That gentleman made an excellent point that I never considered; As human needs are privatized in the market (like healthcare), we are forced to work and produce more than we may need to, or even are sabotaged in not meeting our basic needs in order to push excess growth in the economy(in hopes our needs are met). Compulsory slavery is also another way to sum that statement up. Just that one singular point kind of just blew my mind 😅

@marcgtsr

7 ай бұрын

same here

@deanaderrick3474

7 ай бұрын

That one comment caught me as well.

Im from the US. I grew up as a typical consumer from a poor household and we never "had enough" and always wanted. As an adult i have worked hard to achieve financial security and realized that that in a lot of ways my wants and "needs" were going to keep me poor. I haven't gone so far as to give up toilet paper, but i use squares of tshirt for papertowels and wash them. I am very crafty and all our furniture is either made or i have sourced from trash/thrift/hand-me-downs and refinished. I drive a cheap KIA when i could afford a used BMW now. We actually dont need a lot to live well and i use my growing wealth (personal savings and investments) to support several nieces and nephews who are growing up on welfare like i did. I am teaching them the dangers of consumption and the patience of money management.

@Sobermama927

Жыл бұрын

So beautiful how you support your nieces and nephews

@dedhampster4730

Жыл бұрын

@@Sobermama927 Thank you. I am childless myself and approaching an age that having my own is not advisable. But I see my nieces and nephews as my own children and I think all children are valuable as future members of society.,I also hope to break the cycle of disfunction and give the knowledge I wish I knew earlier in life. Sometimes it is hard to "be mean" and break their heart saying "no" when they ask for Hot Topic things and remind them that one $60 shirt is the cost of a week's worth of groceries, a whole outfit at Wal-Mart, or a weeks worth of clothes from Goodwill.

@aliwaugh5033

Жыл бұрын

Now we just need more people like you 😉👍🏻

@goosewithagibus

7 ай бұрын

Based. This is the way. You are an example of how we should all live. Live strong, my friend. Don't let the liberal doctrine beat you down.

"poor countries are developing rich countries, not the other way around" people acknowledge its an unequal exchange, but they never acknowledge who is really depending on who

@QoraxAudio

Жыл бұрын

The same can be seen on a smaller scale; employees are growing a company, since they actually make the products a company produces - not the employers who own it. Or in society, it's mostly the larger lower classes serving the smaller higher classes. It's just how hierarchic groups work, from bottom upwards through the ranks or classes. Even in the army, the low ranking soldiers doing the actual fighting in freezing weather conditions, while some posh Ruperts are cozy and dry residing within their HQ.

@moonmelons

Жыл бұрын

What an awful take, just an absolutely ignorant take that ignores any and all reality. In the last 60 years, you've seen the GDPs of rich nations go up by quite a bit, sure. Germany by 19 times, the UK by 43 times, the US by 52 times, France by 47 times. Meanwhile India has went up by 85 times, Japan by 112 times, China by 295 times, and South Korea by 452 times. Of the fastest raising GDPs today? 8 of the top 10 are in the "Poor southern hemisphere". These poor nations aren't rapidly industrializing because the west are big bullies that are forcing them to do it, they're doing it because it's the fastest way for them to raise their standard of living. EDIT: Oh, and it's doubly funny that Al Jazeera of all places is saying this as they're ran out of a nation in the middle of nowhere with absolutely nothing going for them that only became one of the highest GDP per capitas in the world by selling products to the rich western world.

@nicolajane7389

Жыл бұрын

@@moonmelons what an awfully immature take. The global south have the largest increases in GDP precisely because of where they were starting. Kind of like how my kid had the fastest rising income in our family this year since he finished university last year and got a job. Further, the global south hasn’t had any choice but to participate in this model.

@moonmelons

Жыл бұрын

@@nicolajane7389 They were just starting? These countries didn't just start existing 60 years ago, they've had civilizations for thousands of years. Unless you mean to say they just started following the lead of the rich west and trying to implement the tactics that the west used and go figure, it's working. I don't know how you'd call that "being exploited by the West".

@pinchebruha405

Жыл бұрын

But the biggest issue nobody wants to address is the fact that the citizens in the developing countries want what the west has, given thier population, should they get that then we now have way more people on a continent that will be contributing to crass consumerism. They will just by shear numbers bury the planet in pollution faster than west. We can’t say anything about controlling the population that’s going to want goods and the impact on the planet because that would be racist.

This is why I hate obligations to give and accept gifts. It leads to all sides accumulating unnecessary items that will take up space, be sent to a third party, or simply trashed. I have not worn an item of clothing given by a family member a year ago, since it is in a style I never wear and does not go with anything else I have.

@tslee8236

Жыл бұрын

Try substituting with cash or cash equivalents.

@whitepouch0904

Жыл бұрын

I just learn to accept and use their gifts to me. Also, the style mindset is also fueling capitalism. Just wear clothes for function.

@dionysusnow

Жыл бұрын

Just wrap it up and give it back to them next year.

