205_Rethinking Society: Are You a Consumer or a Citizen?

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 205

Rethinking Society: Are You a Consumer or a Citizen?

All the head lines we hear and see these days are about disasters, wars, new diseases, climate change, ecological decline, and anything else that has to do with how the world is coming to an end. And guess what? They are all true.

Truly we are facing some rather complex global challenges. But despite how difficult it may be for anyone these days to find peace of mind, I have truly found one particular concept that could change our society, our culture, our economies and bring us back from the brink of disaster. But it has to do with rethinking our entire society.

If you want to learn more, then stick around for E 205 Rethinking Society: Are You a Consumer or a Citizen?

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E205 Rethinking Society: Are You a Consumer or a Citizen?

What I first want to accomplish in this episode is to compare three radically different cultural values.   Then I want to bring this whole thought process into focus in a sustainability perspective. Once that is done I want to offer my opinion on which of these perspectives is most plausible when it comes to negotiating the complex global problems that we now face.

Sustainability question of the week

Is there something we can do to reverse climate change?  

Good news story of the week

This weeks good news story comes out of the UK. It is about how the Royal Navy returned 6 rare turtles back to their natural habitat.

These logger head turtles were apparently blown off course due to a storm. Instead of being in the warmer waters far south of the British Isles, they ended up in the North Atlantic. They washed up on the beaches of Cornwall and Devon and were rescued by members of two local marine sanctuaries who nursed them back to health.

Once fit to return to the sea, they were transported by the HMS Medway that was en route to the Caribbean for other duties. These 6 rare turtles were successful repatriated to warmer Caribbean waters.

So, this weeks round of applause goes to the marine sanctuaries in Cornwall and Devon and to the crew of the HMS Medway for their part in saving a rare species.

And now let’s move on to this weeks episode.

To start with I want to discuss an old proverb.

I’m sure that most of us have heard the proverb that “It takes a village to raise a child.” What this means is that an entire community of people must provide for and interact positively with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment.

This reminds me to some degree of how I grew up in Tennessee and Georgia. The community we were in was very small. All the parents knew one another. The neighboring area was very safe. In the summer time it was quite common for my mother to tell us to get out of the house and not return until dinner time. She was able to do this with no worries because all the parents in the neighborhood watched over all the children.

If we got into mischief we were disciplined by the neighbor parent the same as we would be by the our own. Then they took us home and we got into trouble a second time. So, believe me, it was not worth it and we tended to mind our manners.

The second time I experienced this is when Annette and I moved to Saint Kitts to work with the veterinary university. We rented a house out in a small village and lived amongst the locals. We were hardly there for half a day and people were already coming over and introducing themselves.

This village was a safe place for children. We all knew each other. Everyone watched over the children and if someone got into mischief we heard about it almost immediately. Consequently, when Erik would go out and play and we did not see him for hours there was never anything to worry about.

But, back to the proverb.  “It takes a village to raise a child” suggests that the responsibility of raising a child extends beyond the immediate family, involving a collective effort from various individuals and communities. This concept has its roots in traditional African cultures, where the entire community participated in the upbringing of children.

Now granted I can see that there would be challenges with this approach in our modern culture. And this approach has often been criticized. However, key points to consider are the following:

•  Children need guidance and support from various sources, including family, friends, neighbors, and community members.
•  The village concept emphasizes the importance of community involvement in shaping a child’s values, behavior, and character.
•  This approach also recognizes that no single individual or family can provide all the necessary care and support for a child’s development.
•  Building a support network: Parents can seek out and engage with others, such as family members, friends, and neighbors, to share responsibilities and provide a sense of community.
•  Community-based initiatives: Organizations and programs can be established to provide childcare services, mentorship, and educational support, fostering a sense of collective responsibility.

The point here is that this concept highlights the importance of community involvement in childcare. On the other hand I recognize that it may not be a straightforward solution for modern parenting but it does bring up some valid points.

But if you compare this approach to our modern culture you will quickly see there are some radical differences. As the size of our homes has increased the time that children spend outdoors has decreased. Most children sit inside all day in front of one type of screen or another. Most of us live next door to the same people for years and never even know them.

Instead of nurturing relationships we value our independence and accomplishment of personal goals above everything else. Our emphasis on individuality and person interests over communal relationships leads to a sense of disconnection and isolation. People in modern culture are more lonely than ever.

The widespread use of technology, particularly social media, leads to a false sense of connection awhile fostering a total lack of real-life relationships. Our modern pace of life and increased focus on work and personal pursuits leaves us with limited time and energy for nurturing relationships. Perhaps to some degree this is the result of increased urbanization. But once gain it reinforces a total lack of connection with your neighbors and the community where you live.

This whole concept of community is radially difference, and much less healthy, than a child being raised by a village. 

Now let’s take a few minutes to look at some of the key milestones and concepts underlying consumer culture.

