Comments on: A viral Christmas present

By: Sean D'Souza

Sean D'Souza — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:41:42 +0000

I recently visited the US (and California specifically). I wrote about how fuel was simply being over-consumed by the sheer volume of the cars (transporting just one person). The editor found it useful enough to dedicate the entire column to the letter. But guess what the response of most of the locals were?

Yup, they told me to go back from where I came. And to stop telling us what to consume and what not to consume. The world needs a dictator at this point. Or fuel prices that reach $12 a gallon. That’s what will make people stop. And think for a change.

By: Phil

Phil — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:25:24 +0000

I don’t think this video will have any effect. Everyone knows that we are consuming too fast. No one cares. It is sad … but for every video like this … there are a million ads showing you why purchasing something will make your life better. Often the ads are tiny easy to watch clips and they have a greater emotional impact. Anyone watching this already believes in its mantra. Buying a DVD is also ludicrous since it creates more waste … especially for a 20 minute clip. Sorry to be so pessimsitic …

- Phil.

By: Jen, writer MembershipMillionaire.com

Jen, writer MembershipMillionaire.com — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:58:04 +0000

This is the first time I’ve ever heard of it really. Perhaps I was too distracted by the whole What Would Jesus Buy production. It’s the more popular anti-consumerism video going around, isn’t it? It’s supposedly hilarious but possesses good points. I’m not sure how interesting this other video would be.

By: Elmer Rich

Elmer Rich — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:35:48 +0000

Bought the book and have to say — like most business books (IMHO) — it’s just awful. 90% of the content could be covered in an appendix and the rest is anecdote and filler. When will we start to see peer-reviewed articles testing these kind of ideas? Please more science and less case studies and stories — sticky as they may (seem to) be!

By: Bruno

Bruno — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 07:35:31 +0000

I saw the video and must admit that I was glued to the screen to the end. Not because any of the information contained in it was news to me. Any well informed individual is aware of the down sides of the “infinite growth” economic paradigm. Instead, I was glued to it because the presentation was so compelling that I just had to see it to the end.
And there, I believe, is the point of Dan’s post. Rather you agree with her points or not, The Story of Stuff is one sticky little film. After thinking about it, I realized that the style has everything to do with it. By going with a black-&-white, child-like, animated style she was able to present complex concepts in a non-aggressive, humorous way, thus diffusing the harsh reality aspect of the content that could otherwise turn off a large segment of her viewership. Brilliant “sticky” work in my opinion. Well thought out, well executed.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 04:40:21 +0000

I have a sneaking suspicion that this video is only going viral in the political left realm. That’s fine, but you won’t make a difference preaching to the choir. It neatly packages green ideals but it feels too abstract. Graphs and statistics can be taken out of context, and not citing sources kills credibility.

And seriously, what was she thinking with temporarily using a tank to represent the US government? She needs to stay on message.

By: Des

Des — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 08:53:28 +0000

I must admit, this video really opened my eyes this morning and made me question my own beliefs and they way we all consume and dispose of things. I think that this will have an initial impact and can only be helped by people spreading the word about the http://www.storyofstuff.com, displaying it on websites and even their own blogs. I intend to display it on all my media. Will it change the world? Probably not. As Annie mentions, we need to make a start somewhere.

By: Ben Drake

Ben Drake — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:24:13 +0000

This reminds me of ‘the Story of Money’ (or something similar) that I watched on Youtube recently, relating the history of monetary debt, inflation, etc.

Listen, a million people can watch this video and nod in agreement with its philosophy; but getting anyone to actually change their lifestyle is next to impossible.

By: Glenn Tomasyan

Glenn Tomasyan — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 19:59:49 +0000

The Story of Stuff is awesome. What a way to share how crazy our current society is living and destroying the planet. For those of you youtube junkies…..try the good old fashiopned www. If you go to the website = http://www.storyofstuff.com = the whole 20 minute video is there in perfect fashion. Instead of finding problems with the video, why don’t you try and implement solutions into your own life to address the problems brought up in the video. Everyone of us in the planet (especially those in the US) should WAKE UP and begin thinking about these touchy subjects, and how to leverage them into new ways of living for future generations and economies.

By: Cliff Allen

Cliff Allen — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 21:46:58 +0000

It’s a great video and I’ve encouraged people to buy the DVD, or download the video, and show it to groups of friends, at organizations they belong to, etc.