We consume so much because we are so empty inside. Before discussing ecological destruction and economic inequality lets discuss why our souls are so sick. Unhappy people are perfect consumers, never satisfied. Happy people are not consumerists. Forget the ecological problem. Unless we "fix" our inner permanent voids, emptiness and dissatisfaction we will continue buying conmpulsively and in the run destroying ourselves, our fellow humans, animals and the planet. But it all starts with a sick soul.

@laurab9518

Жыл бұрын

Shall we all run around with plant or animal skins as clothes and eat veggies and hunter/gather again? People will moving to space in the next thousand years if we keep up our tech society and do not destroy ourselves with nukes

@greenbubbl

Жыл бұрын

@@laurab9518 It's not necessary to revert to being cavemen. Leading a simple live in an advanced civilization seems to make the most sense here. Less time working to fulfil basic needs and feed consumption would mean people could focus on more spiritual aspects, like meditation. Mental health would greatly increase with less stress from the daily "grind" we're all forced to do to simply meet our needs. As the mind and body heal, people would be less driven to dissatisfaction, and less likely to have "sick souls".

@cris471

Жыл бұрын

Laura; nobody is talking about being so extreme ! I’ve reduced my consumption considerably and still have everything I NEED vs everything I want Your comment is quite hyperbolic

@user-zc4yd9ss7h

9 ай бұрын

The problem is convincing people they should be satisfied with just as much as they need, and no more. This suits you fine. It won't necessarily suit everyone. @@cris471

@jaquelinezirchel752

8 ай бұрын

Very well summarized!

Decades ago I stopped celebrating Christmas for spiritual reasons. My family decided not to give gifts. This was a challenge socially in my culture and I had lots of social pressure to engage in it. Every organization has its own gift exchange. As I was trying to separate from it I became increasingly aware that the Holiday was entirely an economic construct in modern times. I had a job in retail sales once that was commission based. I once had to work the day after Christmas and did 9k in returns in one day. I was in the hole till August with any commission because that many people didn't like the gift someone went to the trouble of buying and instead returned it. I was disgusted with humanity that day. Why do we do this year after year? Why don't we just buy things as we need them? It's a religious system built in that socially enforces the idea that material things have more value than people.

@AdADglgmutShevanel

Жыл бұрын

That's why I like Thanksgiving better. It's about getting together with family and just spending time together and eating together. Of course over eating and wasting food is bad, but it doesn't have to be that way. However they just had to ruin it with Black Friday, and Thanksgiving day sales...

@emilysnyder4857

Жыл бұрын

Yes, I know some who go shopping before the table is even cleared. Did they just give thanks for their blessings? Do they even know how to find that space of contentedness?

@yaqubebased1961

Жыл бұрын

It's original meaning is the celebration of Mithra's birth. Those who feel no connection to his divinity should not celebrate it, as their presence and contribution is Ahriman like.

@cassandraknight8804

Жыл бұрын

I can unfortunately relate Emily, I am being pressed to engage again 😢

@janejenkins5137

Жыл бұрын

I'm not religious, I stopped celebrating because of the waste it produces. I also recognise it as a Christan celebration, so seemed stupid to celebrate it as an atheist. Saying that, it's not very spiritual anymore. The pushback from my family and others, was hard, you have to be really stubborn to fight the culture you've been brought up in. I do feel helpless when it comes to global environmental problems.

On Wednesday, I overheard my co-worker excitedly talking about all the things she was going to buy for Black Friday. She doesn't even have the disposable income to buy the stuff within her budget, but she has the credit cards to make up for it, and she can't pass up a "good deal". It would be easy for me to think low of her, but I have to consider her background. She grew up in that in-between spot between low-income and middle-income. Her parents could not afford vacations and luxury goods, but they had enough money to buy her a used computer and low speed internet access. Through social media, she discovered how other people were living. She saw people with better houses, better cars, better clothes, better make-up, better toys, and better lives. I think this greatly affected her perception of "happiness", and ever since then, she has been obsessed with buying stuff, 99% of which she doesn't even need. There needs to be a conversation about how capitalism and the media brainwashes young people into buying stuff they don't need.

@whitepouch0904

Жыл бұрын

I think it’s more than her background. Maybe she has a hoarding problem/ADHD. I was born in a household like her. I hoard stuff when I’m bored or stress. Sometimes I buy things right away sometimes I fixate on a thing I do tons of research before I buy that thing but it doesn’t even mean I really need it. This pandemic really affected my mental state and I’ve been hoarding and buying things I don’t usually buy before. Meanwhile my other siblings have better financial management skills than me since we were young.

@HettesKvek

Жыл бұрын

@@whitepouch0904 : It's interesting that you mention adhd, because she has adhd as well.

@alexxx4434

Жыл бұрын

That's not about as much as a background of an individual, but the systemic propaganda of capitalism. The only meaning in life the capitalist system offers us is "make money and consume". If you don't have money - "take credit and consume". Because that's the only way capitalism can grow - by increasing consumption. But capitalism has inherent contradiction: the drive to cut costs, and the labor cost is a part of that. Hence, when they gradually reduce work payment, workers won't be able to consume as much. The widespread consumer credit is a temporal band-aid solution to the lack of work payment. The capitalist system is unsustainable at this point. The next global debt crisis is looming.

