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This book brings light to a disease specific to our time in history and culture. Yes, we all know there's a lot of consumerism, but this book presents ideas in ways that may just change the way you choose to live your life.
However, there are some negative points I want to make about Affluenza. All in all, Affluenza is a good book, but it needs to be more factual than opinionated while clearing up the nebulousness surrounding the definition of the word. In reality, they are blocked because there is money to be made. If I choose the latter route, I am wasting natural resources and causing more pollution, but I am saving money. It is like everybody knows what is the problem, but not many are doing anything about it. How can they live simple when they are besieged by hardness of living. Somehow, the philosophy doesn't fit them since they are stuck in the same place with the same job because that's the only option they have.
As a matter of fact, I knew where I stood before I read the book, and afterwards, there is a further examination of my positions. I read the book Affluenza when it came out, and I enjoyed the book a lot. It is a "painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more." If I choose the former route, I am wasting money. Meanwhile, fourthly, I didn't like the third part of the book which deals with treatment. Now, let's look at the definition of affluenza. Another situation is that I might happen to live in a house that is totally green and energy efficient. At this point, especially what had happened last year with the stock market, the only opportune time to solve the problem is when the country has reached the breaking point and then people start scrambling and blaming. Secondly, the book doesn't seem to be written for people who do not live in Seattle or at least in the Northwest region or who are uneducated, live in the slums, and work in minimum wage jobs.
Actually, the writers of Affluenza perfectly foresaw this in page 218 where they talk about the economy boom not lasting forever and that this country will be hit with a recession. When growing up, I was pretty much naïve about how the world works because it was something that was not always told to anyone through television or news. Hm, I could think of other situations, but I am not satisfied at all with the explanation by the book. That means a twenty mile round trip each time. But the problem is that I have to drive ten miles to get there because it's the only road that will reach to there.
One thing the writers did in the book is to restate the points over and over throughout the book, but they do not really explain how they are achieved. Let me bring up a couple of hypothetical situations. If I only had two choices of flying, I can fly either from San Antonio, TX to Atlanta, GA for $750 dollars or the same route but stop at Chicago, IL for $250 dollars. I've never forgotten the experience because it made me to think about the choices I would make in my life. Which method is better: waste 20 miles each time or demolish the landscape and pave the way to save 18 miles of pollution and natural resources.
However, there is a way to avoid this by building a road that reaches the house by one mile. If I decided to buy the book Affluenza (which I did from a used bookstore), have I become a hypocrite and committed an affluenza. Or if I buy books and build up a library, is that affluenza. I thought the supporting details were weak and not well-defended, and I wasn't convinced by the solutions.
The last several years or so, the truth has finally emerged yet nobody really cares. Is that affluenza. Thirdly is the unclear definition of affluenza. Which one would I take.
What happens if it is for my scholarly work. Regardless, I still agree with the main points outlined by the authors and support them.
You should read it. The book is broken into three sections: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment. The format of the book means that I can photocopy single chapters and lend them to people who I think couldn't be bothered to read the whole thing, to give them an idea of what it's all about. But I'm not a 2 cars parked on the street because the garage is full kind of guy (I don't have a garage, let alone a car). And then give away other things you don't need. The authors are well read, and it shows in each chapter.
The analysis, statistics and information is hauntingly and depressingly good. But once you've read it, give it away to someone. This is a very good book. It seemed at the time a good book with a good prescription for the ills of society. (Or at least, the wealthy part of the Western world and which is starting now to infect Asia). I've read quite a few books on this topic, and try to live a simple life, but it's not easy and the authors know that. Reading it at the beginning of 2009, the patient is a lot sicker and I think more drastic measures might have to be taken.
And again. The wealth of information and depth of analysis makes this a well-worth-the-trouble-to-read-it kind of book. And each chapter then has references at the end for further reading. And if you don't, then read the book again. Until you get it.Affluenza, the disease represented mainly by overconsumption afflicting the Western world. It serves as a textbook of society's woes.The book was published in 2002, at the beginning of George W's presidency. Doctor, give me a shot.
This book is a good read. It starts out kind of slow and "yah I get it" when they discuss some basics, but when you get into the meat of the book and it discusses how the drive to acquire "things" can actually undermine and destroy a family it gets quite interesting. Basically, focusing your time on getting things is putting your effort in the wrong space and more things won't make you or your family happy.
A BIG disappointment. It does not delve very deeply into the topic at all. Hokey writing style, trite and shallow. A little like "reading" a TV program. Repetitive, oversold for its theme and nothing terribly actionable comes of it. Clever title, but certainly there are better books on the subject.
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