I finished reading Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic today. Note the irony of the amazon link, page title = "Amazon.com: buying info: Affluenza...". My version also says, "Andrew, Did you know that Amazon.com sells over 150 brands in our Kitchen & Housewares store?" I added my own irony while reading the book by choosing a Ralph Lauren tag as my bookmark.

The book itself brought some important issues to light. It points out the inefficiencies of the automobile and the work-to-spend US American lifestyle. Somehow though, I had a hard time taking the book seriously. The last third of it read like a self-help book (not that I read these...). "Oh, what can I do to change my lifestyle of over consumption?" I suppose the whole idea of calling over-consumption "Affluenza" lends to this sort of thing. All we need now are keynote speeches and corporate and therapeutic seminars and workshops. Oh wait. The book also put forth some wishy-washy ideas about starting "sharing groups" or something like that to bring people together. Overall I don't disagree with the ideas of the book, but it wasn't really my style. I think I tend to take more extreme views on things. (The book suggests buying a fuel efficient car, and thinking twice before buying a second car. How about not buying a car at all?) I do think this one is more appealing to the masses, which is probably a good thing.

One last complaint. Why is this book so Seattle-centric? It doesn't mention anything about Seattle on the cover, and professes to appeal to a general (US of course) audience. So why are all the examples from Seattle. Aren't there other cities in this country? (Answer: Because the original PBS show was produced in Seattle. But still, the book authors could have done a little more research to diversify their statistics.)