@kents.2866

Жыл бұрын

We got a Shark Apex vacuum, the other one was about done, 13 years old. 245 online vs 400 at home depot. Our only cyber Monday purchase. Took the old one to best buy for recycling.

I'm not even kidding when I say that the market crash and high inflation have me really stressed out and worried about retirement. I've been in the red for a while now and although people say these crisis has it perks, I'm losing my mind but I get it, Investing is a long-term game, so I try to focus on the long term.

@GrahamCan

Жыл бұрын

I cannot focus on the long run when I should be retiring in 4years, you see l've got good companies in my portfolio and a good amount invested, but my profit has been stalling, does it mean this recession/ unstable market doesn't provide any calculated risk opportunities to make profit?

@wilsonkrusk8652

Жыл бұрын

There are tons of strategies to make tongue wetting profit especially in a down market, but such sophisticated trades can only be carried out by proper market experts

@cyrilmilton

Жыл бұрын

I completely agree, I have been consistent with my profit regardless of the market conditions, I got into the market early 2019 and the constant downtrends and losses discouraged me so I sold off, got back in Dec 2020 this time with guidance from an investment adviser that was recommended by a popular economist on a popular forum, long story short, its been years now and I've gained over $850k following guidance from my investment adviser.

@cyrilmilton

Жыл бұрын

If that is the case, it would be an innovative suggestion to look out for Financial Advisors like Olivia Maria Lucas who can help shape up your portfolio. Trying times are ahead, and good personal financial management will be vital to weather the storm.

@mykreid

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this tip. it was easy to find your coach. and I conducted thorough research on her credentials before scheduling a call with her.Based on her résumé, Olivia appears to possess a high level of proficiency, and I am grateful for the opportunity to speak with her

Great work Al Jazeera. “Poor countries are developing rich countries”. Thank you for saying that out loud.

While watching this video, KZread showed me at least 8 adverts. It is ironic since it is about our obsession about consumerism :)

@carlosgomez-ct6ki

Жыл бұрын

So Qatar will give away its wealth ?

@dougpatterson7494

Жыл бұрын

I found that very ironic too! I was also disappointed that it wasn’t acknowledged that Al Jazeera’s journalism is subsidized by the government of Quatar from fossil fuel revenues…

@last_samurai6690

Жыл бұрын

And the presenter has probably 30 pairs of shoes, fly business twice a month and have her hair done at a 5 star salon. I don't pay attention to these virtue signaling anymore

@sentientflower7891

Жыл бұрын

@@carlosgomez-ct6ki will Europe return all the wealth stolen via colonialism, slavery and the pillaging of the Earth?

@sentientflower7891

Жыл бұрын

@@last_samurai6690 keep that in mind when you starve to death.

We are not just consuming things. What we are really consuming is our civilization's time on Earth. But Earth time is geological. In the life of the planet, our extinction will only be a small event (and not the most important or cataclysmic one).

@littlesometin

Жыл бұрын

The question of climate change is what kind of food will your family put on the table in 20 to 30 years? What will the weather be like? Where I live there have been such drastic changes in weather conditions in just my relatively short lifetime. We used to have 4 seasons, now there's basically 2, summer and winter with more extreme wind, hails, droughts and high summer temperatures. We are talking about our quality of life NOW, not some abstract distant philosophical future.

This video speaks the truth about the way of the real world. Our economic system is very oppressive and very cruel, even for those living in rich countries. Citizens across the globe suffer immensely and debts pile up like there is no such thing as tomorrow!!!!

@joeanthony7759

Жыл бұрын

Our system is a suicide-machine. We need to awaken to the reality of it.

@yengsabio5315

Жыл бұрын

I wonder about Qatar's state of consumerism esp. so with the football world cup that is ongoing in it.

@piyush9960

Жыл бұрын

Sister u should check ur makeup 💄 then u talk about climate change. If u truly believe what u say then u should follow first

@BekhruzSkeptic

Жыл бұрын

Destroy capitalism

@stevenwilliamson6234

Жыл бұрын

Consumerism leads to suffering at almost every level.

Planned obsolescence was a conscious decision that was made when it was realized that automation would reduce the number of days that people worked. That's right. The powers that be decided that people needed to work 5 days a week. Can't be letting people have too much time to think for themselves.

It's lovely to see an Australian accent in the hosts of Al Jazeera. Proud of my country to see us contributing to a reliable global news outlet like Al Jazeera.

I Keep on Ensuring each set of my clothes Last At least for 10 - 12 Years. And People who know me are quite Amazed to see how come my Clothes Inspite of me wearing it for such long durations still remains as Good as Brand New.. I am still using all the necessary stuff that helps me in running my day to day life that i purchased in the year of 2004 and still running. This is how i saved lots and lots amount of money as my savings which helped me during my Crisis Period / lock down period. I don't unnecessarily buy products just for the heck of buying it

@woozah8624

Жыл бұрын

It doesnt matter, it is everything you do in your daily life, every breath you take within a capitalistic system will end up in harm for the planet. You whole way of life has to change, it doesnt matter if you keep your clothes for 10 years.

