Criminal Degradations of Consumer Culture

In this chapter I take a ‘social harm’ approach to explore some of the degrading impacts of modern consumerism. My aim is to explore the harmful, often criminal, sometimes fatal consequences that attend the supply of consumer goods in contemporary capitalist societies. At the same time, I note that a focus on social harm begs some very fundamental questions about criminology as an academic discipline – or ‘field’ of study. When a cradle-to-grave assessment of consumer goods is undertaken it reveals that many personal and environmental degradations are nothing more than the ordinary means by which objects are produced, distributed and discarded in contemporary societies. In order to unpack the mundane character of the degradations of a consumer culture I use the example of prawn production but my more general argument is that what is true for prawns is true for (almost) any consumer object

Zygmunt Bauman’s Ethical Warnings in the Area of Economics. The Third Millennium’s Perspective

Zygmunt Bauman is not only a sociologist and philosopher reputable in the world of science, he is also a father figure for people interested in the phenomenon of globalization. Bauman investigates how current economic and political changes influence the lives of particular societies. It was important to underline that also economists can make use of Bauman’s ideas but with a few reservations That is why the following crucial areas were proposed relating to economic aspects: the meaning of consumptionism and wastage; global inequalities; the reasons and consequences of the global economic crisis, and some heterodox matters such as happiness, welfare, and well-being, all of which can be helpful in understanding the multidimensional globalization process

From ethical consumerism to political consumption

This article reviews some of the recent literature in geography and related disciplines on ethical consumerism and political consumption. Many geographers began their engagement with questions of ethics, politics, consumption and consumerism inspired by critical theory, commodity chain analysis and a sense that geographical knowledge might have a central role to play in progressive social change. Since these early engagements, it has been established that consumption practices are rarely the practices of rational, autonomous, self-identified consumers, and so-called ethical consumption practices are rarely detached from organisations and their political activity. Over time, therefore, some researchers have gradually shifted their focus from consumer identities and knowledge to consumption practices, social networks, material infrastructures and organisations of various kinds. This shift in focus has implications – both for the field of political consumption and for how the discipline of geography relates to this field

Individualism, Environmentalism and Social Change

Market logic encourages the idea everything can be bought and sold, and in effect creates an individualized society. This individualization affects consumption habits, environmental action, and social change. It argues that many green consumer products are not solutions to our environmental crises, but mask the larger institutional problems that have led to environmental degradation and diminished civic participation. Society needs to reframe what it means to be environmentally sustainable. In order to generate lasting sustainable social change, action needs to come from community awareness and participation to influence social forces and structures that impact the environment

The sustainable society

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Ideological State Apparatuses, Consumerism, and U.S. Capitalism: Lessons for the Left

Althusser's pioneering concept of "ideological state apparatuses" is extended to the unique role of consumerism as a particular ideology enabling and supporting U.S. capitalism. It is argued that rising levels of worker consumption have functioned effectively to compensate workers for (and thereby allow) rising rates of exploitation and their negative social effects. For such compensation to succeed requires that workers embrace an ideology stressing the importance of consumption, namely consumerism. It is argued that the weakness of the US left (in labor unions, parties, and movements) stems in part from having endorsed this consumerism rather than undermining it within the framework of an anti-capitalist politics.Exploitation, Consumerism, Ideology, Althusser

Asking New and Old Questions As We Remember the Future

(Excerpt) Let me explain my title, Asking New and Old Questions as We Remember the Future. Because my training is in biblical ethics, my approach to various worship concerns centers on asking questions (the proper work of ethics) about how our worship practices form us to be God\u27s people. If we are interested at this conference in what our eschatological tradition has to say to issues of worship, then we will discover the more new questions we ask, the more they will drive us back to the old ones. Indeed, there is nothing new under the sun. Always, throughout human history, we have been strung between the times, between who we have been formed to be by our past and what we might become, especially if we consciously and deliberately orient our present toward the future. Moreover, since the resurrection, which provides the ultimate definition of our Christian faith and life, God\u27s people have always lived-whether we realize it or not -in the midst of the tension of already, but not yet

It's the product not the polymer: Rethinking plastic pollution

Mismanaged plastic waste poses a complex threat to the environments that it contaminates, generating considerable concern from academia, industry, politicians, and the general public. This concern has driven global action that presents a unique opportunity for widespread environmental engagement beyond the immediate problem of the persistence of plastic in the environment. But for such an opportunity to be realized, it is vital that the realities of plastic waste are not misrepresented or exaggerated. Hotspots of plastic pollution, which are often international in their source, present complex environmental problems in certain parts of the world. Here we argue, however, that the current discourse on plastic waste overshadows greater threats to the environment and society at a global scale. Antiplastic sentiments have been exploited by politicians and industry, where reducing consumers' plastic footprints are often confused by the seldom‐challenged veil of environmental consumerism, or “greenwashing.” Plastic is integral to much of modern day life, and regularly represents the greener facilitator of society's consumption. We conclude that it is the product, not the polymer that is driving the issue of plastic waste. Contemporary consumption and disposal practices are the root of much of the anthropogenic waste in the environment, plastic, or not. Effective environmental action to minimize plastic in the environment should be motivated by changes in consumption practices, policies, and product design, and should be informed by objective science and legislation