The story of Stuff

[Buck]

Well worth watching and sharing with those you care to.....

"From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever."

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

[Buck]

A little more on America's rampant consumption habits.......

http://www.alternet.org/story/114966/how_we_can_live_with_less_and_still_feel_rich_/

[madmac]

Great video Buck. I gotta say it pretty well sums it up. One thing that really sticks with me the most is how stressed out most folks are dispite the fact we have so much more than we did 50 years ago. I am happier right now than I have been in years. Wanta know why? I am almost completely out of debt. I have been looking for ways to get back to the basics as well. I have been frugul. Most of all I have paid the piper and took my hard knocks and know I will not go down the path of debt again. Now I am looking to buy products that are well made and will last. I am just one person though. How do we make folks realize the big consumer trap we have been condition to believe. I have co workers so buried in debt that they don't have one red cent left over after the bills are paid. fancy state of the art, do everything phones seem to be the latest crave. Cars, bigscreen TVs high tech computers and gameboys for every kid in the house. Ipods, Iphones MP3s and crap I have no idea what it does. No one cooks. Then they wonder why they feel bad. Anyway it's got to turn around. maybe this economy will force folks to buckle under and stop spending so much money.

[Buck]

Mac, While I know not many here like Alternet they do come up with
some stories that are valid to all people. Please..read the one I linked
to in this thread since it's explains the many reasons people get the
shop till ya drop fever.

All you other folk's should read it too. It's worth it.........

[madmac]

Buck I did read it and I watched the video as well. It's good stuff and should be read by more folks. We have forgot how to live simple and now we are paying. Not to mention a lot of the old ways of surviving have be lost or forgotten. Taken to the grave by our grandparents while we were out having fun living in a material world. The old saying is: pay now, play later or play now and pay later. Well we are paying now.

[Archangel]

You have some very good points. My preacher talked about "STUFF" a couple of months back. How much stuff do you want?

A small baby has the answer, the child wants food, to be clean, warm and loved. So many of us have falled into giving stuff to show our love. I had.

Today I am trying to show my love for my family in other ways.
I ran threw the leaves with my grandson on Christmasday.
Good information to think over.

[Archangel]

It should have read "ran through and threw leaves"
OOPS

[validus.mus]

Read & watched both. I agree well worth looking at. And, I agree people don't pay enough attention to the issues of consumption.

And while I agree in favor of MP3 players (even from an ecological standpoint they are better than a mass of CDs with their plastic casings and paper slip notes, after all plenty of music can be added without using further resouces than the player at hand, technology IS great!) I do support Mac's viewpoint.

I've never taken out a loan, I refuse credit cards, if I cannot afford it then I don't need it. Besides so much joy can be gotten from such cheap or costless things as hiking, playing games with friends, sports, growing things and seeing nature that a singing toy froma box store can hardly even measure up to.

[fnfredux]

Thank you Buck, sent this on to my kids for the grandkids.

[homemade_mamma]

Nice find Buck, thanks for posting. I like watching things like that, keeps me motivated. And vindicated that we are raising our kids right.

[Buck]

Nice find Buck, thanks for posting. *I like watching things like that, keeps me motivated. *And vindicated that we are raising our kids right.



Yes, It is very hard to raise kids "right" in the face of all the pressures kids
must endure everyday. My best wishes to you & yours for caring enough
to "do it right". ;D

[MotherCharlotte]

The Story of Stuff was a very eye-opening video for me when I watched it first, probably 6 months ago. I had never really realized before how unhappy people these days are, wearing themselves out in the endless pursuit of getting more stuff.

Since I saw that video I have been making an effort to have less stuff. This is hard when I have three kids and a husband, but I'm trying. I give a lot of things away, and I have to say, every time I get rid of something I feel a little lighter. Hubby has caught the bug too, and this week he has been reorganizing his workshop and getting rid of all kinds of things.

Christmas was sort of a setback for us, because of course all the relatives, heck even some of our neighbours, gave the kids toys they really didn't need.

Today everyone has more stuff than we actually need, much more. It becomes a burden.