-European colonial expansion of the 17th and 18th centuries led to the introduction of exotic goods. This stimulated new demands and altered consumer behavior particularly with the popularization of products such as coffee, tea, and clothing.

-The Industrial Revolution and the rise of capitalism created new opportunities for mass production of goods and services. Consumptive behavior began to take shape.

-In the late 19th century the emergence of a middle class and the practice of buying on credit enabled more people to participate in consumer culture. Big businesses began to emerge and advertising fueled further consumer demand.

-Post WWII saw a significant increase in consumer spending. Post Great Depression recovery and the desire for some measure of comfort, increased jobs and wages, introduction of television as a new medium, and planned obsolescence with the design of inferior products to encourage frequent replacement further encouraged consumerism.

-By the 20th century we saw the emphasis on material possessions as a means to achieve happiness.

In summary, our present consumer culture developed over time. It was influenced by colonial expansion, industrialization, capitalism and advancements in technology. The foundation of consumerism was laid in the 18th century. The 19th and 20th centuries saw the emergence of mass consumerism which was driven by economic growth, advertising, and even changes in societal and cultural values.

Some of the ways in which consumer culture has shaped our societal norms are as follows:

-Consumer culture has shaped our values and preferences with emphasis on individualism, materialism and consumption of goods and services.

-Consumerism has created cultural rituals and traditions surrounding consumption. Think of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

-Consumer culture has become a means of constructing your identity particularly through fashion, beauty, and lifestyle choices

-Consumer culture has created a system of social status and prestige tied to material possession. -Consumer culture has contributed to the emphasis on speed, convenience, and instant gratification, influencing social norms around time management and productivity.

-Consumer culture has also influences environmental and sustainability concerns with some people adopting eco-friendly habits

-Consumer culture has also influenced family and social relationships, it has shaped our cultural values, and even challenged traditional cultural practice.

Obviously at this point we has moved from a shared sense of community to one of individualism, instant gratification and essentially false identities.

Now, let’s examine a third concept after which I will put this all together. I want to examine the concept of being a citizen.

Citizenship has certainly evolved over time and in many ways means something different now compared to ancient times. But citizenship in ancient Rome was more than just a title. People were deeply connected to the state. Being a citizen was truly a badge of honor. Citizens saw themselves as part of something larger.

People took pride in their cities and in their nation. People also realized that being a citizen came with both rights and responsibilities. It came with accountability to their neighbors, their community, and even future generations. They had a duty to engage in the community, to show up, and to fight for what is right. They had a responsibility to improve the world around them and even advocate for others.

While you may think that these three separate concepts have nothing in common, they may actually hold the answer to some of the most pressing issues of our time.

It takes a village to raise a child encompasses some important concepts of collective community responsibility.

Consumer culture resulted in a transition over time where material possession took first priority. We completely lost the concept of community and any sort of social responsibility.

The concept of being a citizen is the exact opposite of consumer culture and goes beyond the concept of collective community responsibility as seen in the proverb. It reaches far beyond the local community and even encompasses the global community.

Now the question we need to ask ourselves is “Are you a consumer or a citizen?”

The answer to this question reveals a lot about who we are and how we impact our communities and the world at large. In many ways it defines our identities and even our role in our own country as well as the global community.

But as we live day-to-day almost all of humanity plays the role of consumer. We only focus on what we can get instead of what we can give. We value convenience and individual choice over a sustainable and regenerative lifestyle. Our lives are governed only by our personal preferences and what will bring us some measure of comfort. Furthermore, we have allowed our society and culture to define us as such.

We literally see and hear thousands of advertisements everyday. We are convinced that what we buy will bring us happiness. Even the communities we live in are simply cookie cutter homes designed as products for us to consume as opposed to a place where we live, we show up, we participate and make a difference. Then add in our capitalistic society that is dominated by profit motive, market competition, and self interest.

And what has been the result of this type of society?

The result is that there is another pandemic going on that gets little to no attention. Traditional family structures are deteriorating. We have lost any sense of shared cultural values which has lead to extreme political polarization and a “good versus evil” mentality. Instead of taking personal responsibility we assign blame.

Constant exposed to social media bombards us with unrealistic standards of success. Social media has shaped our ideas by promoting superficial values such as popularity and material wealth and possession over self reflection and inner growth. It promotes unrealistic comparisons, leads to decreased self esteem, and even fosters feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction. Excessive social media has even been linked to depression, anxiety, loneliness, and even suicidal thoughts particularly among teenagers and young adults.

Our definition of success and now tied to accumulating wealth, status, a high paying job, an expensive car, and other material possessions. We are constantly compare ourselves to other people’s achievements instead of focusing on more meaningful things such as friends, family, inner peace and personal growth. Who would have ever thought that a consumer society would lead to such far reaching, dramatic results.

