RichMichaelAnnotation9

“Affluenza,” PBS, 1997
 * 1. Title, Director, Year?**

- society’s addiction to consumption - psychological consequences of “affluenza” - “never enough” even though everything is growing
 * 2. Central Argument?**

- lack of concern, buying cars - treadmill of consumption - materialism - growing trend of buying multiple credit cards, buying on credit alone = debt - credit cards make it too easy to spend money, it doesn’t feel real - people are constantly trying to mimic the American lifestyle - planned obsolescence - disposable lifestyles accepted - “passing on a world of social, environment, and economic debt to our children”
 * 3. Sustainability Problems?**

- although a little comical in representation, the idea of viewing this cultural trend as a virus or disease is rather smart - more shopping malls than high schools - happiness based on comparison - “possession overload” – “everything I own, owns me” - advertising and commercials – “meeting non-material needs with material ends” - children are the perfect target, kids research and marketing - “children in this society are a cash crop to be harvested” - schools are one of the last places that are ad-free - Japanese save close to 60%, a startling comparison to our 4% - “focus on the family,” strong message, fighting the idea that consumerism is replacing family - we have no time left to appreciate the things we have and are constantly trying to accumulate more - the gap between rich and poor - greed and materialism - interesting how the definition of “consumption” has changed from negative to more positive or at least more widely accepted - the idea that consumption will help the economy - shopping = ego boost - the uncommercial, “buy nothing day,” I was truly impressed with this idea - the “what to do about it” section is phenomenal, really shows that there are ways to fix it and live better
 * 4. Persuasive? Compelling?**

- the little Barbie play was fun, but a little simple, not sure how well the message was received
 * 5. Not Compelling?**

- what are the psychological and health effects of advertising? - the same topic discussed in “China Revs Up” is mentioned, was this made public? how long have we talked about these kinds of things without actually reporting anything or enforcing it?
 * 6. Info to Seek Out?**

- very simple portrayal, easy to understand, good for everyone
 * 7. Audience?**

- families are urged to do something as simple as spending more time together - talking about all the garbage we throw out could make airplanes, could we actually do that or is it just a comparison? if it is only a comparison, we should look into how to do it - set a better example of what “the good life” really is - promote “the simple life” - the uncommercial = using tv to change the world for the better - change the way that we measure progress, GPI = Genuine Progress Indicator - promoting frugality, not just throwing money at problems, use money wisely, “Your Money, or Your Life,” manage your paycheck, this is the kind of stuff that previous generations found obvious - “co-housing” - cutting back, people say they are happier - “voluntary simplicity” – fastest growing and most widely accepted trend - help groups - a lot of these initiatives seem to be putting a lot of the pressure on future generations to lead the way and change the world - rewarding frugality, penalizing waste - attitude adjustment - “affluenza can be cured by spending less money, not more”
 * 8. Actions? Interventions?**

- very clear, very easy to follow - although the problems are not new, the solutions and explanations were great
 * 9. Enhance film environmentally? educationally?**