Story of Stuff - cure (or curb) for GAS?

[tjcurtin1]

Well, folks - I know many of us have wondered aloud about those $15 pedals, $40 pickups sets, unbelievably priced guitars, amps, whatevers....

IF you're really looking to curb your GAS appetite, watch this -

http://www.storyofstuff.com:80/

- stick with it; it's about 20 minutes but there is some striking stuff in it. At the very least we all ought to be conscious of how the system works....

Best wishes for a not-too-material Christmas!

[Spudman***]

This is 20 minutes long but should be required watching for everyone.
Anyone every buy anything? Then you should watch this.

[Tone2TheBone]

Sustainability is a big deal now. What better way to explain how screwed up the world is getting than by watching cool cartoons about it. This was great. The only problem now is what to do about it. Nothing can be done but to slow down the consumption. It's already here it's happening you can't stop the machine. Ideas?

[tunghaichuan***]

It is impossible to discuss this issue without discussing politics and religion.

tung

[Tone2TheBone]

Yup and religious and political topics always make the best discussion. I guess we could just sit around and wait till someone hijacks this thread or something.

[aeolian]

I watched it. The points made may be a bit extreme, but I agree with the gist of the argument. I try to do my part. I'm not a particularly good consumer to begin with, and I do try to recycle, including computer equipment where I paid to have them recycled. But I am by no means a good example for sustainability.

I recently read somewhere that people don't tend to empathize with situations that are not immediate to them. I doubt that we will realize that we should do something until we are deep in doodoo, and then it may be too late.

[Spudman***]

Awareness is the first step. I think just realizing what happens - how we are sucked up in it - and that we CAN do something different is really the foundation to instigate a larger change. A lake starts with just one drop. (where is the Buddha smiley)

[LagrangeCalvert]

Power Sats.

Thats one answer for the fuel source at least. stations in space that have solar panels that store that energy and beam it down as microwaves. Its about 10 years off but this is an endless supply of energy like solar energy.

As far as the consumerism I don't or my family shop at "Big Corp". We do reuse as much as possible and recycle. To just spend and take and not give ANYTHING back....it truly is NUTS! I don't know how you can just go from the 40's and 50's to 50 years later. I understand population booms and exponential curves but DAMN. It makes me sick to be in the US sometimes that we have made a system to make everything throw away. I don't know but IMHO things need to change.

L.C.

[Spudman***]

It's all being perpetuated by the Man. Remember they warned us about the Man decades ago. The Man figured out this system to generate cash flow for him. If we take away the Man's money we take away his power. Buying and using less is a good way to start.

[Tone2TheBone]

In the immortal words of Jack Black we gotta stick it to the Man.

[jasongins]

I agree some of the points were extreme and over simplified. That woman does not live in a tent, she wears clothes, and she must have used a video camera, a computer, energy, and other STUFF to make that video. But maybe we could start trading gear with one another, stuff we aren't using, rather than just buying more stuff. I put some pedals up for trade in the For Sale/Trade forum.

[Tone2TheBone]

I agree some of the points were extreme and over simplified. That woman does not live in a tent, she wears clothes, and she must have used a video camera, a computer, energy, and other STUFF to make that video. But maybe we could start trading gear with one another, stuff we aren't using, rather than just buying more stuff. I put some pedals up for trade in the For Sale/Trade forum.

Nice segue into a hijacked for sale post!

[Bloozcat]

I've never liked pieces like this where a "spokesperson" speaks in the authoritive voice without citing credible sources to substantiate their "facts". Outside of a couple of EPA statistics, the "Facts" section within the "Resources" tab, referred to sources that, rather than representing the mainstream economic community, represent authors with a biased, agenda driven opinion. This clearly should have been presented as an opinion piece, rather than a factual arguement.

While I agree that we are increasingly a "throw away" society regarding consumer goods, and that some good points were brought up in this presentation, it is clearly an over-simplification of the problem (and yes, I do agree that there is a burgeoning problem). To use women's clothes buying habits as an example to support their arguement is quite ridiculous. Consumerism doesn't get any more emotional than that. And to suggest that TV commercials that tell us "you suck", somehow creates a physcological imbalance in our brains that drives us to the malls on zombie-like buying binges, is bordering on tinfoil hat territory.

