I found the video The Story of Stuff very educative. The speaker, Annie Leonard, discussed some issues that I had ignored to research. Of course, I knew that the material economy process, which involves extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal, was hurting the environment. However, I did not understand the magnitude of the problem and the factors causing it.
Leonard made me realize that our economic policies were at fault by concentrating much on consumption instead of the environmental concerns caused by the high production rates of goods to meet the consumption demand. While we, the public, have always been at the forefront to protect the environment from pollution, we are also faulty unknowingly. Leonard argues that economic policers have made us agree with the consumption heist through planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence. According to her, planned obsolescence is when goods are designed to be dumped. The manufactures produce poor quality goods with short durability so that the consumers can dump them after using them for a short time. I agree with Leonard’s observation based on my experience as a buyer. None of my stuff stays long before spoiling, and I am forced to dump them and replace them with new ones. I appreciate the video for enlightening me on how I am coerced to participate in environmental degradation unintentionally. I agree with Leonard that less consumption rate will reduce the production activities, which, in turn, will reduce the need to extract and polluting the environmental resources.
Another insight I have gained from the video is how the media lure us to consume more than we need through presumed obsolescence. Leonard explains that resumed obsolescence refers to the notion that staying with staff for a long time is embarrassing since new trends are produced daily. I thought that new trends meant that we are advancing technologically before watching the video. I now understand that it is a way of making us consume to support the material economy. Through the advertising industry, the media has been fashioned to make us believe that we are worthy of new trends, without even warning the lurking danger of high consumption rate.
The video has made me understand that environmental pollution is a deeper problem than we thought. Each of us is responsible (knowingly and unknowingly) as we all demand to consume goods without even being concerned our consumption appetite contributes to the pollution and exploitation of natural resources.
