Consumerism helps the poor

Excess:  Anti-Consumerism in the West
by Kim Humphery
(Polity, 2010, 240 pages)

Consumerism is a dirty word.  For many it conjures up images of mindless shoppers being duped into unwanted purchases by heartless corporations.  There arc hundreds of organisations around the world dedicated to extolling the virtues of a simpler, less materialistic life.

Excess:  Anti-Consumerism in the West by Kim Humphery is a sympathetic analysis of the politics of anti-consumerism.  Sympathetic probably doesn't do it justice -- any criticisms of anti-consumerism that do exist in Excess are semantics at best.  Humphery makes no real attempt to even consider the possible positives that come from Western consumerism.

In the eyes of Humphery and the many other anti-consumerist activists that arc interviewed in Excess, we are all consuming too much, too quickly, in an attempt to seek happiness -- which can't be found.  Consumerism, it seems, is the root cause of much of the world's problems.  According to Humphrey the breakdown of family and community life, the undermining of moral values, the unsustainable plundering of the earth's resources and (of course) global warming can all be traced back to consumerism.

But apparently deep down we know that we've had enough.  Many of the interviewees in Excess arc convinced this is the case.  As Helena Norberg-Hodge of the International Society for Ecology and Culture puts it:  ''I'm convinced that a good majority of people within the industrialised world are showing signs they would prefer something else [to consumerism] ...''

This goes against everything we know about human nature.  Mankind undeniably has a desire for continual development -- to constantly seek a better, more comfortable life.  It is our wants and needs which drive the market to create new technologies and to improve old ones.  Consumerism is what drives demand for these innovations.  It is unfathomable to think that after thousands of years of technological advancement, our generation is the one that will collectively say ''yep, we've come far enough''.

This misconception amongst anti-consumerists is most likely the result of the success they have had amongst the general public in branding consumerism as something sinister, when in reality it is nothing more than free thinking individuals engaging with each other in search of enhancement of their lives.

Erika Lesser of Slow Food USA goes even further by saying ''I really do believe that there are so many people that are hungry for a more authentic experience and way of life.''  Unfortunately we don't find out what Erika's definition of an ''authentic experience'' is -- perhaps it's the life of a poor farmer in rural China.

What makes these statements most offensive is, as Humphery himself notes, many of the people who make them are ''from middle-class socio-economic backgrounds and possessed university level degrees''.  Unfortunately, it's the poor, not the middle class, who have the most to lose from any end to Western consumer demand.  We note on a daily basis that the Chinese are becoming more and more affluent, driven almost entirely by supplying the demands of consumers in the West.  In turn, consumerism is on the rise in China.  So should we oppose Chinese consumerism?  Perhaps we can hope that Chinese consumerism will in turn drive increased Somalian or Zimbabwean wealth.

Humphery begs to differ though:  ''Consumerism -- and the over consumption of the affluent world -- is to be opposed, first and foremost, because of its effects and impacts.  In environmental terms, there is no question that world production and consumption has reached levels that tax the Earth way beyond its capacity.''  Not surprisingly Humphrey resorts to the age old argument of resource sustainability as a reason to cease economic production as we know it.  This sort of static thinking completely ignores the inventiveness of entrepreneurs within the marketplace.

In any case, Humphery still calls for us to opt-out, downsize and localise in the name of ''global justice''.  But there's nothing particularly just about denying the world's poor their sources of income.  So next time you sit down in front of your plasma TV whilst tapping away on your iPad, eating chocolate that contains palm oil -- don't feel bad, you've probably done more for third-world development than any anti-consumerism activist ever has.