Story of Stuff
- Thread starter Azur
- Start date
Azur
The Living Force
Sure thing! Sorry about that.anart said:
It basically describes, in simple terms, the chain of production and it's effects on the environment and the people caught up by the mess of it all.
It is very simplistic, but hits the major points of the consumer "culture", how it came about, how it exerts control to push consumerism as "life" and the real effects it has, not only locally, but sociologically to peoples in the third world being squeezed just to survive.
It is a good primer for kids, teens, and unfortunately, probably some adults too.
Surprised that this has not already been featured on SOTT. A well done video with simple animation that is quite effective in presenting the negative effects of self-indulgent consumerism. It also touches on the fact that there was a concerted, documented effort in the 1950's to market and produce goods that wouldn't last (or rapidly go out of fashion) so people would toss out the old and buy new products. About twenty minutes long...it goes by fast. Very informative and entertaining. I have recommended the "Story of Stuff" to family and friends...with positive results in that they have decided not to consume as much. (Of course, not consuming as much is relative here in the US of A.)
Azur
The Living Force
Oops, missed that. I did a search, but using "stuff" and "story" don't make for good differentiating search terms. Need to perfect my search Kung Fu. :prise said:
I actually heard about it on Friday from a co-worker. It was nice to chat with someone who shared and displayed concern about the faux "culture". He hadn't heard of the Affluenza book, so it was a good exchange.
Searching for a link to this book, I came across this from _http://affluenza.org/:
The book can be found here: _http://www.amazon.com/Affluenza-All-Consuming-Epidemic-John-Graaf/dp/1576751996
Thanks for the book link, Azur! It's on my reading (and possibly gift) list.
Yes, "The Story of Stuff" is simplistic. There's a lot of sleepy sheep out there who aren't intellectual giants (like me) who can relate to this sort of presentation. It just might get their neurons firing enough to open an eye...or two...and start to see that they've been had. And maybe go on to something like Affluenza.
Yes, "The Story of Stuff" is simplistic. There's a lot of sleepy sheep out there who aren't intellectual giants (like me) who can relate to this sort of presentation. It just might get their neurons firing enough to open an eye...or two...and start to see that they've been had. And maybe go on to something like Affluenza.
Heh, funny you posted this video, I found it a few weeks ago and put it up on myspace (not that anyone's watched it). It's good stuff. I was already aware of most of the content of this vid, but it was nice to hear it reiterated so simply, so that even a young child could understand. Good stuff.
Buddy
The Living Force
May I offer a different perspective?
I watched the video several times and would like to say that I was impressed for a slightly different reason. The website
obviously has its own agenda, but, in my opinion, I saw the presentation as little more than propaganda.
I'm a huge advocate of environmental responsibility because of the links to life and health; and I practice it to the extent
that I am able, but unfortunately, I can't see anything in that production that I would recommend.
I AM, however, finding a lot of helpful information as I try to separate the useful from the useless on the path to knowledge,
including the following ideas, which unless I'm wrong, seem to have an adequate representation in the story of that stuff:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ad%20hominem:
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
ad ho·mi·nem
–adjective
1. appealing to one's prejudices, emotions, or special interests rather than to one's intellect or reason.
2. attacking an opponent's character rather than answering his argument.
[Origin: < L: lit, to the man]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition:
ad hominem [(ad hom-uh-nem, ad hom-uh-nuhm)]
A Latin expression meaning “to the man.” An ad hominem argument is one that relies on personal attacks rather than reason or
substance.
Usage Note: As the principal meaning of the preposition ad suggests, the homo of ad hominem was originally the person to whom an
argument was addressed, not its subject. The phrase denoted an argument designed to appeal to the listener's emotions rather
than to reason, as in the sentence The Republicans' evocation of pity for the small farmer struggling to maintain his property
is a purely ad hominem argument for reducing inheritance taxes...-snip-
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University:
ad hominem: adjective
appealing to personal considerations (rather than to fact or reason); "ad hominem arguments"
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc:
Ad hominem
Ad hom"i*nem\ [L., to the man.] A phrase applied to an appeal or argument addressed to the principles, interests, or passions of
a man.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.logicalfallacies.info/falsedilemmas.html:
Bifurcation / False Dilemma
Explanation:
The bifurcation fallacy is committed when a false dilemma is presented, i.e. when someone is asked to choose between two options
when there is at least one other option available. Of course, arguments that restrict the options to more than two but less than
there really are are similarly fallacious.
Examples
(1) Either a Creator brought the universe into existence, or the universe came into existence out of nothing.
(2) The universe didn't come into existence out of nothing (because nothing comes from nothing).
Therefore:
(3) A Creator brought the universe into existence.
The first premise of this argument presents a false dilemma; it might be thought that the universe neither was brought into
existence by a Creator nor came into existence out of nothing, because it existed from eternity.