@paranoah1925

Жыл бұрын

@@woozah8624 You are wrong. It matters. Every action matters. That's how cultural change happens

@georgepresley5120

Жыл бұрын

I really appreciate your action. Keep it up

@aliwaugh5033

Жыл бұрын

Now we just need the entire western society to do the same.

Very honest of Aljazeera to acknowledge Qatar's part in this consumer madness.

You know it's good when Jason Hickel enters the conversation. It's sad that this guy flies under the radar of most people. That guy's ideas are revolutionary. Great piece. IMO this is one of the most important videos on KZread

3:00 this is so important and why does no one understand this. No consumers planned for the shift to single use plastic. That was entirely an industry decision. Ditto for most other horrendous decisions that led to overconsumption and degradation of the environment. And all that happens due to capitalism as a system. It requires infinite growth and we will not solve our problems until it is fundamentally changed.

@longdang2681

Жыл бұрын

The important ones are the 'useless stuff' and 'never use stuff'. People only buy useless stuff because they were tricked by marketing. It is consumers being lied to by marketing that's the problem, not capitalism. Capitalism should make products that can solve problems for consumers. Consumer should vote with their wallets as to which companies should go bust for failing to produce a good enough product. You need capitalism to keep supplying useful products but you don't need the marketing to brainwash consumers into buying useless stuff. People need some stuff to get on in their daily lives. They just don't need all of the excess stuff that is marketed at them.

@Ravenousyouth

Жыл бұрын

@@longdang2681 I dont think it is right to place all the blame on the consumer instead of multi billion dollar companies with manipulative monopolized markets

@utkarshverma7

Жыл бұрын

@Long Dang capitalism makes corporations for exponential growth which drives the advertising and then the consumers to buy useless

@longdang2681

Жыл бұрын

​@@Ravenousyouth I'm not putting all of the blame on the consumer. I'm saying that in a real free market companies are allowed to go bust. Anti uncompetitive company actions by consumers are allowed. In the market we have, companies are allowed to brainwash and miss-sell consumers via lies and miss-marketing. The companies that have uncompetitive products need to go bust, and the lies and miss-marketing needs to stop. Why else would consumers pay for stuff that they can't use? Consumers are being tricked and lied to? There are companies that correctly advertise their product to those that need the products. And then there are tobacco companies that target smoking at children. Consumers should be able to vote out toxic companies via their wallet. Currently this is not the case. The way marketing is allowed to exist needs to be changed. Only then can consumers have the data to make decent choices.

@longdang2681

Жыл бұрын

​@@utkarshverma7 Advertising(broadcasting that you have a product to sell) is broadly OK. Marketing useless products to consumer via lies and miss-selling needs to go the way of the dodo. We still need capitalism to produce products that we need for our everyday lives. What we don't want is the toxic companies and marketing that is constantly trying to sell us useless stuff.

Consume consume is all we do until there will be nothing left to consume but ourselves.

This makes me sick. I hate that we are trapped in this system and are powerless to change it because the 1% just HAVE to make their profit.

@luishp3

10 ай бұрын

The worst part of it all is that we are the majority, and could easily get rid of the parasites. This reality is depressing.

I appreciate documentaries like these by Al Jazeera, they're so well made and a good way to inform the public.

When I worked in a production job it really set in that absolutely nothing will change until we stop endless production for its own sake. It sure creates a lot of waste and dressing that up to make us feel better is not solving the problem.

@erick2214

Жыл бұрын

Then stop working and then making money, you will stop the consumption by your own and then lets see what happens...

@aicraGauhosJ

Жыл бұрын

@@erick2214 The point of this video was that personal habits do very little in the end. The producers of our lifestyle tell us to modify our consumption while giving us the same tools of our demise. Change only happens when WE change. Not as single people. You should watch this video, it covers this and think about it.

@chihirostargazer6573

Жыл бұрын

That is how capitalism functions... they keep making harmful or useless things, creating useless jobs, all for a made up currency. Profits get syphoned upwards and labor is exploited. It's a system of theft, destruction and slavery.

@erick2214

Жыл бұрын

@@chihirostargazer6573 so I+D IT industry, nano industry and robotics are useless ?

@erick2214

Жыл бұрын

@@chihirostargazer6573 I can give you one trip to Cuba or Venezuela if you are interested in knowing about Capitalism, private property and Liberty

I'd like to see the breakdown of resource consumption by class in the global north. Even in the rich countries, the bottom 50% only control 2% of the wealth

thanks for bringing this out, it's conversation that the world must address

The innate desire for humans to compete with and outdo each other is the underlying topic! Whatever economic model you try and put on the world population to create equality, our appetite for competition will push back against it. There have been moments in history where societies have had this for a period, but they reach a failure point and decend into a fight for resources.

