Affluenza Resources Online

This week, instead of my regular-style post, I thought I'd help out those of you working on your mid-term research assignments (or final assignments for 8-week classes - where did the time go?) and point out some Affluenza resources you may have missed. They're all available through the library's Common Reading Project website. There's a link to the site on the right-hand side of the Longview Library homepage also.

After reading a short description of the Common Reading Project and a one-paragraph summary of the book, you can click over to the schedule of Affluenza-related events on campus, read the rules of the 2010 Multimedia Contest, and even check out a certain discussion blog that you're probably already familiar with if you're reading this post...

But the section I want to focus on here is the Resources page. Three of the seven links here go to pages from the website designed to accompany the original 1997 broadcast of the Affluenza documentary. There's a link to "The Show", which in turn leads to a short overview of the documentary, four profiles of people and groups presented in the show (they all make return appearances in the books, too), a list of production credits, and information for buying your very own VHS copy of the show (very high-tech!).

After that introductory section, the PBS website follows a structure similar to the book with sections on Diagnosis and Treatment. My favorite part of the Diagnosis section is the list of Internet shopping sites that the authors must have thought represented the worst of online consumerism in 1997. Thirteen years later, only two of the nine links still work - but the Affluenza site is still up and running!

The Treatment section includes a fairly lengthy bibliography of books, periodicals, websites, and organizations. Unfortunately, it - like the rest of the site - is thirteen years old, so many of the hyperlinks are broken, several of the organizations aren't around any more, and there's certainly more current research out there than that found in the books and journals listed. There's an updated set of resources in the section of the website devoted to the sequel documentary, Escape from Affluenza, but it came out in 1998, so the same issues still apply.

Back to Longview's Common Reading Project site, there's another bibliography of Affluenza-related books, journal articles, and websites. It's a little hard to find, but I know it's there - because I wrote it! You can get to it on the Resources page by clicking the "Affluenza Resources" link, but somewhere between here and there, the MCC web-monkeys messed up my pretty spacing and formatting. So if you want the beautiful original, just click here.

A couple of notes on my bibliography:

1) All the books are available on the shelf at Longview Library. If you're not finding exactly what you need, don't forget to look for books at other libraries using the WILO or MOBIUS online catalogs.

2) Most of my articles came from the Academic OneFile, ProQuest Research Library, and Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center databases. Don't forget that those are only three of the databases MCC subscribes to. There are over 70 other databases you can search for articles on your specific topic.

Hope that helps! I don't want anyone going to their instructor the day before their big paper is due and saying "I can't find any information on my topic"...

Stressed and Depressed

Chapter 5 is all about stress. The authors suggest that we are more stressed out now than in the past and offer a few peripheral causes, from having too many possessions to acquire and maintain (see my previous post, 'Stuff'-ed) to having too many choices at the grocery store! -- Brief aside: we have the book mentioned in the 'grocery store' section, The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, by Barry Schwartz, on the shelf here in the library. If there's a slow week, I may revisit this topic and write a post related to my wife's near-pathological need to comparison shop and the inevitable buyer's remorse after she thinks she's made the 'wrong' purchase... -- But the authors squarely lay the blame for increased stress on one main cause: we work too much. Most of the chapter consists of statistics and testimonials regarding longer work hours and higher workplace expectations.

Besides causes, the authors also mention some of the medical and psychological symptoms of higher stress levels. As the doctor quoted in the chapter introduction says, "It could be physical symptoms. Headaches, low back pain, hyperacidity, palpitations in the heart, unexplained aches and pains. Or it could be emotional problems like depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, irritability, yelling at your boss or at your colleagues or your kids."

This fits in nicely with an Associated Press article e-mailed to me a few weeks back by English professor Anne Dvorak. The article reports on a recent study that found current high school and college students were five times more likely to be affected by anxiety, depression, and related mental health issues than students in the 1930s (i.e., during the Great Depression!). "...[M]ental health professionals speculate that a popular culture increasingly focused on the external - from looks to wealth and status - has contributed to the uptick in mental health issues." Sound like affluenza to anyone else?

