Jim Devine asked,
>you really think that we're could be moving toward a period such as
>1910-45, in which nation-state contention among the rich capitalist powers
>led to trade wars and hot wars? do you have evidence?
First question: No, that's not what I said and not also what I think. I said
that hegemony isn't a zero sum game. My speculative worst-case scenario
would not be nation-state contention among rich capitalist powers but
synchronized institutional breakdowns within the various nation-states. The
nearest parallel would be with the breakdown of the Warsaw pact countries in
the late 1980s, with, of course, the difference that there wouldn't be a
"West" on the outside egging the process on. So it could be much more
protracted and ugly.
Frankly, the other boot hasn't dropped yet from 1989. Despite all the fairy
tales, it didn't turn into a glass slipper in the interim.
Do I have evidence? Yes, I do. Plenty. It's anecdotal and I'm skeptical
whether even that could be marshalled to be persuasive to anyone who doesn't
already see (or think they see) the writing on the other side of the wall.
Some of the evidence has to do with the proliferation of public travesties
and the growing public insensibility to same.
Speaking of saving, a line from a review of the book Affluenza mentions that
"our average rate of saving has fallen from about 10 percent of our income
in 1980 to zero in 2000." That is, there is a cultural side to the economic
dynamic that Godley and Izurieta call unsustainable. That cultural side is
not ONLY unsustainable -- it is something we shouldn't want to sustain if we
could. More evidence?
"In their eye-opening, soul-prodding look at the excess of American society,
the authors of Affluenza include two quotations that encapsulate much of the
book: T.S. Eliot's line "We are the hollow men / We are the stuffed men,"
which opens one of this book's chapters, and a quote from a newspaper
article that notes "We are a nation that shouts at a microwave oven to hurry
up." If these observations make you grimace at your own ruthless consumption
or sigh at the hurried pace of your life, you may already be ill. Read on.
"The definition of affluenza, according to de Graaf, Wann, and Naylor, is
something akin to "a painful, contagious, socially-transmitted condition of
overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of
more." It's a powerful virus running rampant in our society, infecting our
souls, affecting our wallets and financial well-being, and threatening to
destroy not only the environment but also our families and communities.
Having begun life as two PBS programs coproduced by de Graaf, this book
takes a hard look at the symptoms of affluenza, the history of its
development into an epidemic, and the options for treatment. In examining
this pervasive disease in an age when "the urge to splurge continues to
surge," the first section is the book's most provocative. According to
figures the authors quote and expound upon, Americans each spend more than
$21,000 per year on consumer goods, our average rate of saving has fallen
from about 10 percent of our income in 1980 to zero in 2000, our credit card
indebtedness tripled in the 1990s, more people are filing for bankruptcy
each year than graduate from college, and we spend more for trash bags than
90 of the world's 210 countries spend for everything. "To live, we buy,"
explain the authors--everything from food and good sex to religion and
recreation--all the while squelching our intrinsic curiosity,
self-motivation, and creativity. They offer historical, political, and
socioeconomic reasons that affluenza has taken such strong root in our
society, and in the final section, offer practical ideas for change. These
use the intriguing stories of those who have already opted for simpler
living and who are creatively combating the disease, from making simple
habit alterations to taking more in-depth environmental considerations, and
from living lightly to managing wealth responsibly.
"Many books make you think the author has crammed everything he or she knows
into it. The feeling you get reading Affluenzais quite different; the
authors appear well-read, well-rounded and intelligent, knowledgeable beyond
the content of their book but smart enough to realize that we need a short,
sharp jolt to recognize our current ailment. It's a well-worn cliché that
money can't buy happiness, but this book will strike a chord with anyone who
realizes that more time is more valuable than toys, and that our relentless
quest for the latest stuff is breeding sick individuals and sick societies.
Affluenza is, in fact, a clarion call for those interested in being part of
the solution. --S. Ketchum"
Tom Walker
Bowen Island, BC
604 947 2213