@littlesometin

Жыл бұрын

Yes. 😢

the best approach of climate crisis so far, we need more of this

I refuse to called my 🧸 bear as useless stuff... It's thing that calms me down.

@alinucalinuc4124

Жыл бұрын

It doesn't matter, you have endangered the planet...with your teddy bear, don't you see??.... 🙂

@nugnug393

2 ай бұрын

@@alinucalinuc4124 if thats your take from this video then i recommend you watch it again.

The world needs an overhaul..."endless growth" has always been a delusional myth, and this ought to be even more obvious in the context of the present. Among many other obstacles to a better world, the reason the transition to a renewables-based energy system, which of course is difficult and will require fossil-fuel for a time, cannot be done within the parameters of a market-system. Same with assuring no one starves or goes homeless- the resources and technology exist to achieve this, but it is not profitable to shelter the homeless or feed everyone. That's why it isn't done, among many other things that could but don't happen, and too few of us seem to grasp this.

@mrjades4764

Жыл бұрын

We need “planned economies”, an understanding of dialectical materialism & historical materialism, and equality. So in other words, we need communism to save the world. And the will.

the cogwheel of fossil destruction this video sadly misses are fossil subsidies and other perverse incentives. the focus on individual responsibility means i'm constantly told to consume "green" things. don't fly, take the train. but then we as a society subsidize flight, for example through tax excemption of kerosin. so, if i don't fly, i pay more. including more taxes, which then are used to subsidize fossil fuels.

Agreed, we will consume ourselves to extinction. Workers produce the goods, build the houses, build the roads, transport the goods, heal the sick, repair what's broken, provide the services, work out the balance sheets, fight the wars, manage, clean and protect society. We provide the dual roles in the economy of worker/taxpayer, producer and consumer, service provider and service user. We are collateral, cannon fodder and consumers. Why do we live in poverty while the rich siphon our taxes and provide little use to society?

@dominicmoreno4662

Жыл бұрын

Pale brown Moses went down to Egpyt Land to let somebody's people go... keep him out of Florida, know you end there

@steveparker8065

Жыл бұрын

@@dominicmoreno4662 Yes religion and bigotry do go hand in hand in the US...

@Diana1000Smiles

Жыл бұрын

@@steveparker8065 All religions are basically the Same. How did we ever expect lack of Reality would produce progress?

@steveparker8065

Жыл бұрын

@@Diana1000Smiles Agreed, I like some of the basic teachings of religion. But don't believe in any omnipotent magical man in the sky. Reality is truth when we allow ourselves to be misled we live in a false reality.

@TesserId

Жыл бұрын

Sorry, obedient, well-trained consumers are not likely to ever snap out of the delusions sold to them through neuromarketing. And, dividing populations politically is used to keep them from having any real control over how things work, as has been the way since before Machiavelli. Would be nice if people could see how cult indoctrination techniques are used to make them so obedient.

Fantastic, important video. Thanks for the spot on breakdown of our souless, empty, work, money, and consumption based society. Not a recipe for a sane, healthy species or planet.

Excellent video, thank you. I was brought to this subject by another video on the early 2000's. It was called "The Story of Stuff" and is most likely still found here on you tube!? I have tried to spread the word and make people aware, ever since that time. Please share lots :)

@dougpatterson7494

Жыл бұрын

I wish they would have acknowledged the contribution of the government of Qatar in funding Al Jazeera and how much of that countries revenue is from fossil fuels. Overall though this was decent journalism.

@HidingFromFate

Жыл бұрын

@@dougpatterson7494 It does raise some interesting questions and possibilities. For example, if the type of economic system changes advocated in this piece were to be implemented, that would negatively affect the need for fossil fuels and therefore the ongoing revenue of Qatar over the next several decades. On the other hand, maybe they recognized there's not an unlimited amount of oil to be produced, at least not nearly as profitably as it had been up until the last few decades. And in order to facilitate at least some kind of ongoing profitability and their oil production operations, a reduction in the demand would help facilitate that. Just a couple ideas off the top of my head..

@aliwaugh5033

Жыл бұрын

Story of stuff is a great start to the wild world of consumerism. This doco delves a bit deeper. It’s a great follow up

I genuinely do need running shoes every year because the soles are run down (I use them daily) but I did notice that the quality of the shoes is becoming worse every year and the same is true for clothing. The quality of most items is becoming shoddier leading to more trash and stuff that we need to replace. It sucks.

Wonderful program ❤️. I am feeling problem of social obsolescence in my home too. I am being mocked for keeping Old fashioned tv and keeping old , small phone.

@eemoogee160

Жыл бұрын

Ignore the haters. If it does the job, why replace it?

@marklimbrick

Жыл бұрын

Ericsson 301i 2001 Battery is NiMH so still holding charge fine. No WiFi! Recycle bin Cabot9 circa 2015 for WiFi access. No sim! On second replacement lipo battery. Original OEM lasted from 2015.

@Shane-kw5vc

Жыл бұрын

I get you, I only stopped using a 2010 S1 Galaxy (hand me down) because the mobile phone towers were upgraded and it stopped working :p My 2011 Macbook air is still great 11 years on (new battery, new charging circuit). Shout out to ifixit...

