MADreads

Now that we’ve discussed food, what will be the next hot topic?

November 24th, 2009 Mary K. - Central

There has been a lot of talk lately about local foods and the quality of our diet.  The Go Big Read discussions and the recent appearance of Michael Pollan at the Kohl Center have helped focus that discussion.  But what about other aspects of our lives as consumers?  Ellen Shell Ruppel takes a look at some of them in Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture.  Ruppel’s focus is not exclusively on where our goods comes from and  their environmental impact; instead she looks at impact, and maintains that our hunt for cheap goods and labor, is causing an economic downward trend, as wages drop.

Ruppel, who is a writer for the Atlantic Monthly, explores the downside of the American search for bargains.  The quality of goods suffers as well as the  wages of workers that produce and sell them.  The price of the item is now the main factor in many purchasing decisions, and the buyer is often well aware that lack of quality is part of the deal.  Ruppel describes the drastic changes we Americans have made as consumers in the last century, from a time when most people had very few possessions and the ones they had were used until they fell apart.  From this, we have evolved into a throwaway society, in which items that break are tossed out and no repair is even attempted.

Two sections of this book really stood out : the chapter on Ikea and the description of farm raised shrimp.  Ruppel took a field trip to Ikea headquarters and closely examines some of the furniture and the reasons why it is so cheap.  She describes book cases, with sagging shelves that fall apart when moved.  But it costs less than $100, and is easily replaced with another, also disposable.  And as for  the shrimp, the farms that raise them are unappealing and often dirty, but the low cost is the reason restaurants can have inexpensive all you can eat specials.

What to conclude ?  Perhaps looking for items, like furniture that are made to last, maybe even long enough to pass on to someone else.  Spend a little more and buy less.  And when buying shrimp, look for fresh caught, and avoid those chain restaurant specials.  Despite all the information provided, Ruppel is hopeful we can change our behavior and still enjoy shopping.  And for another take on the subject, take a look at Confessions of an Eco-Sinner which I reviewed earlier this year.

Entry Filed under: Nonfiction