The Story of Stuff

The New York Times wrote about the Story of Stuff, a twenty-minute animated film about the effects of the stuff we buy. I mentioned it a while back, but apparently, this video has been spreading like wildfire through classrooms, as teachers are using it to supplement the pitifully weak textbook materials that are available on environmental issues.

You can watch the video in its entirety here and decide for yourself whether you think it's appropriate for children. The basic message is, the stuff you buy, particularly the stuff you buy and then throw away ends up somewhere, impacting the lives of somebody, even if you never think about it again. Simple enough in theory, hardly arguable, and yet, oh so hard for me to remember when I walk into Target or Ikea.

In the NY Times article, some parents object to the video, saying,

There was not one positive thing about capitalism in the whole thing...It was very well done, very effective advocacy, but it was just that,” he said.

Two things are going on here. First a problem with capitalism vs. environmentalism - a debate that I think need not even exist. Second, a problem with parents' gross lack of understanding about what literacy is, what schooling is for, and the simple fact that every single piece of print or media material that their children ever view is biased in some way and children must be taught to interpret and judge it accordingly. And no, there isn't always a right answer. Sometimes there's not even two sides of an issue...there's fifty, or a hundred, or 7 billion! And it seems incredibly naive to me when parents assume that as long as you are using an Approved Textbook, you must be presented a fair and balanced perspective anyway. Have you read a textbook lately??

I would like to point out to that father quoted above that capitalism certainly has had its chance to present its side of the story to your child...in every commercial, billboard, logo'd t-shirt, and embedded within the movies, songs and television programs she watches since she was born.

In any case, I think this video is short, accessible, free, and thought-provoking, on a topic that we should all take a little more seriously.