@TheKevlar

Жыл бұрын

My smartphone is 10 yrs old and still has the original battery which still has 4+ hours of talk time...

@bobd5119

Жыл бұрын

Congratulations. You are not being mocked by me.

Wow, I'm so glad we have the royal family of Qatar around to tell us that we need to stop economic growth to save the environment from the natural gas that made Qatar the richest country on the planet!

Indian philosophy has recognised this weakness of human of never ending desire and encourage people to learn to live with contention and to seek real truth. Happy to see the world is finally getting aware of this consumerism trap .

@antinatalist9995

Жыл бұрын

Yes. Buddhism teaches that desire or craving is something that keeps people attached to Samsara yet, in the West, desire is encouraged by those who work in marketing. People consume things in order to make them happy, but it tends not to work. They have been conned.

Excellent video! Had we have started these sensible degrowth practices and abolished capitalism 50 years ago we may have had a better chance to survive as an organized society. Our trajectory has only accelerating the passed 5 decades and is hurling us and the planet off the proverbial cliff, regardless of what changes we make now.

@TheKevlar

Жыл бұрын

Abolishing capitalism is like tearing down a power dam and starting from scratch again! It's more efficient to transform civilization by using the existing engines and infrastructure to cause the changes needed...

@erick2214

Жыл бұрын

We are producing more and more sustainable products while millions of people get richer and less poorer...but other kind of systems couldnt demostrarte that kind of possibility. Look at socialism un Aral sea or Mao stepforward doctrine with 17 milion of deaths in countryside

@ElUltimoLeviathan7901

10 ай бұрын

You are absolutely right, capitalism only generates misery but there is never a lack of defenders of capitalism who defend their own slavery.

As good as this video is in pointing out critical truths, I'm not sure the owners of the means of production in this capitalist world we live in would even entertain these ideas. How do you propose to reach those elites who just see things in terms of profit and more profits?

@joeanthony7759

Жыл бұрын

Great question. We know now few if any of them will ever relinquish an iota of their power, without a fight. This is not good, as they proceed each day to consolidate that power ever-further. We are all in for a bumpy ride as this "way of life" unravels in he face of undeniable realities and limits to this delusional, growth-oriented model...what's required for life on this planet to have a chance is a modest, sustainable, resource-based-economy managed rationally and intelligently. This means mass sacrifice and cooperation, which I'm not sure we're capable of.

@adamrosendahl8090

Жыл бұрын

Revolution. Or in other words, we wait until things are so bad that the war between classes kills us all.

@sede189

Жыл бұрын

@@adamrosendahl8090 That would be a plausible option, but it's honestly a bit extreme, even for when things have gotten really bad (but it's a very realistic scenario nonetheless). I've scratched my head a bit on this one and I can't quite yet put my finger on a more plausible approach that doesn't tap into the primal instinct for survival. Is there even such an option at all?

This is extraordinary. Why is it that Al Jazeera is able to produce such high quality content and other media cannot come anywhere close?

We have to take responsibility for the choices we make and have made.

@ferndaily5377

Жыл бұрын

Who's we? What choices? lol? You can just chose to not participate and buy bowls and own them for 50 years. Why is it that most people don't just make this apparently rational decision? Maybe there's a fundamental fallacy and tradeoff by changing this behavior which is more sinister than the status quouo?

@janejenkins5137

Жыл бұрын

The video is about the fact we don't have the power to change it, production is where the change needs to happen.

@thepercepter

Жыл бұрын

We equals all human beings, and choices meaning personal choices we all make. Simply life is choice and as life goes on over time we make lots of choices. If we are the ones making choices then we must be the one to take responsibility for those choices.

@thepercepter

Жыл бұрын

@@janejenkins5137 I feel like we DO have the power to change it. We must act for ourselves. I see production as the bigger system that seams to rule over us, but don’t we ask more from production? Don’t we as a people need production? And aren’t we some of us working in production? Humans need to see everyone as themselves before any kind of change can happen. If we speak of people and people this and people that. We have to see we are the people we speak about. The change does start with the individual.

Thanks for highlighting such vital topics in your channel. Please keep up this good work. Blessings to you all

"People are stupid" as Edward Berneys always said, he was the masterhead of consumerism in early 1900s, the "evil" nephew of Sigmund Froyd

@jochenzimmermann5774

Жыл бұрын

people are stupid if the system MAKES them stupid. a system designed by privileged rich educated dudes like berneys to STAY RICH.

@azeljoyportugues2580

Жыл бұрын

He is very clever, playing with people though psychology even before Sigmund floyed helped him.

Amazing video. Thanks for preparing it.

This is why The Toy That Saved Christmas made a point to teach us that the true meaning of Christmas is not for kids to beg for more toys. We buy each other things for Christmas because we want to make each other happy, but we need to moderate how much we buy for each other so as to not spoil the children by giving them *everything* that they want for Christmas or for their birthday.

Great video! very thought-compelling. Thank you so much!!

