'Alternative hedonism'

Up to now, resistance to consumerist culture ('materialism' in the everyday rather than the philosophical sense) has sprung mainly from guilt, about the damage excessive consumption does to the environment, and the disproportionate use of the world's resources by the rich west.

Now, resistance to consumerism is increasingly coming from the realisation that buying more and more stuff, and the long hours and overwork that go with having to pay for it, don't actually make you happy.

There have been straws in the wind about this for a long time - I'm thinking of Neil Young's song "Piece of Crap" (about stuff that turns out to be useless as soon as you get it home, which is rather what I felt about the album that song was on), and this splendid 'Rat Race' cartoon by 'Polyp' (click on it to see the full-sized image, or as close to one as I could find):

Now there are a number of initiatives coming together, like the 'Slow Food' and 'Slow City' movements, and the Long Now Foundation - all questioning the short-term pursuit of profit at the expense of everything else.

I believe these ideas have to spread if western society is to hang onto its mental health, and the worst of climate change is to be averted.

This entry was sparked off by an article on 'alternative hedonism' by Jackie Ashley in the Guardian - here are a couple of links she could usefully have included to the alternative hedonism research project  and Juliet Schor, the researcher into the psychological and social effects of consumerism that she mentions.

You can buy Polyp's 'Rat Race' as a postcard here. There doesn't seem to be a dedicated 'Polyp' page on this site, but his other postcards (along with those of many other artists) are catalogued here.