The Waste Makers
ISBN 978-1935439370 | | |
The Waste Makers is a 1960 book on consumerism by Vance Packard. It was bestselling when it was released.[clarification needed] The book argues that people in the United States consume a lot more than they should and are harmed by their consumption.
Summary
One reviewer summarized the book's thesis as follows:
American society overemphasizes consumption, especially the quantity rather than the quality of what it consumes, and that it therefore sacrifices culture, prudence, and a proper concern for the future. He blames these distorted values on the business community, especially on the marketers and advertisers who have beguiled the public into accepting false standards.[1]
Another reviewer noted:
[...] we overbuy -once we've been persuaded- as industry, facing the ""specter of
resources are being destroyed along with our individual character and our family patterns.[2]
Vance Packard worked to change the meaning of the term "consumerism" from a positive word about consumer practices to a negative word meaning excessive materialism and waste.[3] The ads for his book The Waste Makers prominently featured the word "consumerism" in a negative way.[3]
Reviews
One reviewer said that the book is an examination of how economic growth became thought to be a virtue.[4]
Another reviewer said that the book describes the
References
- JSTOR 2350862.
- ^ McKay, David (Sep 30, 1960). "The Waste Makers by Vance Packard". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-0226298672.
- The Social Contract Press.
- ^ Johnson, Daniel (24 September 2009). "Book review: The Waste Makers by Vance Packard". The Salem News. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ^ Lipset, Seymour Martin (January 1961). "The Waste Makers, by Vance Packard". Commentary.