I agree. I’ve never bought into the whole consumerism bs. I buy only *what I need* and never on credit. Side benefit…it’s given me lifelong financial security.

This needs urgent attention from our "leaders"

@Diana1000Smiles

Жыл бұрын

Climate changes are our most important topic and, gee, how many "Leaders" are caring?

I feel population is a major reason for this problem becoming very hard to solve. Consumerism is not only manufacturing products but also manufacturing consumers.

@redhen2123

Жыл бұрын

Some 1,700 of the world's leading scientists, including the majority of Nobel laureates in the sciences, issued this appeal in November 1992. Under the heading Population: "The earth is finite. Its ability to absorb wastes and destructive effluent is finite. Its ability to provide food and energy is finite. Its ability to provide for growing numbers of people is finite. And we are fast approaching many of the earth's limits." I've linked to that page so many times now that the UCS had to put up a disclaimer to assure people that's it not racist and that it's like totally only White consumers to blame, yet everyone knows where this glut of humanity is coming from and that they all desire to live and consume as Westerners. "By 2050, the share of the world population living in the currently less developed regions will have risen to 90 per cent." U.N. Population Division, "The world at six billion" And I've linked to that report so many times now that the U.N. has scrubbed it from their servers, but of course it's archived and I can provide the link if you like.

@snowstrobe

Жыл бұрын

It is in the interests of the capitalist elite that there is ever more of us.... The more people running around consuming and producing the more excess they get to skim off. The only reason we have multi-billionaires now is because we have multiple billions of people. They don't even care what we make-and-take, just as long as we keep doing it. And they are the ones behind attempts to shame anyone who even speaks about this.

It is capitalism system that pushes consumerism culture. In every country's economy and growth of GPD is measured by retail industries. For instance, you will hear we are in recession because retail sales are dow x%. Thus, we should pump out stimulus money to keep the engine of consumerism going.

Consumption will consume us all.

@davidzz4307

Жыл бұрын

Production will consume us all.

@marklimbrick

Жыл бұрын

The aim of production is consumption. What is Orwell's quote about war?

Very accurate however change won't happen or so slow we're all just running on the spot. All the oil producing countries and big businesses will always want to increase their margins no matter what. It might taste bitter and hard to swallow but keep adding enough sugar to make it palatable and nothing needs to really change.

@utkarshverma7

Жыл бұрын

Change will never happen , the society now is fixed , the only thing that will change us is a natural catastrophe or virus which destroy half of humanity or nuclear war.

@yaqubebased1961

Жыл бұрын

Until Alexander is at the gates. At this rate you'll be welcoming your conquerors as liberators.

This was a good report! Thank you!

Prof. Al Bartlett made these concepts very clear I encourage anyone who reads this comment to watch : Sustainability 101: Exponential Growth - Arithmetic, Population and Energy.

The ONLY solution is a rapid Transition to a (Cyclic/Regenerative) Steady State Economy( no more boom & bust as a bonus), and no matter who is responsible for driving economic growth, whether Big Business or People, the only way it will change is by an informed public, because Gov and business ain’t going to change while we keep making them wealthy!. We the people have to realise that every time we buy( or don’t buy) something we are making a political decision that will affect change for the better, or for the status quo/business as usual!. 🌻✊🏽🌎

@Budguy68

Жыл бұрын

These boom and bust cycles are caused by the federal reserve. Big Banks engage in risky investments because they know they are too big to fail and know they will get bailed out. I am not under how you thinking giving our corrupt and criminal US federal government more control of everything is a good idea.

Just catching up to this very informative video. Great job. It’s been going on for several years, as you just pointed out. (But-I often think about my late ww2 parents and... that they were always recycling their own stuff. They were just easily conservationist types, after the war years, and it’s needed badly today. (They were farming and ranching.) Thank you for this presentation.

Happy realisation!

EXCELLENT PRESENTATION! This needs to get viral ASAP! We absolutelly need to REINVENT the human society from the ground up!

A good job is done overall of presenting the issue. I am always skeptical of anthropologists. His statement that privatization, in things like housing create a shortage, whereas government could easily be able to take care of the issue, is firmly utopian. Private industry is not perfect, but neither is big government. For one, monopolies create problems, of which big government is usually the biggest, most wasteful, inefficient, and unresponsive monopoly.

Thanks for posting

Very informative & interesting

Less buying means more money in our pocket so that should motivate us to buy less. Sometimes i still buy stuff that caught my eye but only when the price is reasonable. Less is more, I definitely can do with less stuff…

Ali Rae thanks, such an eye opener! Excellent work!💐👏👏

A woman I work with said she has ordered 430 things off amazon this year already (4th October) and I was gobsmacked, I’ve ordered 8

It's good to have nice stuff, but once you've got a microwave oven or fridge you don't need another one until they break, which should take a long time if they're well made. Expecting everyone to buy a new smartphone every six months is crazy. Who benefits from this wastage? Consumerism was very useful for a time, but isn't really now beyond replacement.

very well explained, thanks for your work

A pretty good presentation of the current economic situation however the future consequences can't be emphasized enough!

