almost certain that Richard is not advocating young men beat each other up and try to destroy capitalism.
January 2, 2018
I read this in one sitting and so I don't think I took all of it in but the main points of the book are:
- bottled water
-materialism v consumerism and the encouragement of materialism
-the effect of symbolism when consuming
- climate change
-interaction of culture with the economy and government
- the economy being described as a massive amount of choices and decisions being made around the world.
- individual choices = culture
-the future is totally unpredictable.
I found the start quite preachy, however the middle of it really went to the heart of the global economy, and as someone who did not study economics at university but is aware of the general principles, it was a great book to explain some of the greater concepts in detail and with examples without it being an 'global economy 101' textbook. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to be more in touch about the world we live in now, and how it will change with the choices we make.
- bottled water
-materialism v consumerism and the encouragement of materialism
-the effect of symbolism when consuming
- climate change
-interaction of culture with the economy and government
- the economy being described as a massive amount of choices and decisions being made around the world.
- individual choices = culture
-the future is totally unpredictable.
I found the start quite preachy, however the middle of it really went to the heart of the global economy, and as someone who did not study economics at university but is aware of the general principles, it was a great book to explain some of the greater concepts in detail and with examples without it being an 'global economy 101' textbook. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to be more in touch about the world we live in now, and how it will change with the choices we make.
March 24, 2021
(had to stop at page 189)
September 8, 2018
As a Millennial, the warnings about climate change and the destruction of the world we live have been a constant background for my whole life. Sometimes I try to assuage my feelings of helplessness and rage by reading books like this one.
Curing Affluenza has a simple thesis - if we loved the stuff we already owned, we would spend the time and effort to repair and maintain it instead of buying new stuff that we don't need and thereby saving the environmental and human resources that go into creating, packaging, transporting, selling, and disposing of more stuff. I liked a lot of the ideas in the book about what a world that loved its stuff would look like, and I particularly liked the parts about leisure as a substitute for stuff. If we worked less, we would have more spare time (to fix, recycle, and create our own stuff) and less money to spend on buying new stuff. I also liked the argument that greater wealth equality, which can partially be achieved by people working less and therefore freeing up workdays for those who need them, is going to lead to less stuff overall because status symbols are ridiculous if everyone has the same amount of money. The book also had some great ideas that I'd never thought of before, like the idea that community-shared 3D printers can help to recycle broken plastic things and make them into new plastic things.
However, I was a little disappointed that the realities and practicalities of a world that was cured of affluenza weren't engaged with much. The author suggests that we don't really have to sacrifice anything in order to not buy new stuff, but I don't really think that's the case. We do have to sacrifice convenience and time in order for this kind of world to work, and that's okay - the point is that a) we don't have a choice and b) it will be worthwhile. More importantly, though, there was little discussion about how to change the world into one where affluenza is cured. At the moment, the reason that we buy new stuff when our old stuff breaks is fundamentally that it is either extremely (relatively) expensive or actually impossible to repair broken objects that are more than a few years old. It would have been helpful and inspiring for the book to contain some more specific, concrete suggestions for how various classes of things can be appropriately repaired in an ideal world, rather than the vague suggestion that communities should have repair workshops where things get repaired.
I was also frustrated by the lack of examples of communities who had implemented these kinds of changes and how they did it. It's hard to push for change if you don't know what the new world would look like and how others have achieved it. Additionally, there were multiple claims made without citations (e.g., that Canberra will be on 100% renewables by 2020). I believe the claims, but why not include a reference so the interested reader can easily find out more?
The book was an easy, light read, but it would have been improved with less repetition of points that had already been made and more detail about what a world cured of affluenza would look like and how we could get there.
Curing Affluenza has a simple thesis - if we loved the stuff we already owned, we would spend the time and effort to repair and maintain it instead of buying new stuff that we don't need and thereby saving the environmental and human resources that go into creating, packaging, transporting, selling, and disposing of more stuff. I liked a lot of the ideas in the book about what a world that loved its stuff would look like, and I particularly liked the parts about leisure as a substitute for stuff. If we worked less, we would have more spare time (to fix, recycle, and create our own stuff) and less money to spend on buying new stuff. I also liked the argument that greater wealth equality, which can partially be achieved by people working less and therefore freeing up workdays for those who need them, is going to lead to less stuff overall because status symbols are ridiculous if everyone has the same amount of money. The book also had some great ideas that I'd never thought of before, like the idea that community-shared 3D printers can help to recycle broken plastic things and make them into new plastic things.
