The Story of Stuff

[Darros]

I watched this today in class and became interested. I never realized how true this was. I want to know what other people think about this, and what they think can be done. It's not just the US either. A lot of countries seem to be getting like this.

[viyut]

I Saw it in my school two years ago, nothing new as i had already learned everything in my geography class.

Edited June 9, 2011 by Viyut

[Zkirsche]

Seems like a bunch of preachy crap to me.

It criticises the government for trying to boost its economy and "neglecting" (which is tru, the government DO input money into it) health care etc, when by boosting its economy it has more money to input into health care and the like. Taking the UK as an example, with our drained and damaged economy we've had to cut spending on health care and education, all because we spent too much on it beforehand so now we have to take it away all at once.

And it never really focuses on how to improve this problem either. It has a minute at the end with a brief mention of green chemistry, failing to talk about it and the fact that many scientists don't even treat it as a science. A Closed Loop Production is literally the diagram at the end so was basically only used to add to the list as an effect. That leaves "Zero Waste" which is BS in the first place there will also be end waste to something, unless its constantly reused. But wait, the video says recycling doesn't help, so I guess that's impossible too.

Now, I'm not going to say the problems demonstrated in the video don't exist. The environment is being unsustainable managed and something does need to be done. But this just seems more like an attempt at brainwashing people into that kind of thinking, which is why I guessed they showed it at a school in a class to "inform" them of what is "right and wrong".

Edited June 9, 2011 by Kevin

[SirBrickingtonCrushworthy]

It's very sensationalist, and quite frankly I disagree with the overall 'capitalism is bad' vibe that I get from it. I understand that fixing problems on a global level takes the support of governments. However, it's clear that she is taking shots at corporations, and if I'm not mistaken calls for government to 'put them in line'. I do not believe it is the government's right to do that, and as such I am turned off by what she says very quickly. She does make a valid point in where our happiness was higher when we had less stuff (the '50s compared to nowadays), but she doesn't build upon it very well, which disappointed me.

Edited June 9, 2011 by SirBrickingtonCrushworthy

[Phoenix Wright]

Saw this in my class too. It sucked.

Happiness chart? That's enough to make me lol.

I'm all for alternative energy, but for some reason videos about them always suck. I think the reason why is because I don't feel the message is getting across the correct way.

Showing contrasts between blowing up the peaks of mountains and using solar energy, I think, would provide the push needed to make people act. Showing what coal does to the enviornment contrasted with windmills would give the same effect. As would the effects of oil spills compared to tidal power.

From what I remember, this video did that, but I think it was way too nice. Also, a majority of people haven't seen it. Alternative energy needs to get out into the masses.

I remember finding this website like three times from StumbleUpon: http://www.greenerideal.com/alternative-energy/solar-energy/8563-what-if-solar-was-subsidized-like-fossil-fuels

[Hirondelle]

My AP Environmental Science teacher showed is this video during my senior year. I pretty much agree with what's been said about it; that it's preachy and fails to give any kind of solution.

This group or whatever that made this video also has an equally preachy "Cap and Trade" video, and our teacher forced us to watch that too.

Edited June 13, 2011 by Hirondelle

[Original Alear]

Hrmm....story of stuff.......

?????

Oh. Right. I don't have my subscription to the oxford english dictionary, so I don't know the origins of the word "stuff." Sorry.