Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic (UK PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS Management / Business) - Softcover

DE GRAAF

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1576751996 ISBN 13: 9781576751992

Publisher: McGraw Hill / Europe, Middle East & Africa, 2002

Synopsis

affluenza, n. a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.

We tried to warn you! The 2008 economic collapse proved how resilient and dangerous affluenza can be. Now in its third edition, this book can safely be called prophetic in showing how problems ranging from loneliness, endless working hours, and family conflict to rising debt, environmental pollution, and rampant commercialism are all symptoms of this global plague.

The new edition traces the role overconsumption played in the Great Recession, discusses new ways to measure social health and success (such as the Gross Domestic Happiness index), and offers policy recommendations to make our society more simplicity-friendly. The underlying message isn’t to stop buying—it’s to remember, always, that the best things in life aren’t things.

About this title

Review:

Affluenza is an eye-opening, soul-prodding look at the wretched excess of today's American society. John De Graaf, David Wann and Thomas Naylor define it as something akin to "a painful, contagious, socially-transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more". Having begun life as two US TV programmes co-produced 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 making its readers aware of 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, average rates of saving have fallen from about 10 per cent of income in 1980 to zero in 2000, credit card indebtedness tripled in the 1990s and more people file for bankruptcy each year than graduate from college. "To live, we buy," explain the authors. They present many of the historical, political and socio-economic reasons that affluenza has taken such strong root in American 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 are creatively combating the disease, through simple habit alterations to more in-depth environmental considerations and from living lightly to managing wealth responsibly.

Many books make you think the author has crammed everything they know into a one-hit wonder attempt at knowledge transfer. The feeling you get reading Affluenza is quite different; the authors appear well-read, well-rounded and intelligent, knowledgable beyond the content of their book but smart enough to realise that we need a short, sharp jolt to recognise our current ailment. It's obviously a cliché that money can't buy happiness, but this book will strike a resounding chord with anyone who realises that time is more valuable than toys. Affluenza is a clarion call for those interested in being part of the healing solution. --S Ketchum

Review:

"The way to end a nightmare is to wake up, and Affluenza is an alarm clock. We have created a world that dishonors all that is honorable, good, and meaningful. There is another possibility." - Paul Hawken,, author of Ecology of Commerce and Natural Capitalism; "Using humor, facts and compelling stories, Affluenza exposes the disease of over-consuming that threatens our health, families, budgets, friendships, communities and the environment.... But it doesn't stop there; it offers concret ideas that can contribute to healthier, happier lives and a more livable planet. I was mightily impressed by the film "Affluenza," but the book digs even deeper to illuminate the epidemic that's eating [the planet]. You should read it. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you might even change your life - or extend it!" - David R. Brower, Chairman, Earth Island Institute, and Founder, Friends of the Earth

About this edition

• Publisher: McGraw Hill / Europe, Middle East & Africa
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1576751996
• ISBN 13: 9781576751992
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 270