INDEX
1 percenters. See wealthiest 1 percent.
3EStrategies, 219
30-40 now work plan, 204
1984, 152
A
abortion, effect on crime rates, 73
acquisitive society, 65
activity-limiting diseases, U. S. ranking, 98
Adams, John, 117
Adbusters, 195
addictions accumulating things, 25. See also hoarding.
alcohol, 24
coffee, 23
gambling, 24
generosity, 104
illegal drugs, 24
pathological buying, 26
psychology of, 26
shopping, 24
similarities among, 26
social factors, 25
tobacco, 24
adolescent pregnancy, U. S. ranking, 98
advertisements. See also commercialism; marketing; television advertisements.
anti-ads, 195–196
billboards, 141–142
brand recognition, 141
Internet, 143
media literacy, 198
outdoor, 141–142
over the phone, 143
placement, 142–143
in schools, 48
telemarketing, 143
ubiquity of, 141–142
uncommercials, 195–196
advertising. See also PR (public relations).
Buy Nothing Day, 196–197
hypercommercialism, 143
purpose of, 140
resistance to, 195–196
affluence, history of, 19
affluenza
beginnings of, 110
conservatives vs. liberals, 65
curing, 164–168
definition, 1
downshifters, 168 Patient Zero, 110
problem scope, 4–5
a self test, 160–162
vaccinating children against, 198–200
Affluenza (book), 5–6
Affluenza (film)
causes of gang violence, 73
reactions to, 3–4
Agassi, Andre, 143
The Age of Missing Information, 181
AIDS, U. S. ranking, 98
air travel
baggage, 32
trends, 32
AirBnB, 190
alcohol, addiction to, 24
Alliance for Sustainability and Prosperity (website), 227
Alone Together, 54–55
aluminum cans, recycling, 233
Amador County, CA, 205–207
Amazon, 56
American Mania, 199
American Revolution, 117–118
Andrews, Cecile, 170–171, 173–174
Andrews, Paul, 21
annual national checkup, 8–9
anti-ads, 195–196
anti-consumerism. See simplifying your life.
anti-smoking advertisements, 195–196
antidepressants, U.S. consumption of, 96
antimaterialism
law of progressive simplification, 175
living off the grid, 166
resisting consumerism, 196–197
techniques for, 174–175
ultra-small houses, 166
World War II era, 136–137
antisocial behavior in pursuit of a product, 47–48
apodments, 166
aquatic gyres, 92
Aristotle, 113
articles. See books and publications.
Atwater, Lee, 62
automobiles. See cars.
autonomous cars, 31
B
baggage, air travel, 32
Bangladesh textile factory fire (2013), 69
banking
credit default swaps, 145
credit unions vs. banks, 186
derivatives, 145
financial collapse of 2008, 144–146
Glass-Steagal Act, 145–146
in a new economy, 186–187
bankruptcies, personal, 2
Barnes & Noble, 56
Bartolini, Stefano, 23
Beck, Glenn, 199
bees, mass death of, 176–177
Begley, Ed, Jr., 199
Bernays, Edward, 151
Beverly Cooperative Bank, 186
Beyond Ecophobia, 182
Beyond Our Means: Why America Spends While the World Saves, 23
Beyond the Limits, 99
Beyond the Purchase (website), 200
Bhutan, happiness rating, 221–223, 227
bicycles, sharing, 191
big-box stores. See chain stores. bigwigs, 117
billboards, 141–142
Bingham Canyon Mine, 80
Blackwell, Lucien, 203
Blake, William, 117
Blakely, Edward, 57
Blanchard, Chuck and Joy, 131
Bloomberg, Michael, 191
book stores, chain stores, 56
books and publications 1984, 152
Adbusters, 195
The Age of Missing Information, 181
Alone Together, 54–55
American Mania, 199
Beyond Ecophobia, 182
Beyond Our Means: Why America Spends While the World Saves, 23
Beyond the Limits, 99
Born to Buy, 46
“Bread and Roses,” 126
Catholic Charities Review, 127–128
The Circle of Simplicity, 171
Coming Back to Life, 230
Coming Home, 221
Common Sense, 185
The Communist Manifesto, 118
Consuming Kids, 46
Culture Jam, 194–195
The Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844, 119
The End of Nature, 83
The End of Patience, 37
Flow, 102
Fortress America, 57
Free Time, 127
The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change, 149
Genetic Roulette, 93
The Geography of Nowhere, 53
The Greening of America, 137
Grist, 77