The psychology professor who led the study, Jean Twenge, wrote a book in 2006 titled Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled - and More Miserable Than Ever Before (also conveniently located here at the library). There's a chapter called "The Age of Anxiety (and Depression, and Loneliness): Generation Stressed" that covers a lot of the same ground as Affluenza, Chapter 5 - only specific to high school students, college students, and recent college graduates. (A quick note about Generation Me: Twenge refers to a ton of statistics and research. Although there are no notations in the text, she cites all of her sources, by page number, in the Notes section in back. There are over four pages of citations for the chapter on depression alone.)

While everyone agrees that more people are being diagnosed and treated for depression and other mental health issues than ever before, nobody seems to agree on why. Are more people suffering from depression or anxiety (as the Affluenza authors and Twenge seem to be suggesting)? Are more people aware of mental health problems and potential treatments? Are more people diagnosed because drug companies want them to be aware of 'potential treatments'? For a great, 'Opposing Viewpoints'-style debate on the topic, I recommend this recent segment from the outstanding NPR broadcast Science Friday. Although we don't have Gary Greenberg's new book, Manufacturing Depression: The Secret History of a Modern Disease, on the shelf yet, three guesses where you can find Peter Kramer's Listening to Prozac and Against Depression...

I'm not sure where I stand on these issues. Without violating anyone's privacy, I will say that several of my friends and family have been or are currently being treated for depression, anxiety, OCD, etc. On one hand, I'm glad that the stigma surrounding mental health issues seems to be subsiding and people who need help are more willing to ask for it. The medications also appear to be getting more effective with fewer side effects. On the other hand, I'm worried that we still don't know exactly how these drugs function and interact with our own delicate chemistry. Doctors seem awfully willing to prescribe medications that people may or may not really need. And there are still side effects, some serious, as doctors adjust patients' dosages and drug combinations.

So what do you think? Are 21st-century Americans more stressed and depressed than other people or at other times? If so, why? Too much work? Not enough fun? Not enough anti-depressants? Too many anti-depressants???

UPCOMING AFFLUENZA EVENTS ON CAMPUS

Book Discussions: Once a month, library staff will lead a one-hour discussion in the Campus Center Private Dining Room. Everyone is welcome - bring your Affluenza-related questions, comments, and opinions.

Friday, February 26 - Noon to 1:00

Tuesday, March 23 - 11:00 to noon

Thursday, April 15 - 11:00 to noon

Coming the week after Spring Break: Presentations on budgeting and finance from Longview Business instructor Zack McNeil - dates, times, and places TBA

And it's never too early to start working on your entry for the Multi-Media Contest. Get more information on guidelines, deadlines, and prizes here.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, February 10 -- 7:00 - 9:00 PM -- Education Center

Affluenza Mini-Conference: Longview faculty will present relevant topics, have a panel discussion, then participate in smaller discussion groups.
_______________________________________________

Thursday, Febraury 11 -- 7:00 - 9:00 PM -- Education Center

Affluenza Mini-Conference, Part II: Same set-up, but different faculty members
________________________________________________

Friday, February 12 -- 10:00 - 11:00 AM -- Education Center

Free screening of the original Affluenza documentary
________________________________________________

Thanks, Jim!

This week, for those who couldn't attend (or just didn't - shame, shame...), I thought I'd provide a recap of the Affluenza presentation given by Longview counselor Jim McGraw. I went to the session on Thursday and there was a good mix of students and faculty, people who had finished the book and people who were just starting, and - most interesting to me - people who seemed to agree very strongly with the Affluenza authors and people who weren't so sure.

