Watching the "Story of Stuff" yesterday was an interesting experience. At first, I was put off by the hyperbole and the dramatic/inflammatory language the Narrator was using. It sounded like an advertisement for the far left. I am not an environmentalist by any stretch, but I have been convicted to lower our families consumption lately. However, her inflammatory language just about lost me in the first 5 minutes of the 20 minute web short.
It would have been a horrible shame had I turned off the "Story of Stuff" because once it got talking about the "Golden Arrow" (which is the part of the linear chain where consumers are told to "Buy, Buy, Buy!"), I wanted to jump off the couch with a resounding, "Yes!". I hate the idea of planned and perceived obsolescence.
The quote below from a government official in the 1950s was absolutely mindblowing to me. I knew that they had engineered or designed this "consumerism attitude" to some degree, but I did not realize to the extent that it was set-up.
Don't you feel like that is alarming?? Do you feel your worth connected to your consumption? I know I do to some extent. Think of ideas like "retail therapy" and how good a quick trip to Target feels sometimes. Bright lights, shiny things, clean store, organized aisles. All of these things trigger an emotional response in us, and it's being exploited…even I (who loves marketing!!) can admit that.
Here are some takeaways that I had from the "Story of Stuff".
- My Diet Mt. Dew consumption (in the plastic bottles, no less) is selfish and unnecessary. (That is painful to admit!)
- I need to be mindful about the things I just through out because its "cheaper to get a new one than fix this one". Buy higher quality goods on the things that I need to last.
- Take a step back from the media that says, "Buy! Feel Worthy!". I notice that when we DVR shows for my son and fast-forward the commercials it is a completely different experience than when he is watching live TV. With every commercial he asks, "Mommy, can I have that someday?". Goodness, it starts young! AND, the worst part is…they are targeting your children because they KNOW how hard it is to say no!
- I need to learn more about the cycle of consumption, in general. There is a lot of controversy and criticism about this film, so I don't take everything at face value, but I need to learn about this important topic! Bear in mind, there are also zillions singing her praises (the comments are interesting!).
I would just really encourage you to watch the little movie yourself, it is only 20 minutes long and can be downloaded and watched on your computer. I would embed it in this post, but it is too long for Typepad to handle. I think it's so important, if nothing else, that we look at the way consuming is tied to our feelings of worth. Have you ever wondered how much more life you could enjoy if you could just hop off the cycle of consumption (and then working like crazy to PAY for your consumption!!). What in life is really necessary? Do we buy wildly beyond that?
Look at this quote from Ellen Goodman, Pulitzer Prize winning Author and Journalist.
What are your thoughts? Did any of you watch the movie? If not, I encourage you to, then blog about it and leave a link in the comments…or email me your thoughts and I'll include you in a post over the weekend.
Let's bravely look at the reasons we are drawn to the culture of consumption. I didn't like the overall tone of the movie a whole lot, but I did find a lot of think about. I feel like it was worth watching, simply because I need a kick in the butt every once in awhile!
Also–
Here are two bits of interwebs that might be interesting in helping you collect your thoughts.
Nish
talks about recovering from consumerism so well here.
Want to be disorganized? Have too much stuff!