The Hidden Persuaders, 137
High Tech/High Touch, 33
A Humane Economy: The Social Framework of the Free Market, 65
Kellogg’s Six-Hour Day, 131
The Ladies Home Journal, 125
Last Child in the Woods, 177
Life without Principle, 121
Living Downstream, 88
The Lonely American, 42
“Love Global Warming,” 150
Luxury Fever, 210
Marketing Madness, 142
Motivation in Advertising, 140
The New Normal, 32
Nickel and Dimed, 72
The Nine Tenths, 125–126
Our Stolen Future, 92
Owning the Future, 186
The Paradox of Choice, 37
Port Huron Statement, 64
Prodigal Sons and Material Girls: How Not to Be Your Child’s ATM, 198
“The Right to Be Lazy,” 124
Satisfaction Guaranteed, 133–134
Selling Out America’s Children, 46
The Spirit Level, 74
The Status Seekers, 137
“The Road Not Taken,” 123
This Ugly Civilization, 128–129
Toxic Deception, 89
Toxic Sludge is Good for You, 148
Trends 2000, 8
Turbo-Capitalism, 50
Voluntary Simplicity, 170, 174
Walden, 121
The Waste Makers, 137
The Wealth of Nations, 185
“The Welfare of Children in Rich Countries,” 44
When Corporations Rule the World, 74
Whoops!, 145
Work Without End, 127
Working, 64
Your Money or Your Life, 164, 215–216
boredom among children, 44
Born to Buy, 46
Borsodi, Ralph, 128–130
bottled water, 91
Boyte, Harry, 61
brain
examining under MRI, 104
nucleus accumbens, 103
reward center, 103
Brancacio, David, 204
brand recognition, 141
“Bread and Roses,” 126
Bread and Roses Strike, 126
Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944, 227
Broder, David, 72
Brower, David, 13
Brown, Kirk Warren, 168
Brown, Lester, 81
Brown, Willie, 5
Brune, Michael, 83
Bullitt Center, 192
bumblebees, mass death of, 176–177
Bush, George w.
Do Not Call legislation, 143
shopping to fight terror, 5
working hours, 205
Bushmen of the Kalahari, 75
Buy Nothing Day, 196–197
C
caffeine in the water supply, 91
campaign finance reform, 212
Canadian Index of Well-Being, 226
Cancer Alley, 73
carbon taxes, 211
carcinogens, environmental, 88–89
cars
annual model change, 134
autonomous, 31
driving rates, 22
non-drivers, 53
self-driving, 31
sharing, 190–191
size trends, 20
traffic, 31
Carter, Jimmy, 138
Carver, Thomas Nixon, 128
Cashman, Kate, 49
Catholic Charities Review, 127–128
CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), 61
cell phones
being buried with, 58
role in community, 55
cement industry, CO2 emissions, 192
Center for a New American Dream (website), 7, 168
CEO compensation. See also wages.
Disney, 72
Eisner, Michael, 72
Exxon, 83
Nike, 71
Parker, Mike, 71
Tillerson, Rex, 83
vs. worker compensation, 71, 72
chain stores. See also malls; shopping centers; specific stores.
book stores, 56
coffee shops, 56
divider effect, 56
home improvement, 56
localization of food industry, 59
loss of locally-owned shops, 55–56
resistance campaign, 56, 58–59
restaurants, 56
charitable contributions by the wealthiest 1 percent, 70, 235
chemicals. See also drugs; GMOs (genetically engineered organisms).
in bottled water, 91
caffeine in the water supply, 91
dead zones, 91
environmental carcinogens, 88–89
formaldehyde, 89–90
orphan molecules, 91
rate of discovery, 90
the Starbucks effect, 91
synthetic, 88
toxic house, 89–90
toxicity, 88
Chevy Suburban, 20
Chiaramonte, Loan, 45
child welfare, worldwide rankings, 44
childbirth leave, 204–205
children
antisocial behavior in pursuit of a product, 47–48
boredom, 44
depression, 49
effects of television, 46
exposure to PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), 92
marketing to, 45–46, 47–48, 211–212
mental health, 48–50
protecting from commercialism, 46–47
self-centeredness, 50
spending by, 45–46
suicidal thoughts, 49
values held by, 49–50
choice, effect on anxiety, 37
church attendance vs. mall attendance, 15
The Circle of Simplicity, 171
Citi Bike program, 191
Citizens United (Supreme Court decision), 212
civil disobedience. See nonviolent civil disobedience.
