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Sociology 125 Lecture 8 Thursday, February 15, 2018 Consumerism.

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1 Sociology 125 Lecture 8 Thursday, February 15, 2018 Consumerism

2 Staten Island Ferry: free public transport

3 Free Public Transportation in Wisconsin:
The Merrimac Ferry across the Wisconsin River Thanks to Brianna Bauer

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5 $ Millions about 90% of total Source:
There was a big shift in composition of direct and expenditures subsidies under Obama, particularly under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but that's now ended. Take that away and the federal subsidies are still a third of the total, not 10 percent. Also, the EIA numbers miss all the state stuff. Oil Change (a group) still calculates our annual fossil fuel subsidy (feds and states; not just the federal reported here) at $20B. That's a lot more than renewables get. And, of course, under Trump/Perry/Pruitt fossil is kind again and renewable despised. So no, I don't think there's been a sea change. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration report, March 2015

6 Annual Federal Fossil Fuel Subsidies, fiscal year 2018
Estimated budget effect in $millions There was a big shift in composition of direct and expenditures subsidies under Obama, particularly under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but that's now ended. Take that away and the federal subsidies are still a third of the total, not 10 percent. Also, the EIA numbers miss all the state stuff. Oil Change (a group) still calculates our annual fossil fuel subsidy (feds and states; not just the federal reported here) at $20B. That's a lot more than renewables get. And, of course, under Trump/Perry/Pruitt fossil is kind again and renewable despised. So no, I don't think there's been a sea change. Source: Oil Change international report October 2017

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8 Definitions Consumerism: The belief that personal well-being, happiness and status depend largely on the level of personal consumption, particularly the acquisition of material goods. Hyper-consumerism: the frenetic pursuit of consumer goods

9 Construction of small and big houses, 1973-2012

10 Growth in median size of new home construction in the U.S., 1973-2015

11 What is wrong with consumerism?
There are big negative externalities from consumerism Consumerism in fact does not make most people happy There are systematic biases in the system which generate consumerism. If these system-biases were eliminated, many – maybe most – people would adopt a less consumerist life style.

12 What is wrong with consumerism?
There are big negative externalities from consumerism Consumerism in fact does not make most people happy There are systematic biases in the system which generate consumerism. If these system-biases were eliminated, many – maybe most – people would adopt a less consumerist life style.

13 What is wrong with consumerism?
There are big negative externalities from consumerism Consumerism in fact does not make most people happy There are systematic biases in the system which generate consumerism. If these system-biases were eliminated, many – maybe most – people would adopt a less consumerist life style.

14 What is wrong with consumerism?
There are big negative externalities from consumerism Consumerism in fact does not make most people happy There are systematic biases in the system which generate consumerism. If these system-biases were eliminated, many – maybe most – people would adopt a less consumerist life style.

15 Some negative externalities of consumerism
Negative externalities on the environment, especially for future generations. Large cars, SUV impose costs on others: the “arms race” in car size Urban sprawl because of low density housing, large houses, etc.

16 Money & Happiness

17 Money & Life Satisfaction
How Satisfied are you with your life: 0 = worst possible life for you 10 = the best possible life for you

18 Market-failures in leisure
System bias #1: Market-failures in leisure

19 Number of hours more per year on average that
Americans work than people in other countries, 2012 1.1 weeks 3.4 weeks 7.8 weeks 9.8 weeks

20 From Juliet Schor, The Overworked American, p. 130

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22 Average actual weeks of paid vacation for full time workers

23 Profit maximizing strategies and consumerist culture
System bias #2: Profit maximizing strategies and consumerist culture

24 Annual hours of exposure to advertisements
1 week of time 2 weeks of time Annual hours of exposure to advertisements

25 Alternative views of the impact of advertising:
Advertising mainly provides information about what is available: consumers are “free to choose;” their preferences remain autonomous (“consumer sovereignty”). Advertising creates shared desires and dissatisfactions: consumer preferences are not autonomous.

26 Changing reference group for consumption norms
System bias #3: Changing reference group for consumption norms

27 System bias #4: Credit cards

28 Credit Cards & Consumer Debt
Consumer debt grew from $898 billion in 1980 to $2.4 trillion in 2011 Average credit card balance for families with a balance grew from $3,312 in 1989 to $7,100 in 2010 (in inflation adjusted dollars) U.S. households received a total of 7 billion credit card solicitations in 2006 (just before the Great Recession), falling to 2.6 billion in 2012.

29 Rising inequality increases consumerism: positional goods
System bias #5: Rising inequality increases consumerism: positional goods

30 Abandonment of public consumption by the affluent
System bias #6: Abandonment of public consumption by the affluent


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