Jim began by offering four "main assertions" that he thinks the authors make in the book:
1) We live in a materialist/consumer culture
2) Aspects of this consumer culture lead to problems (e.g., debt, over-work, stress, mental and physical health issues)
3) Advertising plays a key role in this phenomenon
4) Eschewing affluenza is possible, and it can improve quality of life

After some discussion of these assertions, Jim showed us another slide with "a few Affluenza stats" (regular readers of this blog know how much I love stats!):
- In the U.S., we work more hours each year than any other industrialized country (including Japan)
- The average child in the U.S. gets about 70 toys a year
- From 1997 to 2005, more Americans declared bankruptcy than graduated from college
- By the time we're 18, we've seen about 1 million commercials

I thought some of those stats were pretty startling and there was another round of discussion concerning a few of them. A little later on, Jim showed us this slide, which presented some findings from an author who'd devised both a 'Life Satisfaction Index' and a 'Purchasing Power Index':

The implication is that money doesn't always buy happiness, but without knowing a lot more about this study and exactly what the author was measuring and how, I remain a little skeptical about drawing such a broad conclusion from his results. Everyone in the room did seem to agree when Jim suggested that, even if increased wealth doesn't necessarily lead to increased happiness, extreme poverty can certainly lead to extreme unhappiness!

We also watched a brief segment of the documentary 'Consuming Kids', which is about advertising to children (and is not about how to eat them, as I'd originally feared...), and there was quite a bit of discussion about the issues raised in just the short clip we saw. The full documentary will be shown in the Ed Center on Wednesday, March 24, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 and on Thursday, March 25, from 11:00 to 12:30. Check it out if you can - I'm sure you'll have some reaction to the filmmakers' points-of-view and arguments.

Next came my personal favorite part of the presentation - the 'Have You Been Branded' game. Go to
http://www.sporcle.com/games/corplogos.php and see how many corporate logos you can identify in six minutes. I think everyone at the discussion was surprised - and a little embarrassed - on just how well we did. (I just took it alone and got 31 out of 36. Only 18 out of 36 on Corporate Logos 2, though!).

Next came the Affluenza Self-Examination: True or false?
- I sometimes buy something because it's cool or fashionable, not because I love it or need it.
- I very often feel rushed, with too much to do and not enough time to do it all.
- I don't know what the interest rates are on my credit cards or exactly how much debt I have.
- I spend more time shopping each month than I do being involved in my community.
- I know I have more 'extras' in my life than my parents and grandparents did, but I don't feel as satisfied about my standard of living as I think they were.

Finally, we ended with several slides and discussion about ways the Affluenza authors suggest we fight affluenza, including down-shifting and the Simplicity Movement, "sustainability" as an alternative to Gross National Product, and some facts about Longview's own recycling efforts. All in all, it was quite a bit of thought-provoking information and opinion to squeeze into a one-hour presentation. I'd just like to thank Jim for putting it together and leading us through the discussion! If you ever get a chance, go to one of his other presentations. And just look above this post for other upcoming Affluenza-related events on campus.

Upcoming Events

I attended Jim McGraw's Affluenza overview and group discussion this morning. Very interesting, thoght-provoking presentation. I'll post a re-cap next week for those who didn't make it today or yesterday. Meanwhile, here are events you can still go to:

Wednesday, February 10 -- 7:00 - 9:00 PM -- Education Center

Affluenza Mini-Conference: Longview faculty will present relevant topics, have a panel discussion, then participate in smaller discussion groups.
_______________________________________________

Thursday, Febraury 11 -- 7:00 - 9:00 PM -- Education Center

Affluenza Mini-Conference, Part II: Same set-up, but different faculty members
________________________________________________

Friday, February 12 -- 10:00 - 11:00 AM -- Education Center

Free screening of the original Affluenza documentary
________________________________________________

'Stuff'-ed

This week, I wanted to take a closer look at Chapter 4, Chronic Congestion. Although the authors go on to talk about congestion on the highways, congestion in the airports, and even congestion in outer space (not sure I buy that one yet...), the sections that really hit home for me were the opening ones on congestion in our homes.

