Chapter 10. Re-engineering Culture to Create a Sustainable Civilization.

[Ted]

This topic is for the discussion of chapter 10, Re-engineering Culture to Create a Sustainable Civilization.

Obviously a pretty big task - not only doing it, but just writing about it!

[Ted]

Well, I'm about a week late with this, but hopefully we can press on. I'm going to mention some of the things in this chapter which I thought were most important, and invite others to comment on those or other things they noticed. I thought the chapter overall was very good.

p. 113 - Off on the wrong foot, in saying that consumerism has been nurtured by a "nexus of business and government" for a "few centuries"? Maybe for the better part of one century, to any significant degree.(view spoiler)[The footnote refers to SotW 2010, in which the same author gives as examples of consumption patterns "developed over centuries", "driving cars, flying in planes, having large homes, using air conditioning". Well, no, he is speaking very loosely here. (hide spoiler)]

But the emphasis here on consumerism as the societal norm which needs changing is certainly correct.. "Either we find ways to wrestle our cultural patterns out of the grip of ... consumerism or earth's ecosystems decline and bring down the consumer culture ... in a much crueler way."

p. 115 - And again, "ultimately consumerism will decline whether people act proactively or not, as human society has far transcended Earth's limits."

Box 10-1. What Would a Culture of Sustainability Look Like? Really worth a look.

pp. 117-18. Three exemplary sectors which have driven consumerism: the auto industry, the fast-food industry, and the pet industry. Re the latter, he notes that "Two German shepherds have a larger ecological footprint from their food requirements alone than a person in Bangladesh does in total."

p. 119 - Patagonia (an hiking/climbing gear company) "has taken the bold step of encouraging its customers to not even buy its products unless truly needed, ... to instead either buy used Patagonia products or do without." Astonishing, but it does warm the heart, no?

Box 10-2. Shifting Norms with Choice Editing. "choice editing" is a phrase I hadn't encountered before, but its simply a fancy (and newspeak-like name) for removing choices from consumers that are bad choices. Boy would certain groups of people like tobash this! Interesting examples are given, and of course this is been going on for some time. Take laws against texting while driving, or mandating helmets for motorcyclists, or the wearing of seat-belts. All of these are "choice edits", though not in the consumer segment.

pp. 122-23. Fair is fair. Since the media is so strongly involved in promoting the consumer culture (ramming it down our throats actually), Assadourian lauds the efforts of Adbusters (the group that thought up and promoted Occupy Wall Street), the Billboard Liberation Front, and The Yes Men (a group that "uses fake ads and press releases to draw attention to hypocritical positions of businesses and global institutions." Also getting a mention here is the Story of Stuff video, which really is a must-see if you never have: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gorqr...

p. 124 Summary: "While some will argue ... that letting go of certain consumer luxuries is a step backwards " the conundrum is that we are approaching the edge of a cliff. When we get there, which way to further progress? Taking one more step forward ... or turning around, and then taking that next step forward?

The chapter's exploration of the culture of consumerism, our need to find a new culture, and its summary of some of the steps that people are starting to take is spot on. A lot is going on in this area right now, more and more people are trying to rein in their learned impulses to consume.

"... further efforts to spread a consumer culture are truly a step in the wrong direction ... the faster we use our talents and energies to promote a culture of sustainability, the better off all of humanity will be."