Affluenza : how overconsumption is killing us-- and how we can fight back
John de Graaf, David Wann, Thomas H. Naylor
- 3rd ed.
- San Francisco : Berett-Koehler Publication, Inc., c2014.
- x, 274 p. : ill. ; 24 cm
Contents: Pt. 1. Symptoms Feverish expectations All stuffed up Stressed to kill Family fractures Community chills Heart failure Social scars Resource exhaustion Industrial diarrhea A cancerous culture Pt. 2. Causes Early infections An ounce of prevention The road not taken An emerging epidemic The age of affluenza Spin doctors Pt. 3. Cures Diagnostic test Bed rest Affluholics anonymous Fresh air Back to work Building community Policy prescriptions Vital signs The glow of health.
Summary: We tried to warn you! The 2008 economic collapse proved how resilient and dangerous affluenza can be. This book can safely be called prophetic in showing how problems ranging from loneliness, endless working hours, and family conflict to rising debt, environmental pollution, and rampant commercialism are all symptoms of this global plague. The new edition traces the role overconsumption played in the Great Recession, discusses new ways to measure social health and success (such as the Gross Domestic Happiness Index), and offers policy recommendations to make our society more simplicity-friendly. The underlying message isn't to stop buying - it's to remember, always, that the best things in life aren't things.
9781609949273
2013045336
Quality of life--United States Wealth--United States Consumption (Economics)--United States