However, I was a little disappointed that the realities and practicalities of a world that was cured of affluenza weren't engaged with much. The author suggests that we don't really have to sacrifice anything in order to not buy new stuff, but I don't really think that's the case. We do have to sacrifice convenience and time in order for this kind of world to work, and that's okay - the point is that a) we don't have a choice and b) it will be worthwhile. More importantly, though, there was little discussion about how to change the world into one where affluenza is cured. At the moment, the reason that we buy new stuff when our old stuff breaks is fundamentally that it is either extremely (relatively) expensive or actually impossible to repair broken objects that are more than a few years old. It would have been helpful and inspiring for the book to contain some more specific, concrete suggestions for how various classes of things can be appropriately repaired in an ideal world, rather than the vague suggestion that communities should have repair workshops where things get repaired.
I was also frustrated by the lack of examples of communities who had implemented these kinds of changes and how they did it. It's hard to push for change if you don't know what the new world would look like and how others have achieved it. Additionally, there were multiple claims made without citations (e.g., that Canberra will be on 100% renewables by 2020). I believe the claims, but why not include a reference so the interested reader can easily find out more?
The book was an easy, light read, but it would have been improved with less repetition of points that had already been made and more detail about what a world cured of affluenza would look like and how we could get there.
January 15, 2018
From bottled water, to climate change, Dennis provides a witty, hopeful and inspiring account of the way forward to curing our collective case of nation-wide affluenza. Denniss aims to de-mystify the neo-liberal values that encompass an overwhelming amount of political rhetoric, arguing with sharp wit that participating in wasteful patterns of consumption to supposedly keep the economy strong ‘makes as much sense as sacrificing a goat to appease the gods’.
Denniss reaches the conclusion that it is much more apt for us to contextualise the practices of (western) culture behind environmental destruction and social harm, rather than to the go to scapegoat of blaming ‘the economy’. His main argument is that culture determines the way in which our economy operates, and urges that the only thing preventing change in the way our economies is through changing our cultural attitudes and behaviours towards it. However, we are reminded that cultural change is incremental.
To stop the spread of affluenza, we must understand the difference between materialism and consumerism. Consumerism refers to the love of buying things, focusing on the process of going out, acquiring a product, and then boasting about it to friends and family by posting it on social media. Materialism instead refers to the love of the product itself, for reasons such as its usefulness, style, and uniqueness.
The view encouraged is that the ‘best way to understand the future is to understand the past’. From this assertion, Denniss shows that change is the only thing we can count on, and the way that we react to this certainty is the most important challenge we face. Denniss also provides an easy accessible unpicking of what GDP is, how it is measured, and shows its limits in regard to modern economic debate. arguing that politicians are using the term GDP incorrectly to measure the supposed economic ‘progress’ of a country.
Additional excerpts to inspire hope are provided by Leanne Minshull Marilyn Waring, Kumi Naidoo and Bill McKibben. The call to action shines through the decision to end the book with a quote from Bertrand Russell, ‘the problem with this world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt’.
Denniss reaches the conclusion that it is much more apt for us to contextualise the practices of (western) culture behind environmental destruction and social harm, rather than to the go to scapegoat of blaming ‘the economy’. His main argument is that culture determines the way in which our economy operates, and urges that the only thing preventing change in the way our economies is through changing our cultural attitudes and behaviours towards it. However, we are reminded that cultural change is incremental.
To stop the spread of affluenza, we must understand the difference between materialism and consumerism. Consumerism refers to the love of buying things, focusing on the process of going out, acquiring a product, and then boasting about it to friends and family by posting it on social media. Materialism instead refers to the love of the product itself, for reasons such as its usefulness, style, and uniqueness.
The view encouraged is that the ‘best way to understand the future is to understand the past’. From this assertion, Denniss shows that change is the only thing we can count on, and the way that we react to this certainty is the most important challenge we face. Denniss also provides an easy accessible unpicking of what GDP is, how it is measured, and shows its limits in regard to modern economic debate. arguing that politicians are using the term GDP incorrectly to measure the supposed economic ‘progress’ of a country.
Additional excerpts to inspire hope are provided by Leanne Minshull Marilyn Waring, Kumi Naidoo and Bill McKibben. The call to action shines through the decision to end the book with a quote from Bertrand Russell, ‘the problem with this world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt’.
February 22, 2021
This book didn't grab me as much as Clive Hamilton's earlier book on Affluenza. When I finished that previous book, I was pleased to see that there was one which was much later, so I borrowed it straight away. And although I enjoyed it, it didn't cohere as well for me as I had hoped.
I completely bought in to Denniss's argument that consumerism, affluenza and all of the associated destruction that has come from it is driven predominantly by culture. A lot of his observations about culture seemed to ring true. I wasn't quite so convinced of his definition of 'materialism' as a love of things material which should mean that we treasure them, value them and pass them on. I think this was a bit of an idealistic interpretation, but OK. Arguably it is just semantics.
