Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic
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In chapters with titles like "Swollen Expectations" and "A Rash of Bankruptcies, " "Affluenza" uses the whimsical metaphor of a disease to tackle a very serious subject: the damage done—to our health, our families, our communities, and our environment—by the obsessive quest for material gain. Library Journal De Graaf, producer of the PBS documentaries Affluenza (1996) and Escape from Affluenza (1998); David Wann, a former EPA staffer and expert on sustainable lifestyles; and Thomas H. Naylor, professor emeritus in economics at Duke, have assembled an updated and more in-depth look at the epidemic of overconsumption sweeping the United States and the rest of the world, based on de Graaf's documentaries. They define "affluenza" as "a painful, contagious, socially-transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more" and examine the spiraling cycle of overconsumption, spending, stress, and broken relationships caused by America's obsession with uncontrolled economic growth at any cost. This witty yet hard-hitting book provides evidence of the social problems caused by the American obsession with acquiring "stuff" and proposes solutions for living more sustainably. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries. Mark Bay, Indiana Univ.-Purdue Univ. Lib., Indianapolis Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Pt. 1Symptoms91Shopping fever112A rash of bankruptcies183Swollen expectations234Chronic congestion315The stress of excess386Family convulsions477Dilated pupils548Community chills639An ache for meaning7210Social scars8111Resource exhaustion8912Industrial diarrhea10013The addictive virus10914Dissatisfaction guaranteed114Pt. 2Causes12515Original sin12716An ounce of prevention13317The road not taken13918An emerging epidemic14619The age of affluenza15320Is there a (real) doctor in the house?160Pt. 3Treatment17121The road to recovery17322Bed rest17723Aspirin and chicken soup18224Fresh air18825The right medicine19726Back to work20627Vaccinations and vitamins21428Political prescriptions22129Annual check-ups23430Healthy again242