Another example emerged when George W Bush launched the war on terror, insisting that other nations were either for or against
America in her campaign, excluding the quite real possibility of neutrality.
Complex questions are subtle forms of false dilemma. Questions such as Are you going to admit that you're wrong? implicitly
restrict the options to either being wrong and admitting it or being wrong or not admitting it, thus excluding the option of not
being wrong.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.csun.edu/~dgw61315/fallacies.html#Straw%20man:
Straw man. This is the fallacy of refuting a caricatured or extreme version of ...-snip-
...strategic use of a straw man can be very effective. A carefully constructed straw man can sometimes entice an unsuspecting
opponent...-snip-
Argumentum ad misericordiam (argument or appeal to pity). The English translation pretty much says it all. Example: "Think of
all the poor, starving Ethiopian children! How could we be so cruel as not to help them?" The problem with such an argument is
that no amount of special pleading can make the impossible possible, the false true, the expensive costless, etc.
It is, of course, perfectly legitimate to point out the severity of a problem as part of the justification for adopting a
proposed solution. The fallacy comes in when other aspects of the proposed solution (such as whether it is possible, how much it
costs, who else might be harmed by adopting the policy) are ignored or responded to only with more impassioned pleas.
...or so I think.
I watched the video several times and would like to say that I was impressed for a slightly different reason. The website
obviously has its own agenda, but, in my opinion, I saw the presentation as little more than propaganda.
I'm a huge advocate of environmental responsibility because of the links to life and health; and I practice it to the extent
that I am able, but unfortunately, I can't see anything in that production that I would recommend.
I AM, however, finding a lot of helpful information as I try to separate the useful from the useless on the path to knowledge,
including the following ideas, which unless I'm wrong, seem to have an adequate representation in the story of that stuff:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ad%20hominem:
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
ad ho·mi·nem
–adjective
1. appealing to one's prejudices, emotions, or special interests rather than to one's intellect or reason.
2. attacking an opponent's character rather than answering his argument.
[Origin: < L: lit, to the man]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition:
ad hominem [(ad hom-uh-nem, ad hom-uh-nuhm)]
A Latin expression meaning “to the man.” An ad hominem argument is one that relies on personal attacks rather than reason or
substance.
Usage Note: As the principal meaning of the preposition ad suggests, the homo of ad hominem was originally the person to whom an
argument was addressed, not its subject. The phrase denoted an argument designed to appeal to the listener's emotions rather
than to reason, as in the sentence The Republicans' evocation of pity for the small farmer struggling to maintain his property
is a purely ad hominem argument for reducing inheritance taxes...-snip-
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University:
ad hominem: adjective
appealing to personal considerations (rather than to fact or reason); "ad hominem arguments"
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc:
Ad hominem
Ad hom"i*nem\ [L., to the man.] A phrase applied to an appeal or argument addressed to the principles, interests, or passions of
a man.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.logicalfallacies.info/falsedilemmas.html:
Bifurcation / False Dilemma
Explanation:
The bifurcation fallacy is committed when a false dilemma is presented, i.e. when someone is asked to choose between two options
when there is at least one other option available. Of course, arguments that restrict the options to more than two but less than
there really are are similarly fallacious.
Examples
(1) Either a Creator brought the universe into existence, or the universe came into existence out of nothing.
(2) The universe didn't come into existence out of nothing (because nothing comes from nothing).
Therefore:
(3) A Creator brought the universe into existence.
The first premise of this argument presents a false dilemma; it might be thought that the universe neither was brought into
existence by a Creator nor came into existence out of nothing, because it existed from eternity.
Another example emerged when George W Bush launched the war on terror, insisting that other nations were either for or against
America in her campaign, excluding the quite real possibility of neutrality.
Complex questions are subtle forms of false dilemma. Questions such as Are you going to admit that you're wrong? implicitly
restrict the options to either being wrong and admitting it or being wrong or not admitting it, thus excluding the option of not
being wrong.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.csun.edu/~dgw61315/fallacies.html#Straw%20man:
Straw man. This is the fallacy of refuting a caricatured or extreme version of ...-snip-
...strategic use of a straw man can be very effective. A carefully constructed straw man can sometimes entice an unsuspecting
opponent...-snip-
Argumentum ad misericordiam (argument or appeal to pity). The English translation pretty much says it all. Example: "Think of
all the poor, starving Ethiopian children! How could we be so cruel as not to help them?" The problem with such an argument is
that no amount of special pleading can make the impossible possible, the false true, the expensive costless, etc.
It is, of course, perfectly legitimate to point out the severity of a problem as part of the justification for adopting a
proposed solution. The fallacy comes in when other aspects of the proposed solution (such as whether it is possible, how much it
costs, who else might be harmed by adopting the policy) are ignored or responded to only with more impassioned pleas.
...or so I think.
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