But what this book provided was possible solutions to the problem, and that is what had initially appealed to me. However, perhaps it was just the structure, but I came away not really grasping exactly what solutions were possible. Maybe my search for an answer was actually a problem, but I didn't feel that the ideas came together. I did get some useful takeaways, and I don't disagree on our need to refocus our ideas of 'growth' on to sectors which are of benefit to the majority as opposed to currently, where the smallest of minorities get rich while the rest of the world burns. Nevertheless, I came away feeling vaguely dissatisfied. I accept that could be me, not the book or the author (I do love Richard Denniss and everything The Australia Institute does). Maybe I just need to reread it?
I completely bought in to Denniss's argument that consumerism, affluenza and all of the associated destruction that has come from it is driven predominantly by culture. A lot of his observations about culture seemed to ring true. I wasn't quite so convinced of his definition of 'materialism' as a love of things material which should mean that we treasure them, value them and pass them on. I think this was a bit of an idealistic interpretation, but OK. Arguably it is just semantics.
But what this book provided was possible solutions to the problem, and that is what had initially appealed to me. However, perhaps it was just the structure, but I came away not really grasping exactly what solutions were possible. Maybe my search for an answer was actually a problem, but I didn't feel that the ideas came together. I did get some useful takeaways, and I don't disagree on our need to refocus our ideas of 'growth' on to sectors which are of benefit to the majority as opposed to currently, where the smallest of minorities get rich while the rest of the world burns. Nevertheless, I came away feeling vaguely dissatisfied. I accept that could be me, not the book or the author (I do love Richard Denniss and everything The Australia Institute does). Maybe I just need to reread it?
January 18, 2018
Affluenza, as described in this book is about people buying and then throwing away what they bought without really holding onto it for a long time. Buying useless items for the sake of shopping, causing environmental issues such as adding waste or striping natural resources to make this item.
The book suggests ways on how each individual can review their spending- at the basic consumer level to our choices on who we vote into government in terms of how our tax dollars should be spent.
I found this book helpful, especially the section on GDP. I don't have an economics background but it's explained everything well and I feel I got a better understanding of why the British voted for Brexit and why Donald Trump is president.
There are some parts I disagree with- but that is from personal experience - the section regarding renting a sports car but not buy one. You need to have driven a sports car to understand why renting one is just not worth the hassle. For the lay person, his argument is sound.
This is an informative book on how you can make a difference by your spending choices and what you should be hearing from politicians regarding good policy and spending.
The book suggests ways on how each individual can review their spending- at the basic consumer level to our choices on who we vote into government in terms of how our tax dollars should be spent.
I found this book helpful, especially the section on GDP. I don't have an economics background but it's explained everything well and I feel I got a better understanding of why the British voted for Brexit and why Donald Trump is president.
There are some parts I disagree with- but that is from personal experience - the section regarding renting a sports car but not buy one. You need to have driven a sports car to understand why renting one is just not worth the hassle. For the lay person, his argument is sound.
This is an informative book on how you can make a difference by your spending choices and what you should be hearing from politicians regarding good policy and spending.
June 13, 2020
Stumbled across this browsing a library shelf (because you can do that safely in NZ!) and grabbed it fully willing to ditch it after a couple pages and holy shit it was inspirational. Essential reading for anyone who has said "it's good for the economy" on one side of the political divide or "capitalism is bad" without deeply interrogating them. Not quite a manifesto for a better world, but definitely a manifesto of how we should think about making a better world. A couple hobby horses (bottled water, nice cars) get beaten to exhaustion but that's a minor critique. Not an area I'm an expert in and may revise after reading other books on the topic of what a "good economy" means, but from my limited perspective I wanna go shove this in everyone's hands.
August 22, 2024
A very thought-provoking but much-needed discussion on not just overconsumption but solutions to overcome it. While Denniss has a very optimistic tone that can come across as idealistic to cynics, the actions he suggests, such as fixing and reusing items, to asking local councils to install more water fountains are all very possible actions that anyone can take: in fact, some of these things are already happening around the world.
An important point he raises is that it's not the economy or the markets that are to blame for affluenza, but individual actions, shaped by our culture. As culture is influenced by the collective actions of many people, Denniss points out that we have the power to change things for the better.
An important point he raises is that it's not the economy or the markets that are to blame for affluenza, but individual actions, shaped by our culture. As culture is influenced by the collective actions of many people, Denniss points out that we have the power to change things for the better.
January 28, 2018
Thought-provoking whilst using simple metaphorical illustrations to get his message through to the reader; whatever their professional background.
The author's description of the differences between "consumerism" and "materialism" in particular struck a chord; as were the references to differences in cultures around the world and modern culture in itself.
