Part One
- What is the “culture of capitalism,” and what are its components? How is the culture of capitalism a “society of perpetual growth”? How does the “society of perpetual growth” compare to the ideas expressed in “Civilized to death?”
- What is a “commodity” and what is “commodification”? Describe water as an example of commodification and its environmental and social repercussions, as conceptualized in “The story of stuff” and discussed in this week’s “water” assignments.
- What are the critiques of healthcare (including “wellness”) and housing as commodities?
Part Two
- What is the critique of GDP (or GNP)?
- How does the critique of GDP pertain to last week’s “The story of stuff”; “The litter myth”; and “Affluenza”; and this week’s assigned textbook chapter?
- What are the component indicators of the GPI? How is GPI arguably a better alternative to GDP (or GNP) as the measure of progress?
- “Commodification”
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/commodificationLinks to an external site. - “The story of water” (video, 4 minutes)
https://storyofstuff.org/movies/the-story-of-water/Links to an external site. - “How the commodification of water for profit fuels a global crisis”
https://www.theinertia.com/environment/how-the-commodification-of-water-for-profit-fuels-a-global-crisis/ Links to an external site. - “A critique of market-based medicine” https://www.ucpress.edu/blog/50015/a-critique-of-market-based-medicine/Links to an external site.
- “The commodification of the wellness industry” https://jezebel.com/the-commodification-of-the-wellness-industry-1848179889 Links to an external site.
- “Bobby Kennedy on GDP: ‘measures everything except that what is worthwhile e’”
https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/may/24/robert-kennedy-gdpLinks to an external site. - “Genuine Progress Indicator” Links to an external site.
http://www.sustainwellbeing.net/gpi.htmlLinks to an external site.
