Affluenza

Affluenza is a term used by critics of consumerism. It is a portmanteau word formed by the contraction of affluence and influenza. Sources define this term as follows:- affluenza, n. a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more. (de Graaf, 2002) affluenza, n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustai ...

Including:

• Affluenza - Affluenza in America
• Affluenza - Affluenza in Australia

Read more here: » Affluenza: Encyclopedia - Affluenza

Hamilton and Denniss's book poses the question: "if the economy has been doing so well, why are we not becoming happier?" (pvii). The authors note that Australia's GDP doubled between 1980 and 2005 (p3), but that "it is now well established that once income levels reach a particular threshold further increases do not increase national happiness" (p63). Their conclusion is as follows: "Since the early 1990s, Australia has been infected by affluenza, a growing and unhealthy preoccupation with money and material things. This illne ...

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Affluenza, Affluenza - Affluenza in America, Affluenza - Affluenza in Australia

Read more here: » Affluenza: Encyclopedia II - Affluenza - Affluenza in Australia

Simple living (similar but not identical to voluntary simplicity or voluntary poverty) is a lifestyle individuals may pursue for a variety of motivations, such as spirituality, health, or ecology. Others may choose simple living for reasons of social justice or a rejection of consumerism. Some may emphasize an explicit rejection of "western values", while others choose to live more simply for reasons of personal ...

Including:

• Simple living - History
• Simple living - Practice
• Simple living - Politics
• Simple living - Technology
• Simple living - Other non-religious approaches

Read more here: » Simple living: Encyclopedia - Simple living

Previous: Modernism Consumerism is a term used to describe the effects of equating personal happiness with purchasing material possessions and consumption. It is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Karl Marx and Thorstein Veblen. Consumerism can also mean economic policies associated with Keynesian economics, and, in an abstract sense, to name the belief that the free choice of consumers should dictate the economic structure of a society (cf. Producerism, especially in the British sense ...

Including:

• Consumerism - History
• Consumerism - Usage
• Consumerism - Criticism
• Consumerism - Counter arguments

Read more here: » Consumerism: Encyclopedia - Consumerism

From the 2nd millennium BC various Hindu and Buddhist groups in the Eastern world had established a voluntarily simplified spiritual lifestyle. This practice continued with various Abrahamic religious movements in the Middle East and Europe. Various notable individuals have claimed that spiritual inspiration led them to a simple living lifestyle, such as Francis of Assisi, Ammon Hennacy and Mahatma Gandhi. In North America, religious groups including the Shakers, Mennonites, Amish, and some Quakers have for centuries practised lifesty ...

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Simple living, Simple living - History, Simple living - Practice, Simple living - Politics, Simple living - Technology, Simple living - Other non-religious approaches

Read more here: » Simple living: Encyclopedia II - Simple living - History

Marx argued that the capitalist economy leads to the fetishization of goods and services, and the devaluing of the worth of a good or service, and instead focusing on its price in the market. In many critical contexts the term is used to describe the tendency of people to identify strongly with products or services they consume, especially those with commercial brand names and obvious status-enhancing appeal, e.g. an expensive automobile, rich jewellery. It is a pejorative term which most people deny, having some more specific excuse or rati ...

See also:

Consumerism, Consumerism - History, Consumerism - Usage, Consumerism - Criticism, Consumerism - Counter arguments

Read more here: » Consumerism: Encyclopedia II - Consumerism - Criticism

Adbusters is a political magazine, founded by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz that is published in Vancouver, British Columbia by the Media Foundation. It is an activist magazine, devoted to numerous political and social causes, many of which are anti-consumerism or anti-capitalist in nature. The Adbusters Media Foundation is a 120,000-circulation magazine, the founder of Buy Nothing Day, and one of the sponsors of TV-Turnoff Week. Adbus ...

Including:

• AdBusters - Mandate
• AdBusters - Issues
• AdBusters - Blackspot campaign
• AdBusters - Media Carta
• AdBusters - True cost economics
• AdBusters - Mental space
• AdBusters - Neo-luddism
• AdBusters - War
• AdBusters - Culture jamming
• AdBusters - Criticisms

Read more here: » AdBusters: Encyclopedia - AdBusters

Although some religious and political movements may encourage such practices, simple living itself is apolitical. There is no basic conflict in living simply and espousing most political theories. One could, for example, be a totalitarian monarch who espouses simple living, such as by sumptuary laws. Many Green Parties have been much influenced by the above groups and often advocate voluntary simplicity as a consequence of their "four pillars" or the "Ten Key Values" of the United States Green party. This includes in policy terms reje ...

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Simple living, Simple living - History, Simple living - Practice, Simple living - Politics, Simple living - Technology, Simple living - Other non-religious approaches

Read more here: » Simple living: Encyclopedia II - Simple living - Politics

Living simply may involve re-considering what is "appropriate technology", as anabaptist groups such as the Amish or Mennonites have done. People who practice simple living have very different views on the role of technology. Some, such as Theodore Kaczynski, propose outright rejection while others see the internet as a key criteria to increased simple living in the future. The idea of food miles, which are the number of miles a given piece of food has travelled between the farm and the table, is used by simple living advocates to arg ...

