Just some more general exasperation

Having never seen "The Story of Stuff" before, I was happy to watch it in class last Tuesday. I almost felt like I was being let in on a secret - albeit a horrible one. It was  definitely eye-opening and definitely provocative. Reading the reaction articles on the other hand was just sickening. Maybe the reason some people hate it so much is because it forces them to see the reality of our lifestyle - it shakes them out of their 'ignorance is bliss' bubble and makes them see what they would rather not know. Case in point, the one horrified parent who exclaimed, “There was not one positive thing about capitalism in the whole thing." I don't get it. The video is simply showing a negative side of capitalism. Of course there are many great things about the system, but they unfortunately don't apply here. No system is perfect and they are foolish for thinking ours is. I love how this parent and the writers of the "Story of Lies" article are immediately all up in arms about it, calling it un-American and the like. I thought being an American meant you were allowed to freely critique and express an opinion, so why are they so defensive and angry the minute someone lets the nation in on the truth about the negative effects to our system?

As for the "Stuff of Sustainability" article, I will say there were some valid and realistic points there - such as high

lighting the fact that our waste won't simply disappear like magic, or the idea that people really do like their modern 

conveniences and aren't going to simply give them up for the greater good. However, by focusing on this people are 

missing the point. The point is to raise awareness and get you thinking about the issue and your role in it. It is not an 

all encompassing manuel on the problems and how to solve them. However, I will say that the one section where the 

author writes "making people feel guilty aboutconsuming and opposing all forms of solid waste management doesn’t seem particularly helpful," really irked me. Um. Yes it does! We should feel guilty! Not only that but if a person actually realizes their impact, realizes a feeling of guilt, then I think they'd be more likely to take some action! Maybe more people will start hesitating before they make their next purchase of useless crap; maybe more people will hesitate like the little boy in the NY Times article did before buying his legos. Maybe more of us will become conscious shoppers. This video is a catalyst for promoting further individual ecological literacy. Sure the Annie Leonard's video doesn't address solutions but I believe that that is the point of the video. It's gimmick - it is short and it is done in a way to keep your attention. She has made us aware, now we must take the next step and begin working on solutions!