When I was young I bought much stuff, including designer clothes, a luxury car, watches etc I soon realized that these things didn’t make me feel any happier I still have a nice salary but prefer to buy only what I really need I’ve also discovered my “spiritual side”and must say that it is really fulfilling I’ve connected with nature by taking walks, getting houseplants, pets etc

Unconditional right to stop our own life whenever we want for all adults, my body my choice.

I'm becoming more and more convinced about being a degrowther

@nugnug393

2 ай бұрын

Pick up Jason Hickel's book on degrowth, been reading it and its a blast.

We're missing the point here: Social equality, wealth redistribution and basic human services are lacking because they're a threat to corporate profits. Exposing the problem (as in this and other videos) amounts to kicking a dead horse. We know the problems already, but are helpless to uncouple politics from profit. So what's the answer? Consumption boycotts? Minimalism in mass?

@danielevico7469

Жыл бұрын

Degrowth! It is mentioned and elaborated (a bit) in the final part.

yes.... let's all aim to live like Jamaica

@seapeajones

Жыл бұрын

Yes. That's the takeaway here.

In concise summary, human greed and ego is the cause of past, present and future misery.

Brilliant and highly informative video made for the masses to watch and get informed but will they probably not

This was happening in 1850 too by the way welcome to life. Thanks for continuing to raise awareness 173 years later

@adamrosendahl8090

Жыл бұрын

It has only accelerated since 1850 and is 1000x worse, but yes you are correct. Marx and Engels underestimated the power of capital.

1. Eat a plant-based diet instead of meat and dairy. 2. Use public transport, bicycle and train - instead of car. 3. Limit shopping, buy used things - instead of new ones. 4. Reduce energy consumption by insulating your buildings. 5. Use renewable energy: solar and wind, support nuclear energy.

Brilliant! Thank you!

Enjoyed this alot! Thanks for an excellent documentary!

Interestingly, the stock footage at 21:10 is of Cabot Circus in Bristol. Which is a nice modern example of what led to this mess. It was, until recently, a public street, but it was handed over to private interests and enclosed. The enclosure of the Commons that happened in Europe inspired the idea of nature's resources, esp land, being 'owned', a previously unimaginable concept. Colonialism spread the disease of this idea all over the planet, (assisted by Abrahamic religions). And now they are attempting to do the same with water and air. The internet itself was meant to be a Commons, but of course, capitalists have enclosed that as well.

Fantastic video. I wish more people in the global north would watch it.

you are privileged enough to say this, growth is needed for people to move out of poverty

@nugnug393

2 ай бұрын

did you not watch the video? they explain this concern you have

Degrowth is not something for us to fear. Ironically, if we learn to live within natural limitations, we can actually have so much more.

@erick2214

Жыл бұрын

As you ancestors did during millenia with Life spans of 30 years

@eemoogee160

Жыл бұрын

@@erick2214 that was median. There's evidence to suggest that those who survived childhood lived long, if strenuous lives.

@erick2214

Жыл бұрын

@@eemoogee160 the problem is the topic itself the implications... I am from cuba and this country is the biggest ecological power you could ever imagined If you have enough money pay a visit to this country...not Habana but sant Cristi or Cienfuegos...then you Will understand the price of a non productive society...its not about money or poor people...its the social thinking that you are in debt with them because you have more than them

@eemoogee160

Жыл бұрын

@@erick2214 I apologize that I do not truly understand the point you are trying to make. My point was that a larger population puts pressures on resources that inhibit our potential to have rich and healthy lives in many ways.

@HDnatureTV

Жыл бұрын

Maybe you should read what Elon Musk has to say about this or study some history of how civilizations come and go or better yet real economics, capitalism vs Communism (collapse of the USSR) and socialism (the life style of Cuba and Venezuela). Something this misleading, greenie fake propaganda pushes.

Excellent information and education. ❤

I have sensed this for a long time. Your video exolains it better than I could

Thank you very much!

It is a very important subject and I applaud you for it. Unfortunately some of what was said I could not understand due to the background "music"?

Great video, thank you👏

I can’t see us continuing this way for the next ten years and it ending well. We can’t just keep turning a blind eye to over productions of cheap fabrics and over exploiting people. It won’t end well for climate change/pollution and people will suffer more. 💔

Good job, Al Jazeera !!!

Planned obseluence is the devil. Appliances are the worst!!!! My grandma has had appliances over 30 yrs and still working. They also make it so expense to repair you might as well buy new its crazy

Well done!!

Cut down on meat, seafood, fast fashion, fast furniture, constantly updating phones and excessive consumption and we'll be half fine.

@mlegacywlyfe1115

Жыл бұрын

💯

Eye-opening!

it's all about the money 💰💰

So a video on consumerism, peppered with advertising , to encourage us to consume

we need not to give up consumerism, we just have to give up subconscious consumerism

Addicted to economic growth. Maybe we need quality growth. Increase activity that solves problems and reduce environmental risks.

FANTASTIC content 👌🏼

Very good

Even in so-called developing countries, such inequality exists.

This was really informative.