Table of Contents
Introduction 5
1 Consumer Culture Harms Society Benjamin Barber Kimberly Palmer 10
2 Consumer Culture Benefits Society Howard Bloom 16
3 Consumer Culture Harms Children and Teens Madeline Levine 26
4 Teen Spending Habits Have Changed Natalie Zmuda 35
5 Rejecting Consumerism Is Beneficial Amitai Etzioni 40
6 Rejecting Consumerism Is Not Realistic Tim Cavanaugh 48
7 High Socioeconomic Status Causes Depression Peter Dodson 53
8 Advertising Is to Blame for Overconsumption Jean Kilbourne 60
9 Human Instinct Is to Blame for Overconsumption John Naish 68
10 American Consumers Are Becoming More Careful Spenders Noreen O'Leary 78
Appendix
What You Should Know About Consumer Culture 85
What You Should Do About Consumer Culture 88
Organizations to Contact 91
Bibliography 96
Index 99
Picture Credits 104