I found the discussion on GDP and how ineffective it can be as a measure to be eye-opening (ie the size of GDP versus the shape of GDP)
Personally, this book demands a second read to grasp the depth of content and to appreciate the scope of content.
The author's description of the differences between "consumerism" and "materialism" in particular struck a chord; as were the references to differences in cultures around the world and modern culture in itself.
I found the discussion on GDP and how ineffective it can be as a measure to be eye-opening (ie the size of GDP versus the shape of GDP)
Personally, this book demands a second read to grasp the depth of content and to appreciate the scope of content.
February 11, 2020
So nice to have a book on economy by an economist that isn't just about making more money. The discussion revolves around a change in culture, which will thus improve people's lives and shuts down a lot of the BS rhetoric surrounding taxing those who make more money.
Big take away: community matters, and a better community makes for fantastic knock-on effects to improving health, environment and well-being.
Downside: the first couple of chapters just seemed to be asking questions a lot, which got a tad repetitive, but it was a bit necessary for later understanding.
Big take away: community matters, and a better community makes for fantastic knock-on effects to improving health, environment and well-being.
Downside: the first couple of chapters just seemed to be asking questions a lot, which got a tad repetitive, but it was a bit necessary for later understanding.
May 24, 2020
The part in here disguishing materialism and consumerism is very interesting. And made me realise that’s what I have been doing for the last few years. Picking up secondhand things because I couldn’t bear the though of them going into landfill.
Good read for people interested in environmental economics with some uplifting messages on how to steer the economy in a more uplifting direction. Wish I could recommend it to some of my consumerist friends - unfortunately the people most likely to benefit from the book are the least likely to read it.
Good read for people interested in environmental economics with some uplifting messages on how to steer the economy in a more uplifting direction. Wish I could recommend it to some of my consumerist friends - unfortunately the people most likely to benefit from the book are the least likely to read it.
July 1, 2020
Quiet an interesting read, not overly technical (though it did use in terns when necessary, these were always defined). It showed affluenza as a contradictory social disorder which leads from neoliberalism,in fact it is true to say, that without neoliberalism affluenza would not be a problem. A good book useful in understanding the tendency of the youth to regard themselves before regarding the consequences of their decisions.
February 12, 2018
Very interesting and thought-provoking. Very big-picture, focusing on economics and how changing culture is as important as changing legislation when it comes to curing the current desire to accumulate more and more material goods, with interesting ideas on changing the way we think about things like tax, GDP, politics and community engagement.
February 25, 2018
Do you suffer from affluenza? Richard explains it this way: 'Affluenza is that strange desire we feel to spend money we don't have to buy things we don't need to impress people we don't know...'.
Some good ideas but I didn't agree with all of his suggestions. It definitely made me think and it is an interesting book. It took me a while to read it as it can be quite dry and academic at times.
Some good ideas but I didn't agree with all of his suggestions. It definitely made me think and it is an interesting book. It took me a while to read it as it can be quite dry and academic at times.
August 31, 2019
This book has a few ideas how to reduce mindless consumption. Otherwise it is wordy pamphlet, advocating that buying less stuff will save the world. I expected more "how" in this book and less "why". I wish that economist-guys learned how to write succinct books.
My subjective information rating is 10%, that is 10% of the content was something new and interesting to me.
My subjective information rating is 10%, that is 10% of the content was something new and interesting to me.
November 7, 2019
A good book worth reading, especially for those motivated to contribute to a better world. With an emphasis on plain speaking economics, Richard helps engage the reader with ways they can contribute to what they want. Rather than what others want for you. And also want you to consume. Borrow a copy or pass your bought copy onto your friend! Thanks Richard.
November 20, 2020
'Curing Affluenza' was a very different read to what I expected, but it was incredibly informative and educational. As an individual who is passionate about social justice, but has a limited knowledge of the economy, this book was a great introduction to Australian consumer economics and how we can move towards a more sustainable future.
December 11, 2017
Looks at how culture can shape the economy and how the individual's buying power can be used for good. A little dry at times (economics doesn't ordinarily interest me) but is written in a way that makes it accessible.
June 15, 2018
The subject and arguments were well researched but after finishing the book I wanted a short list of changes I could make in my life as there was so much information in the book I got lost in the detail. The chapter titles could have been clearer too
August 18, 2018
This wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The author is from the far left and I’m pretty sure he’d be a card-carrying member of the Greens Party; he definitely has a political agenda in this book. That being said, I found some of his points interesting and food for thought.
September 26, 2018
I wish this was required reading in all high schools and for every aspiring politician. Clearly and easily explained. Great, clear metaphors used. Easy language to follow. Lots of international examples used.
November 8, 2017
It was supposed to be hopeful, but made me sad. If we can’t blame the markets (because it’s culture that’s the issue) it’s still our fault.
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