1

Georgi Genchev
SES 360B
April 7, 2015
Assignment 11

Can authoritarian rule be benefited by consumerism and will it usher in new democratic
values
According to Porritt, the most senior adviser to the government on sustainability, we have
become a generation of shopaholics. We are bombarded by advertising from every medium which
persuades us that the more we consume, the better our lives will be. Shopping is equated with
fun, fulfilment and self-identity. It is also, Porritt warns, killing the planet. He argues, that merely
switching to 'ethical' shopping is not enough. We must shop less.
Porritt has concluded that consumerism is central to the threat facing the planet,
cannibalizing its natural resources and producing the carbon dioxide emissions which result in
climate change. His film cites China as an example of how booming economic growth has
produced an explosion of consumerism with mixed results: millions have risen out of poverty, but
the consequences for the environment are severe.
In response to the question given, I would say that consumerism leads to new democratic
values, as we have seen China is an example for this. It is natural that with the progress of
technologies and the globalization people want and consume more and more. In a country that is
under authoritarian rule, this turns out to be difficult, since self-sustainability is hard, not to speak
about new, modern goods. Let us consider Cuba, until recently it was a country without internet,
limited import, limited export and so on.

However, I do not agree with Poritt that consumerism is a treat. I believe that exactly
consumerism is the driving force of innovation a progress. The different parts of the World
specialize in different areas, compete with others, reduce costs, improve quality, build new
factories, just in order to satisfy the consumers needs. Of course, this might in some instances
turn harmful for the environment, but I am confident that in the near future a solution for this
problem will be invented.