Affluenza

Once, hungry children suffered the poverty of there not being enough money for food---the poverty of (literal) poverty. Now, they suffer the poverty of affluence, that new 21st century disease which Oliver James pithily termed 'Affluenza'. The affluence of this century seems to be a more toxic evolution of the last century's affluence, castigated by economist John Kenneth Galbraith as 'private opulence and public squalor'---- his thesis being that the more private wealth people accumulated, the more public services and infrastructure were run down. Now, as well as private opulence and public squalor, which we most certainly have, right across the developed world, we also have domestic squalor. During this present phase, everything that falls within the realm of domesticity seems to be under attack----personal relationships, the family, caring for children and community. These aspects of society are all currently suffering the same fate as public services and infrastructure have already suffered. Now, while we continue to accumulate private opulence through our consumer lifestyle, it is at the cost of our familial, cultural and societal infrastructure. This paradoxical bind we find ourselves in begs the obvious question---- what is the purpose of affluence if we must sacrifice our most basic needs to chase it? The one bright hope is that as our economies contract and our consumer profligacy is curbed, we perhaps might lessen our propensity for domestic squalor.

Blessings on your table!
The Intellectual Foodie
www.your-healthy-eating-helper.com