Name: Lina María Chaparro Álvarez

Happiness in the 21st century feat. Happiness by Steve Cutts

3. Watch a short film Happiness by Steve Cutts and summarize it using the
beginnings of sentences given below.
The video tells the story of…
The rats represent…
The video begins with…
To be happy, rats…
The rat’s happiness doesn’t last forever because…
Finally, …
The video tells the story of how people are consumer beings governed under
capitalist power, in this case the rats represent the humans whose role reflects
someone who has a disorderly consumption, who has an eagerness to accumulate
things and to acquire the latest, always. The consumer is not attracted by the
product itself but by being something new, and they make it a lifestyle. The video
begins with a shopping mall, which represents the capitalist system, where rats
are killed to acquire products for a life of luxury.

To be happy, rats buy or get something to be able to survive, but on the contrary,
they buy more than they need, either because they want to have much, or because
they are in fashion to have the best; also money is their complete happiness. The
rat’s happiness doesn't last forever because money runs out and in the end you
find yourself in debt just because you have more than you need.
Finally the rat gives us a clear example of capitalism which is an exploitative
system of workers who are free people, but because they lack the means of
production, in order not to die of hunger they are forced to sell their labor force,
becoming slaves of the system.
5. Discuss questions:
• To what extent, does the video show the truth about consumerism?
Actually most of the video mentions consumerism, but finally the rat ends up
locked in his office reflecting that we all predominate under capitalist power.
• How are people tempted to purchase more and more? Where are we
bombarded with ads the most?
People are tempted to buy more than they need because of fashion or because
humanity tends to pretend to feel more than the other.
The ads are most often found on television or social networks.
• Do you think that people are more satisfied with their possessions than
relationships?
I think it depends on the person, there are many who believe that a life of luxury
gives more happiness than the company of a person, but I know people who feel
happier surrounded by people than by material things or money.
• How difficult is it to get out of the rat race these days?
I consider it difficult to leave but not impossible, this is because people generally
tend to consume and buy material things to feel happy, but this whole race is
generated by capitalism that has influence on the world and its buyers.
• What is the goal that you’re pursuing in your life right now?
The objectives that I am pursuing at this time is to be able to finish my studies, to
be able to be a great professional, to become independent, to travel and above all
to be able to leave the country so that when I return I can contribute to a change.
• Do you think some people just pretend to be happy on social media to be
admired by others?
Of course, most people fake a life in order to have more followers and everything
they reflect on their networks is not totally true, people show what is convenient for
them in order to be popular and not feel rejection by society.
• What does happiness mean to you? What are three things that always make
you happy?
Happiness for me is a feeling that gives us satisfaction, I consider that we are
happy when we achieve our goals, when we do well, when we do the right thing,
when we share with people, we discover new things and finally when we love each
other we are happy.
1. Share with people you appreciate.
2. Travel and discover new cultures and places.
3. Help people in their difficult moments.