Overview

This edition examines the role overconsumption played in the 2008 economic collapse, & how our economy and society have changed since.

• New edition of a classic book-the first two editions sold over 150,000 copies
• Still the most thorough diagnosis of the disease of overconsumption: symptoms, causes, consequences, and cures
• Updated to incorporate the 2008 economic collapse, new measures of societal health, and new policy prescriptions

Welcome to the enhanced edition of Affluenza!  Each chapter of this updated third edition features scenes from the popular national PBS specials “Affluenza” and “Escape from Affluenza,” co-produced by Affluenza co-author John de Graaf and hosted by National Public Radio's Scott Simon.

This iconic book shows how problems ranging from loneliness, endless working hours, and family conflict to rising debt, environmental pollution, and rampant commercialism are all symptoms of this global plague. In the enhanced edition you'll see hilarious skits including the frightening original diagnosis of “affluenza” and the shocking “surrender of the Joneses.”  You'll meet experts and hear from ordinary people about how affluenza has affected their lives and what they are doing about it.  You'll see victims of shopping fever and swollen expectations as they roam through the “affluenza hot zones” of tourist-destination shopping malls, watch in horror as marketers plan the manipulation of children, take a quick trip through the history of this dreaded disease, and see its often invisible but terrible consequences made visible.  But it's not all gloom and doom—far from it.  You'll also drop in on a simplicity circle (“affluholics anonymous!”), wander through a magical marsh where you come out enriched “and your wallet is still as full as when you left home,” and share the life of an urban family who is beating the bug! The authors also trace the role overconsumption played in the Great Recession, discuss new ways to measure social health and success (such as the Gross Domestic Happiness index), and offer policy recommendations to make our society more simplicity-friendly.
 
Remember that nine out of ten doctors recommend this book as the cure for affluenza!  Happy reading and…happy viewing!
 
 
There are a total of 23 videos spanning 39:36 minute. File size: 379.7 MB
 

Based on two highly acclaimed PBS documentaries watched by 10 million viewers, Affluenza uses the whimsical metaphor of a disease to tackle a very serious subject: the damage done-to our health, our families, our communities, and our environment-by the obsessive quest for material gain. In cleverly titled chapters such as "Swollen Expectations" and "A Rash of Bankruptcies," the authors examine the origins, evolution, and symptoms of the affluenza epidemic. But they also explore cures and suggest strategies for rebuilding families and communities and for restoring and respecting the earth.

The 2008 economic collapse demonstrated how prophetic this book was. The third edition examines the role overconsumption played in the collapse and how our economy and society have changed since then. The authors also discuss new ways to measure social health and success, such as the Gross Domestic Happiness index, and offer policy recommendations to make our society more simplicity-friendly. The underlying message isn't to stop buying; it's to buy carefully and consciously, remembering, always, that the best things in life aren't things.

affluenza, n. a painful, contagious, virally transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.