"A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it" is the quote the authors chose to open the chapter with. And I think old George Carlin  - may he rest in peace - may have been on to something. (If you've never heard his "Stuff" routine, do yourself a favor: YouTube video of the bit from Comic Relief 1986 here. There's some cursing, so if you're at work - or just prefer reading - here's a rough transcript). Carlin was asking some of the same questions 25 years ago that the Affluenza authors are still asking: What, exactly, is the nature of the relationship between us and our 'stuff'? Why do we feel better when we're surrounded by familiar stuff? And - my focus for this week's blog - what are we going to do with all our stuff?

In the Comic Relief video, Carlin makes passing mention of 'the whole industry built up from keeping an eye on your stuff'. And the authors mention it too: they cite a 2000 paper published by the Self-Storage Association that counted more than 30,000 self-storage facilities in the US and 1.3 billion square feet of storage space. According to the US Census Bureau, the American population in 2000 was 281,421,906. That divides out to a little over 4 1/2 square feet of off-site storage space for every man, woman, and child in America!

Citing the same SSA study, the authors say the "industry has expanded fortyfold since the 1960s, from virtually nothing to $12 billion annually." This makes me wonder: What did people do with their extra stuff in the '60s or before? Did they just not have extra stuff? Did they follow George Carlin's advice and get bigger houses every time they filled one up? I'm only being semi-sarcastic here - I really can't imagine the country without self-storage facilities on the outskirts of every town.

I heard a little different take on storage facilities a few weeks back on an episode of This American Life. (Click on "Full Episode" and fast-forward to around the 6:45 mark, if you don't want to listen to the whole thing.) Sorry - no transcripts available for this one, but some highlights for those who can't listen right away:

- They also cite the Self-Storage Association. But this time (the episode premiered on 1/22/10, btw), the SSA put the square footage of US facilities at 2.35 billion - almost doubled since 2000! And that raises the average to 7.4 square feet of storage space for every American.

- The radio piece is actually about what happens when we stop using storage facilities - or, at least, stop paying our rental fees on them. After a certain amount of non-payment time, the stuff in storage becomes the property of the storage companies. The companies then auction it off, all the stuff in a storage unit at once - like a big grab-bag. The catch? The bidders aren't allowed to enter the units before bidding, so they have to rely on what they can see once the doors are opened.

- In 2007, someone bought a storage locker that had belonged to Paris Hilton. Among the items in the locker were previously unpublished topless photos. We're left to assume he probably ended up making quite a bit more money than he bid for the locker...

- Compared to Affluenza, the radio piece asks a similar question, but on a more personal level. Instead of 'What can you tell about a society from it's stuff?' (one of the Affluenza authors' broad questions), this piece asks 'What can you tell about an individual - one you've never met - from a brief glimpse of their stuff?'

Personally, I don't rent any storage space yet, but it's becoming a likelier possibility. Throughout college and a little after, I could move into a new apartment in two, maybe three car-loads. When I got married, the amount of stuff certainly increased, but we were still able to move by renting one moving van (smaller box van - not the semi-trailer sized ones!) and making a couple of trips.

No - my real problem with stuff started when my mom passed away a few years ago. Mom never threw much away, so when we cleaned out her garage we ended up hauling three tons of stuff to the dump (and paying large fees for the 'privilege' of throwing it away). We, of course, kept a lot of her stuff too. But compounding the problem was, when she passed, she was in the middle of sloooowly sorting through all the stuff from her parent's house. So guess who now has three generations worth of furniture and boxes filling up their basement and garage? It's not too bad - so long as I don't have to look at it. But it is taking it's toll, stress-wise, as I know I should be sorting through it. And as we talk more seriously about buying our first house, the fact that I have to take into consideration moving and possibly storing all my mom's stuff and grandparent's stuff would be laughable if it wasn't so true.

So how about you? Where do you fit on the 'stuff spectrum'? Still accumulating? Paring down? Just the right amount? And, as the cliche poignantly asks, do you own your stuff - or does your stuff own you?