Blog #4 - The Rise and Fall of Consumer Cultures by Erik Assadourian

I hate to come across as pessimistic. That kind of characterization generally leads people to belittle your opinions. I prefer the term “realistic” because that connotes weighing both the pros and cons of a situation before making up your mind. But, alas, pessimism is the perfect word to describe the feelings that arose in me while reading Erik Assadourian’s article on the way that global consumerism is swiftly killing our planet. It was well written, informative, and it has led me to believe that the chances of Americans (much less all of humanity) rescuing themselves from ecological calamity are slim, if not non-existent.

Culture can be described in many ways, but it is fundamentally a rulebook for the way we live our lives; and quite a thick book at that. Culture tells us when to get up in the morning, what to have for breakfast, what sort of clothing to put on, and precisely how to wear it. Culture tells us how to treat our parents, and how to choose our friends. Beyond governing behavior, culture also orders thought. It tells us how to differentiate between good and bad, right and wrong, love and hate, and when enough is enough. And that only covers the introductory chapters. In fact, culture is so complex, persistent, and pervasive, that you couldn’t contain it all in a physical book. It’s collectively created, constantly evolving, and so ingrained that for the most part it is invisible.

To complicate matters, the dominant culture in the United States is one of consumerism; that is “a cultural orientation in which ‘the possession and use of an increasing number and variety of goods and services is the principal cultural aspiration and the surest perceived route to personal happiness, social status, and national success’” (Assadourian, p.8). According to this country’s founding fathers, it’s a God-given and unalienable human right, that of the “pursuit of happiness”, and one that has helped make America the largest consumer of energy as well as the number one polluter on the planet.

This ideology of consumerism = happiness has already spread so far beyond our national borders that even if Americans were able to somehow magically alter that (large) part of their culture, it would still be hard pressed to slow the impending destruction. So yeah, I’m feeling a bit pessimistic, even though I think we should give sustainability a solid effort. After all it is the right thing to do, regardless of the state of the world.

Works Cited
Assadourian, E., Starke, L., Mastny, L., & Worldwatch Institute. (2010). State of the world, 2010: Transforming cultures : from consumerism to sustainability : a Worldwatch Institute report on progress toward a sustainable society. New York: W.W. Norton.