The Story of Stuff

Name: LLarenas, Christine C.

Course/Year/Section: BSE12

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(The Story of Stuff)

This video of Annie Leonard open my mind as a student and as a citizen of this progressive country. The system of "Material Economy" is in crisis and we can't continue to run on a linear system! Different corporations have become bigger than in our government and the first mark to the system is exploitation of our natural resources. We're consuming products to the point where 1/3 of our natural resources are already used up with 30% of our waste being shipped to other areas of the world. Corporations are producing products that are loaded with toxics and chemicals, note: thousands of synthetic chemicals are not even tested for safety precautions. I find this tragic and irresponsible in our government!

Distribution of the stuff is meant to keep the prices low but, we don't realize that someone is paying for it by their labor or natural resources.

Russian Ministry of Natural Resources building in ...

English: The official logo for the S.C. Department...

English: Iowa Department of Natural Resources logo

By externalizing the cost none of these resources are accounted for by corporations. The Golden arrow of consumption has made us a nation of consumers, not teachers, fathers or mothers. We continue to shop and shop and shop! After 6 months 99% of the stuff we buy is thrown out. Corporations will continue planned obsolescence and the products we buy will be designed to be thrown away! If that isn't bad enough they change the designs on products all the time so that people every time we look at the product and we think that we need to buy the newest, latest, greatest version to stay in fashion. Then the corporations have just succeeded in their planned of perceiving obsolescence.

I agree with some of the alternative opinion, but there are some points that are not feasible. We can't just...