I don't even want to get into the business and economic factors that were left out of this piece...that would just take too much time (and I don't even think it would be a worthwhile endevor). Yes, our consumer markets are flooded with shoddily made Chinese consumer goods. And yes, there are few alternatives to these products in certain market sectors. But, that certainly doesn't mean that we're all driven to frenzied consumerism like some kind of deranged lemmings.

In my opinion, if the authors of this piece had as a goal the conversion of deliberate, discerning, consumers to their way of thinking, they missed the mark by a bit. It could have been so much better if the authors had appealed to our intellects rather than our emotions.

[Spudman***]

Maybe you aren't the one that she might be trying to get through to.

I think that keeping it simple is a great way that the majority can start to grasp what they are doing. A large part of America has bought into the system and have no idea what they are contributing to.

Maybe you don't see the masses being driven "to the malls on zombie-like buying binges," but I do. I've been service big box retailers for over 20 years and there are a significant number of people that think and act just that way.

I would hazard a guess that since she has done 10 years of research that she has the ability to get into the complexities that you mention. I think though that in order to reach the masses that she has to keep it simple. Even 20 minutes was a stretch. Maybe there is an agenda as you say the sources seem to be geared towards, but is it a bad agenda? What's wrong with getting people to start thinking about the whole picture. All I got from this was just the message to wake up and start thinking about the bigger picture. Nobody else seems to be saying that.

[oldguy]

It's real, it's here, and it's being acknowledged. Everyone has a right to their opinion, whether it be global warming or eating meat as opposed to vegan.
Here's another view on it, if I can get the link to work. Under 6min. long. It's all tied together, just gotta look. "The restless consumer lies asleep in her hotel, with such an appetite for anything............. that.... sells."
I see the same thing here as the story......... corporations, foreign countries, who's interests are being served, and, at what cost? I'm just sayin'....... (I'm'a believer).

[Bloozcat]

Maybe you aren't the one that she might be trying to get through to.

I think that keeping it simple is a great way that the majority can start to grasp what they are doing. A large part of America has bought into the system and have no idea what they are contributing to.

Maybe you don't see the masses being driven "to the malls on zombie-like buying binges," but I do. I've been service big box retailers for over 20 years and there are a significant number of people that think and act just that way.

I would hazard a guess that since she has done 10 years of research that she has the ability to get into the complexities that you mention. I think though that in order to reach the masses that she has to keep it simple. Even 20 minutes was a stretch. Maybe there is an agenda as you say the sources seem to be geared towards, but is it a bad agenda? What's wrong with getting people to start thinking about the whole picture. All I got from this was just the message to wake up and start thinking about the bigger picture. Nobody else seems to be saying that.

Point well taken, Spud.

I recognize that I have a tendency to be more "in depth", when discussing important issues. My circle of friends and associates is very much the same. And even though there's a plethora of examples in everyday society that most people are extremely superficial, I still expect more from them. That's my failing, I guess.

Still, while the spokesperson is trying to reach one audience, it's inevitable that she'll alienate another. Rather than it being just this one message, it's the way in which important information is broadly dispensed accross the board that I find so disturbing. All society will tolerate today, it seems, is 30 second sound bites - not matter how complex and important the topic.

As I had stated previously though, I do agree that this is a burgeoning problem.

[Spudman***]

Still, while the spokesperson is trying to reach one audience, it's inevitable that she'll alienate another. Rather than it being just this one message, it's the way in which important information is broadly dispensed accross the board that I find so disturbing. All society will tolerate today, it seems, is 30 second sound bites - not matter how complex and important the topic.

It's hard to please everyone huh. It's probably a good thing otherwise we might just as well all be lemmings. Critical thought is vital.

[aeolian]

It's hard to please everyone huh. It's probably a good thing otherwise we might just as well all be lemmings. Critical thought is vital.

But we do have lemmings tendencies: witness how many Wii, iPhone, and Hanna Montana CDs get sold.

[Spudman***]

But we do have lemmings tendencies: witness how many Wii, iPhone, and Hanna Montana CDs get sold.

Right. We do have those tendencies. Blooz points out that not all of us do and I agree. The trick is getting the rest of the swarm to start THINKING. That's why I think this film is a good start. Sort of like that film where the guy lives for a month on McDonald's food. Makes you think, eh.