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), 61
classless society, 72–73
climate change
average planetary temperature, 83
cement industry, CO2 emissions, 192
denying, 150
effects on insurance industry, 78
clinical depression. See depression.
clutter, sources of, 33
coffee, addiction to, 23
coffee shops, chain stores, 56
cohousing, 193
Colburn, Theo, 92
Collins, Judy, 126
Colman, Ronald, 220
Coming Back to Life, 230
Coming Home, 221
commercialism
protecting children from, 46–47
in schools, 48
Common Sense, 185
The Communist Manifesto, 118
community
duties and obligations, 53
fraternal organizations, 54
gated communities, 57–58
great good places, 53
loss of locally-owned shops, 55–56. See also chain stores.
role of cell phones, 55
safety, 58
social capital, 53–54
third places, 53
compulsive buyers, mental states, 24
conservatives vs. liberals, on affluenza, 65
conspicuous consumption, role of department stores, 125
Consumer Jungle (website), 198
consumer loans, World War II era, 133–134
consumer spending, as percentage of overall economy, 15. See also shopping.
consumerism
education, 198
resisting, 196–197
World War II era, 133
Consuming Kids, 46
consumption
conspicuous, role of department stores, 125
definition, 123
European attitudes vs. American, 35
Coontz, Stephanie, 43
cooperative investing, 190
copper, mining, 80
Corrections Corporation of America, 74
Costanza, Robert, 227
credit default swaps, 145
credit unions vs. banks, 186
crime rates
effects of abortion, 73
imprisonment in the United States, 73
crowdfunding, 190
crowdsourcing, 190
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly, 102
Culture Jam, 194–195
curing affluenza
admitting the problem, 229–230
campaign finance reform, 212
downshifting, 166–168
fighting consumerism, 196–197
flexible work schedules, 203–204
key actions, 202–203
maternity leave, 204–205
maximum wage, 210. See also minimum wage.
new lifestyle paradigm, 230–233
reducing spending, 164–165
single-payer health care, 208
standardizing work hours, 203
taxation, 211
time protections, 204
curing affluenza, work reduction
30-40 now plan, 204
childbirth leave, 204–205
forty-hour week, 203
four-day week, 205–207
graduated retirement, 209
limiting overtime, 204–205
paid sick leave, 204–205
six-hour day, 203
thirty-hour week, 203
thirty-two-hour week, 203
time off for family illness, 205
time protections, 204
U.S. ranking, 204–205
work reduction, 205–208
work sharing, 205–209
Cynic tradition, 113
D
Daly, Herman, 224
dead zones in the oceans, 91
debt crisis, The Story of Broke (video), 199
DeChristopher, Tim, 82–83
department stores, role in conspicuous consumption, 125
depletion taxes, 211
depression (clinical) among children, 49
rates of, in the United States, 54
depression (economic), 130. See also Great Recession. derivatives, 145
development paradigm, 223
development vs. growth, 224
Disney, CEO compensation, 72
divider effect, 56
Do Not Call legislation, 143
Doherty, William, 43
domestic servants, 72–73
Dominguez, Joe, 164–165
downshifting, 166–168
drilling for oil and gas, nonviolent civil disobedience, 82. See also fracking (Hydraulic Fracturing). drug use, U. S. ranking, 98
drugs (illegal), addiction to, 24
drugs (prescription)
antidepressants, U.S. consumption of, 96
deaths from, 97
sleep aids, 96
Dubai Mall, 17
Dungan, Nathan, 198
Dunkin’ Donuts, 56
Durning, Alan, 103
E
Earle, Alison, 39
Earth, compressed time line of, 13–15
Earth Day, 138
Easterlin Paradox, 224
Ebell, Myron, 150
ecological footprint
for the average person, 79
definition, 79
in market analysis, 220–221
reducing, 167
vs. ecological handprint, 200–201
ecological handprint, 200–201
The Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844, 119
economy
collapse of. See depression (economic); Great Recession.
community-based, 186–189
cooperative investing, 190
crowdfunding, 190
crowdsourcing, 190
leasing vs. owning, 189–191
local living economies, 188–189
postconsumer disruption, 212–213
shaping for affordability, 233–234
sharing-based, 189–191
sustainability, 186–187
ecophobia, 182
Ehrenreich, Barbara, 72–73
eight-hour day, 127
Eisenhower, Dwight D., 135
Eisner, Michael, CEO compensation, 72
The End of Nature, 83
The End of Patience, 37
energy companies, federal subsidies, 83
(En)Rich List, 197–198
ethics among low-income youths, 73. See also morality; values.
Europe, attitudes towards consumption, 35
European Union, productivity, 41
expenses, cutting, 164–168
extended producer responsibility, 81, 191–192, 211
extinctions. See species extinctions.
Exxon, CEO compensation, 83
F
FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting), 153
Fair Labor Standards Act, 127
family life
child welfare, worldwide rankings, 44
divorce rates, 44
marriage rates, 44
solitary living, 44
television and exposure to advertisements, 43
time pressures and strain on marriages, 43–44
time spent together, 43
unmarried parents, 44
family values
held by children, 49–50
vs. market values, 50–51
farm land, demand for, 81
farmer assurance provision, 149
federal subsidies, energy companies, 83
financial collapse of 2008, 144–146. See also Great Recession.
First, Fred, 177
five-day week, 130
flexible work schedules, 203–204
Flow, 102
flying. See air travel.
food
insects as food source, 82
trends, 20–21
food industry, localization, 59
food insecurity, 70. See also hunger.