See also:

Simple living, Simple living - History, Simple living - Practice, Simple living - Politics, Simple living - Technology, Simple living - Other non-religious approaches

Read more here: » Simple living: Encyclopedia II - Simple living - Technology

Some people who practice voluntary simplicity act consciously to reduce their need for purchased services or goods and, by extension, their need to sell their time for money. Some will spend the extra free time this generates helping their family or others in a voluntary way. Others may spend the extra free time to improve their own quality of life, without regard for the well being of others. Liv ...

See also:

Simple living, Simple living - History, Simple living - Practice, Simple living - Politics, Simple living - Technology, Simple living - Other non-religious approaches

Read more here: » Simple living: Encyclopedia II - Simple living - Practice

While there is not precisely an intellectual movement to promote consumerism, there has been, in recent years, strong criticism of the anti-consumerist movement. Most of this comes from libertarian thought. For example, Reason magazine, in 1999, attacked the anti-consumerism movement, claiming Marxist academics are repackaging themselves as anti-consumerists. James Twitchell, a professor at the University of Florida and popular writer, referred ...

See also:

Consumerism, Consumerism - History, Consumerism - Usage, Consumerism - Criticism, Consumerism - Counter arguments

Read more here: » Consumerism: Encyclopedia II - Consumerism - Counter arguments

AdBusters - Blackspot campaign. In 2004, the organization began selling shoes with their black spot "anti-logo". The project is an experiment in "anti-capitalism": Each shoe comes with a share of stock in the company, allowing owners to vote on the website on new ventures and what to do with profits. The blackspot campaign has spawned other ideas, like blackspot music, or blackspot soda, which aim to compete in the marketplace with the large corporations they oppose. The most popular product in the blackspot campaign is the blackspot shoes. The soles of the shoes are made from hemp and recycled ...

See also:

AdBusters, AdBusters - Mandate, AdBusters - Issues, AdBusters - Blackspot campaign, AdBusters - Media Carta, AdBusters - True cost economics, AdBusters - Mental space, AdBusters - Neo-luddism, AdBusters - War, AdBusters - Culture jamming, AdBusters - Criticisms

Read more here: » AdBusters: Encyclopedia II - AdBusters - Issues

Adbusters has been criticized for having a style and form that are similar to the media and commercial product which it attacks.[13] This is particularly true in the case of its Blackspot Shoe campaign, about which it has been said that their existence proves that "no rational person could possibly believe that there is any tension between 'mainstream' and 'alternative' culture."^{See also:}

AdBusters, AdBusters - Mandate, AdBusters - Issues, AdBusters - Blackspot campaign, AdBusters - Media Carta, AdBusters - True cost economics, AdBusters - Mental space, AdBusters - Neo-luddism, AdBusters - War, AdBusters - Culture jamming, AdBusters - Criticisms

Read more here: » AdBusters: Encyclopedia II - AdBusters - Criticisms

Adbusters has been criticized for having a style and form that are similar to the media and commercial product which it attacks.[13] This is particularly true in the case of its Blackspot Shoe campaign, about which it has been said that their existence proves that "no rational person could possibly believe that there is any tension between "mainstream" and "alternative" culture."^{See also:}

AdBusters, AdBusters - Mandate, AdBusters - Issues, AdBusters - Blackspot campaign, AdBusters - Media Carta, AdBusters - True cost economics, AdBusters - Mental space, AdBusters - Neo-luddism, AdBusters - War, AdBusters - Culture jamming, AdBusters - Criticisms

Read more here: » AdBusters: Encyclopedia II - AdBusters - Criticisms

The Adbusters mission statement: We are a global network of artists, activists, writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs who want to advance the new social activist movement of the information age. Our aim is to topple existing power structures and forge a major shift in the way we will live in the 21st century.^{See also:}

AdBusters, AdBusters - Mandate, AdBusters - Issues, AdBusters - Blackspot campaign, AdBusters - Media Carta, AdBusters - True cost economics, AdBusters - Mental space, AdBusters - Neo-luddism, AdBusters - War, AdBusters - Culture jamming, AdBusters - Criticisms

Read more here: » AdBusters: Encyclopedia II - AdBusters - Mandate

The American middle class is often criticized for never being satisfied. People are constantly wanting new things and are never satisfied with what they have. Affluenza ties into the criticisms that there is a superabundance of popular culture and such. Consumerism has been criticized by many groups in America ranging from the hippies of the 1960s to religous groups in the 1990s. Affluenza is sinking into American popular culture. A 2002 Sheryl Crow song features the line "it's not having what you want. It's wanting what you've ...

See also:

Affluenza, Affluenza - Affluenza in America, Affluenza - Affluenza in Australia

Read more here: » Affluenza: Encyclopedia II - Affluenza - Affluenza in America