The story of stuff

My sister sent me an email with a link to an interesting video… you can watch the original version and see The Story of Stuff website at: http://www.storyofstuff.com/

But you can also find it in youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucMJ32-xp64
or also with portuguese subtitles at:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3412294239230716755
(for both links there might been some problems with sound synchronization)

I found it interesting and think it might help raise conscientiousness about some of the problems our societies are facing nowadays. However, I don’t agree with everything they say.

Of course I cannot approve the almost random use of the words “toxics” and “chemicals”. And I find that some things are obviously exaggerated, not only the chemical part, but that doesn’t mean there are no grounds for the claims made.

For me, the main things to remember are:
the explanation of externalities - very simple and effective
the origins of the shopping race - very enlightening
the emphasis on the linearity of the process and the need to transform it.

I believe that one of the major problems we face is in fact this last one. We need to realize that we live in a finite world with finite resources. Money doesn’t grow on trees and therefore we have to be very careful when trying to apply economic theories which are clearly based on the assumption that economic growth is limitless.
We are told that we are becoming richer each day, but the concept of richness depends on how you definite it – this isn’t a new idea to anyone I hope. But I feel this is a chief issue, and it seams some people are finally trying to include other factors that money alone in the way we perceive a country’s wealth. However as the video points out, companies are getting much heavier than governments, uplifted by the globalization of markets, leading to the conclusion that our world is run by companies not governments. And so if companies continue to command us and their solely purpose is to strive for money this will carry on as a vicious circle of exploitation of our minds, bodies and all the surroundings.
I’m not saying that money is bad, or progress is bad, or any of that. I’m just saying we have to make an effort to understand how we can create a virtuous circle which allows us all to achieve some kind of equilibrium between us and between us and the world we live in.

Don’t just give in to the work – watch TV – shop scenario they describe.