Ford, Gerald, 138
Ford, Henry, 133–134
Ford, William, 20
Ford Excursion, 20
formaldehyde, 89–90
forms of capital, 223
Fortress America, 57
forty-hour week, 127, 131, 203
Forward on Climate rally, 83
four-day week, 205–207
Fox, Josh, 154
fracking (Hydraulic Fracturing), 153–154
franchises. See chain stores.
Francis, Pope, 62–63
Frankenfood. See GMOs (genetically engineered organisms).
Franklin, Benjamin, 117
fraternal organizations, decline in, 54
Free Time, 127
freedom, a European view, 74
freeway system, 135
Fromm, Erich, 65
front groups, 149–150
Frost, Robert, 123
frugality, 164–168
Furlong, Edward, 91
The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change, 149
G
Galbraith, John Kenneth, 19, 137
gambling, addiction to, 24
Gandhi, Mahatma, 229
gang violence, causes of, 73
garage size, 28–30
gardening, 183
gas. See oil and gas.
Gasland, 154
gated communities, 57–58
GDP (gross domestic product), 217–221
generosity, addiction to, 104
Genetic Roulette, 93
Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), 218–221
The Geography of Nowhere, 53
glass bottles, recycling, 233
Glass-Steagal Act, 145–146
global warming. See climate change.
GMOs (genetically engineered organisms). See also chemicals.
crop yields, 93
farmer assurance provision, 149
mandatory product labeling, 94
Monsanto, 92–94
Monsanto Protection Act, 149
overview, 92–94
patenting, 92
pesticide use, 93
Roundup Ready crops, 92–93
goals
commonly expressed, 100
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, 101–102
universal human, 102–103
wanting what we have, 104–105
Goodman, Ellen, 33
Goran, Sheldon, 23
Gore, Al, 149
GPI (Genuine Progress Indicator), 218–221
GPI Plus, 226
graduated retirement, 209
grain, demand for, 81
Grayson, Alan, 40
great good places, 53
Great Recession
credit default swaps, 145
credit unions vs. banks, 186
depression (economic), 130
derivatives, 145
financial collapse of 2008, 144–146
Glass-Steagal Act, 145–146
role of the housing market, 145
Green, David, 234
Green, William, 127
green taxes, 211
greenest office building, 192
The Greening of America, 137
Greenway, Robert, 182
Grist, 77
gross domestic product (GDP), 217–221
Gross National Happiness Index (website), 222
growth vs. development, 224
gun industry, 58
Guzman, Monica, 21
gyres, 92
H
Hanauer, Nick, 210
Handprinting (website), 201
happiness
material wealth and, 99, 200–201, 224
measuring, 207
United Nations Happiness Report, 224–225
U.S. ranking, 225
vs. well-being, 224
on weekends vs. workdays, 207
Happiness Initiative, 226–227
happiness skills, 225
Harmony Village, 193
Hayden, Tom, 64
Hayes, Sylvia, 219
Healey, Ron, 204
health care
as percentage of GDP, 41
single-payer plan, 208
health consequences of poverty, 73
health issues, among wealthy people, 99
heart disease, U. S. ranking, 98
Heller, Rick, 168
Helliwell, John, 225
Heschel, Abraham, 113
Heymann, Jody, 39
The Hidden Persuaders, 137
High Tech/High Touch, 33
Hightower, Jim, 212
hoarding
problem scope, 29
sources of clutter, 33
hog waste, 94–95
Holst, Carol, 199–200
Home Depot, 56
home improvement, chain stores, 56
home shopping, 18
hoodia plant, 75
Hoover, Herbert, 130
Horsey, David, 200
houses
apodments, 166
average size, 19, 28–29, 132–133
garage size, 28–30
off the grid, 166
ultra-small, 166
housing
cohousing, 193
designing a neighborhood, 193
short-term rentals, 190
housing market, role in the Great Recession, 145
Howell, Ryan, 200
A Humane Economy: The Social Framework of the Free Market, 65
Hummer, 20
hunger, 70. See also food insecurity.
hunter-gatherers, 110–112, 114
Hurdle, Annette, 177
Hydraulic Fracturing (fracking), 153–154
hypercommercialism, 143
I
imprisonment
as a business, 74
in California, 74
Corrections Corporation of America, 74
impulse buying, 17
income distribution, 69–70. See also wealth distribution; wealthiest 1 percent.
