Introduction to Affluenza Summary
In the introduction to Affluenza: The All Consuming Epidemic Second Edition, written by John De Graaf, David Wann, and Thomas H. Naylor, the co-authors describe affluenza, which they define as a “virus” that affects American society and the world. The co-authors note that while affluenza is prevalent in the United States, it is spreading worldwide as Americans’ lifestyle of overconsumption and overwork is duplicated.
Affluenza is defined as a “virus” that affects American society and the world at pandemic levels. The co-authors define affluenza as: “a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.” In other words, affluenza is spread rapidly through social interaction, which leads to stress and wasteful spending.
Al Gore is used as an example to demonstrate how affluenza is affecting politics. He is paraphrased by the authors as saying that Americans have become “addicted to stuff”. In other words, he suggests that we have become too materialistic. According to the authors, as a result of affluenza, we have become “too greedy, too self-absorbed, and too selfish”. However, when discussing about the economy in political debates, he vows to expand the U.S. economy within a short time.
As the co-authors note, the desire for economic expansion has been the point of origin of affluenza. They argue that the false ideas behind the “American dream” have led to imaginary assumptions that have led to the spread of affluenza. It is also contended that if we don’t take care of the problem, it could lead to the exhaustion of Earth’s resources. We have been using more resources than any other civilization in history.
Over the years, more people have been going bankrupt than graduating from college, they point out. Despite that more work hours are reported than any