[fnfredux]

A little more on America's rampant consumption habits.......

http://www.alternet.org/story/114966/how_we_can_live_with_less_and_still_feel_rich_/

Buck, use LESS and DON'T waste ANYTHING has been my mantra for more than 30 years.
You just CANNOT convince the younger people that things like a one use plastic bottle of water IS a waste.
We're doomed by what "we" have let pass.
Time to pay up.
GOOD postings, but nobody seems to want to change.
They're gonna HAVE to tho.

[Magnificent_Madame]

While we are manipulated into believing that happiness equals having stuff, we can choose a different path. Most of what I own is used and I buy very little (except books) that isn't a necessity.

[Bootz]

I own almost no stuff, but have a fancy cell phone.

I've ended out homeless twice in the past few years. It's really taught me to figure out what I NEED. We are each individuals and "simple" means different things for different people.

My only furniture is a foam pad on the floor, a kitchen stool, a folding table and chairs, and a TV table with a printer on it. I have a box of kitchen stuff and a box of linens. Everything else I own fits in a backpack, carry-on on wheels and a laptop bag. But in those few bags is an mp3 player, a fancy cell phone, an almost new netbook (mini laptop) with fancy mini accessories and some expensive art supplies.

None of my clothes come from thrift shops, but I only own 4 outfits, all premium brand, black and gray sweats, yoga pants and t-shirts. My boots cost $150.00 but are my only pair of shoes. My backpack cost $200.00, but I don't have a car and have to frequently carry HEAVY loads in it. My windbreaker was over $100.00 but I've worn it for 2 years all year round with a premium brand fleece under it in winter, that I luckily got on sale for $50.00. I did get my snow pants for dirt cheap in the kid's department though :-)

I can't afford it right now, but for all of last year, I spent about $100.00 a month on self-help and psychology books about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, computer books, art therapy books and writing instruction books. Some of the books I donate to a Post Trauma Group Therapy library and others I tear up and scan onto my laptop.

I think the key is to figure out what we NEED to travel OUR journey, and know that each person's journey is unique. What is a luxury for one person is a life saving device for another. I have severe memory loss issues due to my traumas and NEED a fancy cell phone. It literally acts as part of my brain and is indispensable to my independence. The laptop and books are indispensable to my recovery so I can access information, that I do NOT get in therapy sessions which have proved more damaging than helpful. The gear/clothing allows me to brave all types of weather and conditions.

[gregabob]

She lost me at 'the gov't is here to take care of us' and I turned it off at 'natural resource extraction' = 'trashing the environment'. I can spot a tree-hugging collectivist a mile away. No thanks. Sorry. I just don't have time for this attitude. :-/

[jonvee]

I think the title of the second link "How can we live with less and still feel rich" is very interesting, because until people stop lusting after what others have and concentrate on what's really important they'll never feel rich.

How many people do we know that feel deprived because someone else they know has something faster, shinnier, bigger and more expensive? I know a lot and they scramble every day to keep up.

People ask me all the time how a single mom can live the life we have and not be in debt. It's simple I say - your first response is to whip out the credit card to pay for whatever shiney bobble that has caught your eye and mine is to admire it, zip my wallet and move on. Just because it's pretty dosen't mean I have to buy it.

These are people who make 2 or 3 times what I do yet they don't have savings, retirement or any kind of safety net. And, if either mom or dad lost their job the family would on the street in a month.

It's all attitude folks - you'll never feel rich until you feel contented with your life and stop worring about what everyone else has. Like I use to tell my ex, there will always be someone somewhere that has more than we do so why waste your time fretting about it.

[LeatherneckPA]

STUFF!!!

Personally, one of the saddest commentaries on modern American society, IMHO is the exponential proliferation of paid storage facilities. I mean, how much more stuff do we need than what we can already fit in our far too large houses?

