Affluenza is that strange desire we feel to spend money we don’t have to buy things we don’t need to impress people we don’t know. It’s prolific in industrialized countries and these days, China.
So how do we cure ourselves? Richard Denniss outlines the options well and shows we must distinguish between consumerism, the love of buying things, which is undeniably harmful to us and the planet, and materialism, the love of things we cherish by preserving them, repairing them, and then gifting or selling them when we no longer need them.
What we particularly like that he raises is our economic system shape. Why do we always talk about the economy as if it is some abstract influence we can’t change? What would a new shape look like?
Let us know if you’ve read it or will give it a read!