We are truly at a  point where we need to rethink our society and culture because our current systems, our cultural values and norms are increasingly inadequate for addressing global challenges such as climate change, inequity and social polarization. We prioritize individualism and consumerism over collective well-being and sustainability the latter of which would be fostered if we all behaved like citizens. 

Truly there are a number of reasons we need to reevaluate the structure of our society, our values and cultural norms. For example:

Climate crisis: Our over consumptive patterns and continued reliance on fossil fuels contributes to climate change. We truly need to radially rethink our economic and lifestyle choices.

Growing inequality: The unequal distribution of wealth in our culture is increasing which undermines any idea of a fair and just society.

Mental Health Concerns: As I stated above, social media exacerbates anxiety and depression which highlights the need for a more holistic approach to our well-being

Social Polarization: Now more than ever we are seeing strong social polarization based on political ideology and tribal loyalty. This hinders constructive collaboration and the ability to focus on common ground.

Outdated values: Clearly our present cultural values are inadequate for the global challenges we presently have.

Consumer

Whether you realize it or not being a consumer is a passive role. As consumers we opt for ease and convenience. We pay for goods and services. We sit back and expect that our needs will be taken care of. In some cases, because of our culture, we even feel entitled to have anything we want anytime we want. When we do not get what we want we complain and point fingers. We tend to place blame instead of stepping up to fix a problem. And if all else fails, we expect the government will swoop in and save us all when nothing could be further from the truth.

Citizen

Being a citizen is an active role. Citizens understand that being part of a family, being in relationships, having friends comes with responsibilities. Being part of a community comes with responsibilities. Being a citizen of this planet also comes with responsibilities. Citizens don’t just recognize what is wrong they ask how can they make things better. Citizens do not take the passive approach of a consumer. They show up. They actively participate with their communities. They don’t just take what they can get they try to be a part of the solution.

What would the world be like if we all had the attitude of being citizens?

Imagine for a moment what our planet and our social structure would be like if we all decided to be citizens of the world.

-We would shift our focus from material consumption to sustainability.

-We would stop focusing on what we can get and start asking how we can make a difference.

-We would focus on personal well-being and growth instead of material gain and external achievements.

-We would value creativity, empathy, kindness and community building instead of focusing so much on individualism.

-We would try our best to have a positive social impact, promote equity and social justice.

-We would develop inclusive and diverse social structures where everyone truly had an equal opportunity and everyone is included in the conversation.

-We would embrace new economic models that prioritize environmental protection and social responsibility to include environmentally conscious approaches to living.

As you can see, there is a significant difference between consumer versus citizen. And this is the transformation that needs to happen in order for us to face up to our present challenges. We truly need to transform our economies in a matter of years, not decades. We need to ditch our outdated notions of success. We need more people that prioritize empathy, creativity and compassion.

The dominant story of society, that being consumer, is leading us down the wrong path. This story is leading us to poorer healthy, early death, obesity, anxiety, depression, increased rates of mental illness, social polarization, complete social disengagement and a global community that is now on the verge of an environmental crisis.

But we can change that.

The first thing we need to do is move from me to we. Instead of placing blame, take responsibility. We have to change the way we think about our planet and the environment. We are now paying the price of a superiority complex that has persisted for hundreds of years. We think of nature as something that is separate from ourselves, something to conquer and exploit. We think we have sovereignty over nature and we rely on infinite resources that are simply not there. Furthermore we devalue certain cultures and treat people exactly the same way.

We truly need to start asking different questions.

Everything we do has some sort of an impact. That impact may be on the environment, on your friends, family, or neighbors. We need to ask ourselves if what we do has a positive or negative impact and take responsibility for that.

Instead of viewing your community as a commodity to be purchased we need to ask ourselves how we can contribute.

We need to ask some hard questions about how we live, what we do, and how to make the world a better place. We need to become comfortable with being uncomfortable because progress is made through asking hard and difficult questions. 

A consumer society only focusing on purchasing power. We need to ask what we can do to take care of the most marginalized parts of our communities.

Instead of living for today we need to ask what we are doing to protect the planet for tomorrow. This is what a citizen would do.

Sustainability question of the week

Is there something we can do to reverse climate change?

Most scientists agree that our climate future has not yet been decided. Furthermore, most scientific data now agrees that if we reached zero carbon emissions, our climate would actually stabilize. But if we reached carbon negativity, meaning we are removing more carbon from the atmosphere than what we are producing, we would actually be able to reverse the effects of climate change.

In many respects, the attributes of a citizen is encompassed by the Seventh Generation Principle of the Iroquois Confederacy. This is a philosophy that the work, the actions, and the decision we make today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future. This means that our leaders need to make decisions to serve the needs of the unborn voices seven generations into the future.

I want to close this episode with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi. “Our greatest ability as humans is not to change the world: but to change ourselves.

Now, are you a consumer or a citizen? The answer to that question will form the future of this planet.