[bee_pipes]

It can be a real windfall for those with an eye for a profit. As a matter of fact, BHM has an article on it: How to make money from storage building auctions By Bill Wilson (http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/wilson83.html). I had a buddy that ran a huge used book store in San Diego. These auctions were gold mines for him. Of course, there's a lot of crap that is unsaleable, but the money he made off of the books was more than worth the price of the lots in the auctions. A fellow with a booth at a local flea market could earn a decent living off of this - selling used "stuff" to the people that need "stuff" but can't afford new ;D

Regards,
Pat

[Bootz]

How many people do we know that feel deprived because someone else they know has something faster, shinnier, bigger and more expensive?....It's all attitude folks - you'll never feel rich until you feel contented with your life and stop worring about what everyone else has. Like I use to tell my ex, there will always be someone somewhere that has more than we do so why waste your time fretting about it.

I think that is the important thing. Not to look at what others have and not to need the newest thing. To find the balance in taking advantage of the abundance of CHOICES we have to make our lives easier, without choosing it ALL. To cherry pick a FEW things that will actually improve our INDIVIDUAL quality of life.

Throughout my childhood I was taught it was wrong for people in general and especially for me to have nice things. It's been part of my recovery to learn how to take care of myself properly and to take advantage of certain opportunities without feeling guilty. But also to still pass up things and even offered help that I do no need.

[GoldenCityMuse]

The curse of toooooo much stuff. I was convicted about that 4-5 years ago, & slowly started changing, but now we are in a move process, & it is taking months to sort thru all my stuff.

Hopefully I will be leaner in the future, next couple of years.

One of the best ways to not get so much stuff is to not go to stores, get catalogs, etc.

[randallhilton]

STUFF!!!

Personally, one of the saddest commentaries on modern American society, IMHO is the exponential proliferation of paid storage facilities. I mean, how much more stuff do we need than what we can already fit in our far too large houses?

You're dead on target, LeatherneckPA. Hi, I'm Randall and I'm a stuffaholic but I've been clean for . . .well, if you don't count the 4WD truck, yet another rechargable flashlight, brush chipper and and . . . ;o)

A couple of other points: When I look out across the acres of displays at our local Wallyworld I see stuff that won't even be fit for a garage sale in a year or two. I'm beginning to think that a good ole fashioned economic collapse would actually be cathartic for our society.

Also. . . I have a pre-paid burial plan but I'm thinking about modifying it to include a couple of roll-off dumpsters to make it easier for the kids to "settle" our estate. ;o)

[Jamie]

This video is pure propaganda. Its anti capitolism and anti free market, very pro big gov't.

It was created by the George Soros owned company, the TIDES foundation. Its very deceptive, watch it a few times and you'll see what I mean.

Jamie

[iowasue]

The lesson in life I wish I had learned earlier is that you can enjoy looking at beautiful landscaping, homes, etc. without owning them. That's the lesson: you don't have to OWN everything you see. All you have to do is look at your stuff and ask yourself what your kids will do with it when you die - they won't keep your collectibles, etc. - they will do as our neighbors did and sell them cheaply at a yard sale or auction. Why, then, are you buying that stuff? Keep what is functional and get rid of the rest. You will feel lighter for it.

[randallhilton]

This video is pure propaganda. Its anti capitolism and anti free market, very pro big gov't.

It was created by the George Soros owned company, the TIDES foundation. Its very deceptive, watch it a few times and you'll see what I mean.

Jamie

Yes, there are ani-capitalist themes in the vid. But even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then. The glaring deficiency of our consumer based economy is that we push the consequences of our consumption down to the next generation. For example: If the FULL cost of our highway infrastructure were included in our cost per mile we would drive a lot less -- which would reduce many of the ills our society faces (without elaborating I include things like flooding, dysfunctional families, the loss of the family farm, even our insane household debt . . . much more).

A simple example: It makes good economic sense for me to dump my sewer into the creek. That works really well for me but if you live a half mile downstream my economic windfall is your disaster. Situations like this is where we do have to have a dose of "official" intervention.

The challenge is to keep that intervention in check. Some is good but that doesn't mean that more is better.

I found "Collapse" by Jared Diamond to be a very enlightening book which highlights the way civilizations can become their own worst enemy. (I fear the U.S. is writing another chapter for him)
http://www.amazon.com/Collapse-Societies-Choose-Fail-Succeed/dp/0670033375

[backlash]

She should get a job working for Obama.
She can travel around the world and help him apologize for American.
Nothing but propaganda.