The Story of Stuff: Reflection

Annie Leonard presents an intriguing argument about America’s consumers and producers. She states how the nation over consumes products and that 99% of these products become trash in a few months. This concept is interesting to connect with the first wave of consumerism in the mid-twentieth and the today’s wave of consumerism. During the first wave, the government strongly advocated the public to consume at large amounts. This was the government’s method of stimulating the economy back to its original state before the Great Depression. However, Obama’s stimulus plan does not exactly take on this same approach of mass consumerism. Obama plans on stimulating the economy in other forms. For instance, Obama plans on engaging in vast government spending to help stimulate the economy.

The government plans to spend $32 billion on making energy more efficient. Conserving energy and resources was one of Annie Leonard’s main concerns. In addition, Obama plans on spending billions in repairing infrastructure, education, health care and science/technology. The responsibility of stimulating the economy is not put on the consumers like it was in the 1950’s rather it is put on the government.

Annie Leonard tries to emphasize the huge effects that consumerism has had on all aspects of our lives and environments. The public as well as the government are starting to see and acknowledge the negative effects of mass consumerism. Mass consumerism was a trend that was starting over fifty years ago and the practice continues to be present in today’s society. However, individuals such as Annie Leonard are realizing the negative effects it has had and are advocating an urgency to change these spending tactics.