After watching the video "Story of Stuff", I believe many people would have had many questions and doubts about the truthfulness of the content just like I did. In fact, as I had expected, many of my friends who viewed the video already had left postings on their blogs criticizing the accuracy of the shocking and unbelievable claims in the video that demonstrated the crisis of the material cycle. This is completely understandable, because I too felt dubious about all the extreme comments Leonard kept on making on the failure of the reality which all of us firmly believed to be impeccable. And, to some point, I think it is pretty clear that many of the arguments made in the UCC are a bit exaggerated and overstated.
However, I did and do believe that the video conveyed the truth-the uncomfortable truth about the reality: our world is facing a state of catastrophe, and our civilization will not last long unless we do something about the crazy-stuff-cycle. Of course, I hardly believe some preposterous facts presented by Leonard, such as "We spend only 1% of what we buy over 6 months" or "America has only a few percent of its forest left than it originaly had"; if all these claims were to be true, our society would have collapsed a long time ago and the planet would have faced devastation even before that. Nevertheless, I do believe that it points out some legitimate and critical points about the truth of our status quo: we are harvesting, wasting, consuming, and dumping WAY TOO MUCH and WAY TOO FAST! It is already a commonly known fact that our resources are being exhausted at an alarming rate and our environment is being polluted with all sorts of waste at a speed we would have never imagined in the past. Third-world countries are being exploited of natural resources, labor, and land by massive western companies and many of the participants of the material cycle, such as miners, laborers, clerks, and desposers, are being deprived of their human rights and are put under harsh working conditions and severe working hours, receiving low wages that barely compensate their contribution. Consumers are manipulated by the advertisements that urge the public to go out and shop "new stuff" as much as possible. Citizens shop and dump and buy and trash stuffs in enormous quantaties until they run out of cash and credit, creating amounts of waste almost as equivalent to much of the amount they purchase. However, the sad truth is: most of us citizens do not even get to properly enjoy all the "stuff" bought-we're simply too busy, to work and earn the money to buy more stuff as the media and the big companies drive us too. Then what is the government doing? Unfortunately, this time, what Leonard says is not quite so distant from the truth-governments are being bought by massive industries, whether it is big tobacco, big pharmaceuticals, or even big hypermarkets, and many of the governments around the world aren't the servants of the people as they used to be.
What I'm trying to say here is: the shocking things the shocking video told us about are hardly believable, but sadly, it is the truth. In terms of expression and delivery, some facts may have been fabricated and some assertions might have been exaggerated. However, many of the descriptions and demostrations about our world in the video is true to a substantiative degree, and we have to realize that before it is too late. Our world is being exploited, our environment is being destroyed, and our lives are endangered-will be endangered, soon enough. The "Story of Stuff" is trying to alert us by delivering the pretty clear message that "we have to use less stuff, or else" by portraying the truth of what's actually happening-even though it is an "uncomfortable truth".
1.THBT outsourcing should be regulated.
2.THW prohibit teachers from presenting their opinions about controversial subjects in class.
3.THW regulate the expansion of hypermarkets.
Good work Hyung Seok. You're the only student from your class to complete the assignment, and therefore at the top of your class.
답글삭제You seem to be one of two students who strongly favors the content of the video - though with minor reservations. I hope you get to argue for the pro on this issue. I think you may want to expand your argument about what our governments and big corporations are doing abroad in the third world, and how and why they are doing it. While Leonard is inaccurate and overstated in how she talks about "us" in our consumer culture (cycle of work, purchase, watch tv, sleep on poison pillows etc. etc.), I do think she is accurate about third world workers and the conditions they suffer - and how THEY ultimately pay for our goods.
When a company like Nike sets up shop in India, who gets rich? The landowners, a handful of Indian investors, and then maybe a few people who set up, construct, and/or manage the factory once it's in place. Those individuals are a buffer who diffuse Nike's responsibility to sweatshop workers (often children) who get paid a dollar a day. So it's important for us, as consumers, to be responsible and carteful about which companies we support. Plenty of companies base their marketing on "fair trade" etc. and it's proven effective. Again, I encourage you to expand on this in the debate. You've done well to touch on it.
Good debate motions. I like number one A LOT, but think it needs further definition. I think part of what I discussed above is applicable.
Good work! I wish the rest of your class was as on top of things.
Thank you Mr. Garrioch,
답글삭제I'll try my best to make the debate on the story of stuff a good one.
I also apologize for being frustrated after the debate class last Tuesday; I know I got a little tempered when I shouldn't have. I'm sorry;