income levels, role models, 23
industrial accidents
Bangladesh textile factory fire (2013), 69
demands for safe working conditions, 125–126
Thai toy factory fire (1993), 68–69
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911), 69
workplace safety, 125–126
Industrial Revolution, working hours, 118
infant mortality, U. S. ranking, 98
insecticides, bee deaths, 176–177
insects, as food source, 82
insomnia, 96
Internet advertisements, 143
interstate highway system, 135
isolation
de-individualization, 66
loneliness, 44
overcoming, 64
J
Japanese culture, 100
Jesus, 114
Joe Camel/Chemo character, 195
Johnson, Allen, 111–112
Johnson, Beth, 29
Johnson, Brad, 141
Johnson, Lyndon B., 137
Johnson, Samuel, 123
Jones, Van, 189–190
K
keeping up with the Joneses downside of, 65
the Jones family today, 159–160
The Status Seekers, 137
trends, 22
Kellogg’s, working hours, 130–131
Kellogg’s Six-Hour Day, 131
Kelly, Michael, 187
Keltner, Dacher, 234
Kennecott Copper Mine, 80
Kennedy, John F., 64
Kennedy, Robert F., 138
Kerry, John, 205
Keynes, John Maynard, 187
Keystone XL Pipeline
environmental impact of, 76–77
nonviolent civil disobedience, 83
Kubiszewski, Ida, 227
!Kung Bushmen, 110–111
Kuntsler, James, 53
Kurnit, Paul, 47
Kuznets, Simon, 219–220
L
The Ladies Home Journal, 125
Lafargue, Paul, 124
Lakota Sioux tribe, 114–115
Lanchester, John, 145
land, demand for, 81
Last Child in the Woods, 177
law of diminishing marginal utility, 25
law of progressive simplification, 175
Layard, Richard, 73
laziness, as a right, 124
leaded gasoline, PR (public relations), 150–152
leasing vs. owning, 189–191
leisure class, time pressures, 37
leisure time
effects on business, 128–130
wealth as disposable time, 119–122
Lerner, Michael, 63–64
levels of sufficiency, 224
Levittown development
average house size, 19
World War II era, 132–133
liberals vs. conservatives, on affluenza, 65
life expectancy, American, 41
life-satisfaction scores, 226
Life without Principle, 121
Linder, Staffan, 37–38
Linn, Susan, 46
Living Downstream, 88
localization of food industry, 59. See also chain stores, resistance campaign.
logging industry, 84
loneliness, 44. See also isolation.
The Lonely American, 42
Los Angeles, traffic, 31
Louv, Richard, 177–178
“Love Global Warming,” 150
Lovins, Amory and Hunter, 211
Lowe’s, 56
lung disease, U. S. ranking, 98
Luntz, Frank, 204
Luttwak, Edward, 50
luxuries vs. necessities, 21
Luxury Fever, 210
M
Machiguenga tribe, 111–112
Mack, Burton, 113
Macy, Joanna, 229
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), brain imaging, 104
mail order shopping, 18
Mall of America, 17
malls. See also chain stores; shopping centers.
attendance, 15
cost in lost farmland, 15
decline in, 18
Dubai Mall, 17
Mall of America, 17
New South China Mall, 17
Phoenix City Market Mall, 17
Potomac Mills, 16–17
Super Mall, 16
vs. houses of worship, 15
Mander, Jerry, 104–105
Marcuse, Herbert, 65
market values, vs. family values, 50–51
Marketing Madness, 142
marketing to children, 45–46, 47–48, 211–212. See also advertisements. marriage rates, 44
Martineau, Pierre, 140
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, 101–102
mass production, de-individualizing the worker, 66
maternity leave, 204–205
Matthews, Vince, 80
Max-Neef, Manfred, 223
maximum wage, 210
McDonald’s, 56
McDonough, William, 178
McGinn, Anne Platt, 90
McKibben, Bill, 82–83, 181, 198
Mead, Margaret, 172
Meadows, Donella, 99, 154–155, 198, 230
media literacy, 198
medieval times, working hours, 118
mental health, among children, 48–50
Merry Maids, 72
Mexico, community forests, 187
Meyer, Jim, 76–77
military spending, U. S. ranking, 98
mindfulness, 168
minimum wage
garment workers in
Bangladesh, 69
papal call for, 127
U.S. ranking, 210
moderation, 113–114
Molnar, Alex, 48
money
buying happiness. See happiness; well-being.
vs. time, 122
monitoring employees, 39
Monsanto Protection Act, 149
morality. See also ethics; values.
codes through history, 113–114
direction of a consumer society, 65
Morris, William, 124
Mosaic, 190
Mother Teresa, 61–62
Motivation in Advertising, 140
Mount Rainier National Park, 60–61
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), brain imaging, 104
Murray, Patty, 5
Musikanski, Laura, 226
Myers, David, 25
Myers, Norman, 82
N
Nader, Ralph, 211–212
Naisbitt, John, 33
natural gas drilling. See fracking (Hydraulic Fracturing).
natural resources. See resources (natural).
nature
a child’s view of, 177–179
ecophobia, 182
for educators, 180
for individuals and families, 179
restorative properties of, 180–183
separation from, 181–182
necessities vs. luxuries, 21
neighborhoods. See community.
