Building Gypsy Rose

“Our enormously productive economy... demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption...We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced, and discarded at an ever increasing rate."

Retailing analyst, Victor Lebow, 1955

What the . . .? That we seek our spiritual satisfaction in consumption?

‘Tis the season, right?

Don’t get me wrong. I love the holiday gatherings of family and friends. I never have learned restraint when it comes to the abundance of fresh-baked cookies that appear every year at this time. I look forward to notes from friends in far-away places who might otherwise be too caught up in the day-to-day activity to sit and write. I love the fresh snow and the warmth of the fire.

It’s that other part of the holiday season that I could do without. You know. It’s all the activity and anxiety that adds up to the largest single “event” in our consumer-based economy. As I watch the cars and minivans and SUV’s choking the highways more than usual, I’m seeing the annual increase in the piles of “cargo.” Gap, Toys r Us, Victoria’s Secret, Old Navy, Limited, Macy’s, Body Shop, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma. Huge bags emblazoned with huge logos and all filled with “stuff.”

In the frenzy of it all, we even have our nation’s elected leader, President Bush, urging us to our patriotic calling, as in this December, 20th, 2006 press conference:

“A recent report on retail sales shows a strong beginning to the holiday shopping season across the country -- and I encourage you all to go shopping more.”

Enough!

A breath of fresh air in response to a very serious problem came across my desk this weekend. I discovered a newly released film by Annie Leonard called “The Story of Stuff.” In all my years since graduating college with a degree in Natural Resource Economics, I’ve not seen such a wonderfully succinct explanation of the essence (and tragedy) of our consumer-based society. I’m hoping that all readers of this blog will be as moved as I was when I watched the film. To view the video, click here, or click on the image below.

Happy Holidays, and all that stuff . . .