I also happened to watch The Story of Stuff recently (http://storyofstuff.com/) and do agree that it was rather pessimistic. For the most part, however, I was really impressed with the video and found its cynical tone to be one of the more convincing methods I’ve seen to encourage change. To summarize its content, narrator Annie Leonard argued that the linear system of materials economy we learn about in textbooks (extraction, production, distribution, consumption, disposal) cannot run indefinitely on a finite planet. Instead, every step of the process interacts with society, cultures, and the environment in a complex, harmful, and lasting way. Her tour of our nation’s overzealous transformation of third-world natural resources into toxic, obsolete junk suggested that Americans trash the planet, cater to large corporations, and buy into an endless cycle of consumerism. I found the section on consumerism to be most powerful. So often arguments for sustainable products blame our entire system of materials economy for destroying the planet, distancing ourselves from direct blame, but Leonard outright confronts Americans for their participation in an endless, mindless cycle of consumerism. She likens our spending habits to a treadmill in which we do nothing but work- watch- spend- repeat. We can certainly place a lot of blame on the American culture of advertising and hailing the latest gadget, but as logical, independent minds we do have the power to resist this “conspiracy.” I like the way this video makes me feel guilty and pathetically vulnerable to commercials and clearance sales, for unless I feel like I am actively at fault for the state of our planet, it’s hard to feel like I am a huge part of the problem. This video breaks down the problem of our materials economy to a very tangible, human level. If I were to edit the video, however, I would discuss options for a better future in much greater detail. She only briefly addressed the fact that solutions do exist, and that people are working to make a difference. Without more substantial guidance, the video runs the risk of leaving people feeling helpless and incapable of changing the system.
-Laura Chang