Netherlands, work reduction, 207–208
New Development Paradigm, 223–224
The New Normal, 32
New South China Mall, 17
Nickel and Dimed, 72
Nike, CEO compensation, 71
The Nine Tenths, 125–126 1984, 152
No Impact Man, 167
No Impact Project (website), 167
No-Vacation Nation, 39
Nomad community, 193
nonviolent civil disobedience
drilling for oil and gas, 82
Forward on Climate rally, 83
Keystone XL Pipeline, 83
Sierra Club, 83
Norman, Al, 56
Norris, Margaret, 73
Northwest Earth Institute (website), 173
nucleus accumbens, 103
Nussbaum, Karen, 39
O
Obama, Barack, 205
obesity, U. S. ranking, 98
Occupy Wall Street, forerunners of, 125–126
O’Connor, Terrance, 230
off the grid, 166
oil and gas, drilling for
declining petroleum production, 81
fracking (Hydraulic Fracturing), 153–154
nonviolent civil disobedience, 82
oil and gas industry, PR (public relations), 153–154
oil sands, 76–77
Oldenburg, Ray, 53
O’Malley, Martin, 220
Omega Boys Club, 73
On-Going community, 193
1 percenters. See wealthiest 1 percent.
online resources. See also specific resources.
Alliance for Sustainability and Prosperity, 227
Beyond the Purchase, 200
Center for a New American Dream, 7, 168
Consumer Jungle, 198
Gross National Happiness Index, 222
Handprinting, 201
No Impact Project, 167
Northwest Earth Institute, 173
Postconsumers, 200
PRWatch, 148
Redefining Progress, 79
Share Save Spend, 198
Sprawl Busters, 56
The Story of Broke (video), 199
The Story of Stuff (video), 199
Wikipedia, 10
online shopping, growth in, 18
Oppenheim, James, 125–126
orphan molecules, 91
Orwell, George, 152
Our Stolen Future, 92
outdoor advertisements, 141–142
overconsumption, stimuli for, 32–33
overtime, limiting, 204–205
Owning the Future, 186
owning vs. leasing, 189–191
P
Packard, Vance, 137
Paine, Thomas, 185
The Paradox of Choice, 37
parents, in television advertisements, 47
parents as gatekeepers, 47–48
Parker, Mike, CEO compensation, 71
patenting GMOs, 92
paternity leave, 204–205
pathological buying, 26
Patient Zero, 110
Paul, Alexandra, 199
PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), 92
petroleum, declining production, 81
pharmaceuticals. See drugs. Phoenix City Market Mall, 17
phone advertisements, 143
Pickett, Kate, 74
Piersall, Alex, 29
pig waste, 94–95
Pinkerton, David and Mary, 89
planned obsolescence, 133–134, 137
polls, American thoughts on affluenza, 7
pollution taxes, 211
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 92
Port Huron Statement, 64
Porter, Lana, 183
possession overload, 34–35
Post-Growth Institute, 197–198
Postconsumers (website), 200
Potomac Mills, 16–17
Potvin, Noelle, 58
poverty
1980s, 70
2010, 71
environmental contaminants, 73
health consequences of, 73
worldwide, 75
poverty-level wages, 72
Powers, Bill and Melissa, 166, 168
Poyntz, Juliet Stuart, 127
PR (public relations). See also advertising.
definition, 148
fracking, 153–154
front groups, 149–150
history of, 150–152
influence on policy, 148–149
for leaded gasoline, 150–152
oil and gas industry, 153–154
scientific feedback, 154–155
spin doctors, 152–154
for tobacco, 150–152
pregnancy, adolescent, 98
preventive measures, annual checkup, 8–9
Prodigal Sons and Material Girls: How Not to Be Your Child’s ATM, 198
productivity, European Union, 41
progressive consumption tax, 210
PRWatch, 148
psychology, of addiction, 26
publications. See books and publications.
Publix Supermarkets vs. Wal-Mart, 56
Q
Quakers, 117
R
rare earth elements, demand for, 80–81
Reagan, Ronald, 139
the realm of necessity, 120
recession. See Great Recession.
recycling. See also waste disposal.
advocacy vs. performance, 173
aluminum cans, 233
extended producer responsibility, 81, 191–192, 211
glass bottles, 233
Redefining Progress (website), 79
Rees, William, 79
Reich, Charles, 137
Reich, Robert, 57
religious observances, time for, 127–128
reports. See books and publications.
resource pyramids, 80
resources (natural). See also specific resources.
learning from the past, 77–79
oil sands, 76–77
waste production for an average family, 78
water consumption in an average lifetime, 78
resources (sources of help). See books and publications; online resources.
restaurants
chain stores, 56
portion creep, 25
retirement, graduated, 209
reward center of the brain, 103
Riederer, Susan, 235
“The Right to Be Lazy,” 124
Robin, Vicki, 164–165, 168, 215–216
Roosevelt, Franklin D., 130
Röpke, Wilhelm, 65, 137, 143–144
Roundup Ready crops, 92–93
Roy, Dick and Jeanne, 172–174
Ryan, John, 127
S
safety
community, 58
workplace, 125–126. See also industrial accidents.
