Consumerism Book

Foreword     9
Introduction     12
Consumerism and Society
The Development of Consumerism   Peter N. Stearns     18
Anticonsumerism Is Not a New Phenomenon   Kim Humphery     29
Consumerism Has a Negative Impact on Society   Ron Scherer     36
The Rewards of Avoiding Consumerism   Lisa Leff     41
Consumerism May Be the Religion of Our Time   Julian Baggini     45
The Impact of Consumerism on Humans
Consumerism Affects Health   John de Graaf   David Wann   Thomas H. Naylor     50
Consumer Capitalism Induces Childishness   Benjamin R. Barber     61
Advertising Links Identity with Consumerism   Dinyar Godrej     73
The Culture of Consumption May Cause Psychological Harm   Michael McCarthy     80
Consumerism and the Global Economy
Turning the Poor into Consumers Is Not the Answer to Poverty   Vandana Shiva     87
Consumerism in Japan's Stagnant Economy   Victoria James     94
Charitable Consumerism Is Flawed   Julie Hollar     100
Consumerism and the Environment
Land Should Not Be Destroyed in the Name of Freedom and Opportunity   Wendell Berry     112
Environmental Degradation Is Fueled by Consumption   Hillary Mayell     120
Consumerism Has Benefited the Environment   John A. Charles Jr.     125
Energy Scarcity Will Change the Way We Consume   James Howard Kunstler     128
Personal Perspectives on Consumerism
Kicking the Consumerism Habit Is Not Easy   Wendee Holtcamp     142
Freegans Make a Statement by Living Off the Waste of Millions   Becca Tucker     148
A Green Alternative to Consumerism   Sian Berry     156
A Buddhist Perspective on Consumerism   Judith Simmer Brown     160
Organizations to Contact     167
Bibliography     172
Index     176