ANT 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Consumerism, Manifest Destiny, Wage Labour
20 Apr 2017
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Document Summary
The functions of consumption: basic needs (food, clothing, shelter, communication (meaning, exchange, expediency, sociality (normativity, group identity, expression of care, networks of exchange, psychological satisfaction (coherence, self-expression, elimination of relative deprivation, differentiation (individual identity, class status, distinction) Global materials use growth 2x population over last century. 90% of materials wasted, buried or burned within six months after sale nearly 75% of municipal waste is generated by discarded consumer goods. But, so is consumption: arrows are getting thicker, materials use increased by a factor of 8 over last century, embodied energy, emissions, rebounds, backfire. Ecological value: more efficient to extend lifetime of existing products than recover wasted materials reduces demand, takes waste out of capitalist circulation. Economic value: employment, local development, household savings, economic leveling. Social value: social capital, trust, relations of mutual support, improved resilience, programs built on existing institutions more likely to succeed.