Saint Monday, 118
Saltzman, Amy, 168
Satisfaction Guaranteed, 133–134
savings rates, trends, 23
Schilke, Jacki, 154
schools, commercialism in, 48
Schor, Juliet
American workload, 38
children as consumers, 46
on productivity, 40–41
television as a role model, 22
values held by children, 50
on working hours, 203
Schumacher, E. F., 198
Schwartz, Barry, 37
Seeds of Simplicity, 199
Seiple, Robert, 61–62
self-centeredness
in American culture, 61–63
among American children, 50
self-driving cars, 31
Selling Out America’s Children, 46
Share Save Spend (website), 198
sharing
bicycles, 191
cars, 190–191
housing, 193
sharing-based economies, 189–191
Shenk, David, 37
shopping
addiction to, 24
consumer spending, as percentage of overall economy, 15
to fight terror, 5
from home, 18
impulse buying, 17
by mail order, 18
online, 18
shopping centers. See also chain stores; malls.
vs. high schools, 15
World War II era, 135–136
sick leave, paid, 204–205
Sierra Club, nonviolent civil disobedience, 83
Sillivan, Mike, 20
simplifying your life
antimaterialism, World War II era, 136–137
law of progressive simplification, 175
living off the grid, 166
resisting consumerism, 196–197
techniques for, 174–175
ultra-small houses, 166
single-payer health care, 208
Sismondi, Jean Charles de, 120–121
Sitting Bull, 114–115
sleep aids, 96
Smith, Adam, 185
Smith, Jeffrey M., 93
smoking, vs. stress, 39
Sobel, David, 182
social capital, 53–54
socialism, working hours, 120
solar projects, 190
solitary living, loneliness, 44
Speck, Sarah, 39–40
Spencer, Miranda, 153
spending
by children, 45–46
reducing, 164–168
spin doctors, 152–154
The Spirit Level, 74
Sprawl Busters, 56
Starbucks, 56
the Starbucks effect, 91
The Status Seekers, 137
Stauber, John, 148
Steingraber, Sandra, 88
Steves, Rick, 35
Stone Age cultures, 110–112
The Story of Broke (video), 199
The Story of Stuff (video), 199
stress
effects of, 39–40
resulting from work, 39
vs. smoking, 39
stress clinics, 63–64
suicidal thoughts among children, 49
suicide rates, Indian Farmers, 93
Super Mall, 16
support groups, forming, 173–174
survival of the kindest, 234–235
sustainability
Alliance for Sustainability and Prosperity (website), 227
balanced with growth, 213
of economies, 186–187
Suzuki, David, 198
Swofford, Mike, 200
synthetic chemicals, 88. See also chemicals.
T
Tawney, R. H., 65
tax share (2004), wealthiest 1 percent, 70
taxes
carbon, 211
curing affluenza, 211
depletion, 211
green system, 211
pollution, 211
progressive consumption tax, 210
Taylor, James, 150
telemarketing, 143
television
effects on children, 46
as a model for standard of living, 22
World War II era, 136
television advertisements. See also advertisements; commercialism; marketing.
cost of, 141
increasing exposure to, 43
lifetime exposure to, 140
parents as gatekeepers, 47–48
portrayal of parents, 47
temperature of the planet, average change, 83
Terkel, Studs, 64
test for affluenza, 160–162
texting, and traffic accidents, 55
Thai toy factory fire (1993), 68–69
“The Road Not Taken,” 123
third places, 53
thirty-hour week, 130–131, 203
thirty-two-hour week, 203
30-40 now work plan, 204
This Ugly Civilization, 128–129
Thoreau, Henry David, 121–122
3EStrategies, 219
Tillerson, Rex, CEO compensation, 83
time. See also working hours.
to know God, 127–128
vs. money, 122
as wealth, 119–121
time famine, 35–37
time off for family illness, 205
time pressures
of the leisure class, 37
strain on marriages, 43–44
time protections, 204
timesickness, 182
tobacco
addiction to, 24
anti-smoking advertisements, 195–196
Joe Camel/Chemo character, 195
PR (public relations), 150–152
Toxic Deception, 89
toxic house, 89–90
Toxic Sludge is Good for You, 148
toxicity, of common chemicals, 88
Toynbee, Arnold, 175
traffic, 31. See also cars.
traffic deaths, U. S. ranking, 98
Trends 2000, 8
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911), 69, 125
Truman, Harry, 136
Turbo-Capitalism, 50
Turkle, Sherry, 55
Turner, Ted, 235
U
uncommercials, 195–196
United Nations Happiness Report, 224–225
United States
activity-limiting diseases, 98
adolescent pregnancy, 98
AIDS, 98
as a bad example, 23
child welfare, worldwide rankings, 44
divorce rate, 98
drug use, 98
heart disease, 98
infant mortality, 98
lung disease, 98
military spending, 98
obesity, 98
traffic deaths, 98
wealth, worldwide rankings, 97–99
unmarried parents, 44
“the Uprising of the Thirty Thousand,” 126
Ura, Dasho Karma, 222
V
vacation time
average, 39
perils of not taking, 40–41
values
among students, 64
moral codes through history, 113–114
moral direction of a consumer society, 65
values, family
ethics among low-income youths, 73
held by children, 49–50
vs. market values, 50–51
Van Boven, Leaf, 200
van den Haag, Ernest, 66
Voluntary Simplicity, 170, 174
voting in presidential elections, 54
W
Wachtel, Paul, 19
Wacker, La Nita, 28–29
wages. See also CEO compensation.
maximum, 210
poverty-level, 72
stagnation, 144
wages, minimum
garment workers in Bangladesh, 69
papal call for, 127
U.S. ranking, 210
annual revenue, 56
resistance campaign, 56, 58–59
vs. Publix Supermarkets, 56
Walden, 121
Walsh, David, 46–47
Wangchuck, Jigme Singye, 222
Wann, David, 32
waste disposal. See also recycling; specific wastes.
aquatic gyres, 92
hog waste, 94–95
reducing personal waste, 172–173
The Waste Makers, 137
waste production
for an average family, 78
ecological footprint, 79
water consumption
in an average lifetime, 78
ecological footprint, 79
Waters, Alice, 59
wealth
from within, 100
accumulating, motives for, 99
as disposable time, 119–121
flaunting, 27
U.S. rankings worldwide, 97–99
wealth distribution, 70–71. See also CEO compensation; income distribution.
The Wealth of Nations, 185
wealthiest 1 percent
charitable contributions (1980s), 70
charitable contributions (today), 235
income distribution (1980s), 69–70
tax share (2004), 70
wealth distribution (1999), 70
wealthy people, health issues, 99
Weber, Max, 118
Webster, Donovan, 94–95
“The Welfare of Children in Rich Countries,” 44
well-being, measuring
Canadian Index of Well-Being, 226
community level, 217–221
development paradigm, 223
Easterlin Paradox, 224
forms of capital, 223
GDP (gross domestic product), 217–221
GPI (Genuine Progress Indicator), 218–221
GPI Plus, 226
Gross National Happiness Index, 222
Happiness Initiative, 226
levels of sufficiency, 224
life-satisfaction scores, 226
national level, 217–225
New Development Paradigm, 223–224
personal level, 216–217
United Nations Happiness Report, 224–225
well-being vs. happiness, 224
West Coast Trail, 84
When Corporations Rule the World, 74
Whoops!, 145
Whybrow, Peter, 199
Wicks, Judy, 188
Wikipedia, online resource, 10
Wilkinson, Richard, 74
Williamson, Marianne, 185
Wilson, E. O., 82
wind rights, 187
Woll, Matthew, 127
Woolman, John, 117
work
pace of, 38–39
sharing, 130
stress resulting from, 39
Work Without End, 127
working hours. See also time; vacation time.
30-40 now plan, 204
childbirth leave, 204–205
during the depression, 130
eight-hour day, 127
Fair Labor Standards Act, 127
five-day week, 130
forty-hour week, 127, 131, 203
four-day week, 205–207
graduated retirement, 209
Industrial Revolution, 118
at Kellogg’s, 130–131
limiting overtime, 204–205
medieval times, 118
movement to shorten, 127
paid sick leave, 204–205
the realm of necessity, 120
Saint Monday, 118
under socialism, 120
thirty-hour week, 130–131, 203
thirty-two-hour week, 203
time off for family illness, 205
time protections, 204
trends, 38
U.S. ranking, 204–205
work reduction, 205–208
work week, prediction for (1965), 36
workplace
monitoring employees, 39
safety, demands for, 125–126. See also industrial accidents.
World War II era
antimaterialism, 136–138
consumer loans, 133–134
consumerism, 133
Levittown development, 132–133
planned obsolescence, 133–134, 137
shopping malls, 135–136
television, 136
voices of discontent, 136–137
Wuerthele, Suzanne, 88
Y
Yalom, Irvin, 216
Your Money or Your Life, 164, 215–216
Z
Zipcar franchise, 190