Affluenza: Do YOU have it? Take the Quiz!

Complete this simple test to find out. (Diagnose yourself using the key below.)

1. I'm willing to pay more for a t-shirt if it has a cool corporate logo on it. T/F

2. I believe that if I buy the cocktail dress, the party will come. T/F

3. I have a shoe collection Imelda Marcos would envy. T/F

4. When I'm cold, I take my clothes off and turn up the heat. T/F

5. I'm willing to work 40 years at a job I hate so I can buy lots of stuff. T/F

6. When I'm feeling blue, I like to go shopping and treat myself. T/F

7. I want a sports utility vehicle, although I rarely drive in conditions that warrant one. T/F

8. I usually make just the minimum payment on my credit cards. T/F

9. I believe that whoever dies with the most toys wins. T/F

10. Most of the things my friends/family and I enjoy doing together are free. T/F

11. I don't measure my self-worth (or that of others) by what I or they own. T/F

12. I know how to pinch a dollar until it screams. T/F

13. I worry about the effects of advertising on children. T/F

14. To get to work, I carpool, ride my bike or use public transportation. T/F

15. I'd rather be shopping right now. T/F

For questions 1-9 and 15, give yourself 2 points for true and 1 point for false.

For questions 10-14, give yourself 0 points for true and 2 points for false.

If you scored:

10-15 points--No dangerous signs of Affluenza at this time. Participate in a community/school presentation of the Affluenza video to help build immunity.

16-22 points--Warning: You have mild Affluenza. Participate in a community presentation of the Affluenza video to help prevent a full-blown case, and see The Bug Stops Here handy tips for squishing the Affluenza Bug.

23-30 points--Cut up your credit cards and call a doctor! Memorize the list of Bug-beating tips. Participate in a community presentation of the Affluenza video then participate again.

Affluenza: Do YOU have it?

Af•flu•en•za: 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling resulting from trying to buy all the latest stuff and keep up with the Joneses. 2. An unsustainable addiction to consumption and economic growth without regard for the consequences to our families, communities or the environment.

Symptoms:

Shopping Fever

Fact: On average, Americans shop 6 hours a week and spend only 40 minutes playing with their children.

Chronic Stress

"We hear the same refrain all the time from people. I have no life....I get home at night, there's laundry, bills to pay....I'm exhausted, I go to sleep, I wake up and the routine begins the next day all over again." - Gerald Celente, Trends Research Institute

Hypercommercialism

Fact: By the age of 20, the average American has seen a million commercials. In addition, advertising accounts for 2/3 of the space in our newspapers and 40% of our mail.

A Rash of Bankruptcies

Fact: In 1997, more than 1.1 million Americans declared personal bankruptcy, more than graduated from college.

Fractured Families

Fact: In 90% of divorce cases, arguments about money play a prominent role.

Social Scars

Fact: The gap between the rich and poor in the US is the widest in any industrial country, and the US has the highest number of children living in poverty.

Resource Exhaustion

Fact: Since 1950, Americans have used more resources than everyone who ever lived before them.

THE BUG Stops Here: Take the CURE!

Before You Buy

Do I really need it? Can I afford it? Could I borrow one from a friend or neighbor? Do I have one already that could be fixed up or repaired? How long will it probably last? Am I prepared to maintain it for its entire lifetime? What are ALL the costs over its lifetime? How many hours or months will I have to work to pay for it? Are the resources that go into it renewable? Is it recyclable? Is it worth it?

Avoid the Mall. Go for a walk; talk to friends.

Fact: There are more Malls than High Schools in America.

Become an advertising critic. Don't be sucked in by efforts to make you feel inadequate so you'll buy more stuff you don't need.

Splurge consciously. A few luxuries can be delightful, and they don't have to be expensive.

Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic

John de Graaf, David Wann, & Thomas H. Naylor, David Horsey, illus.

affluenza, n. a painful, contagious condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.

Based on two highly acclaimed PBS documentaries, Affluenza uses the whimsical metaphor of a disease to tackle a very serious subject: the damage done to our health, our families, our communities, and our environment by the obsessive quest for material gain that has become the core principle of the American Dream.

The authors show that problems like loneliness and rising debt, longer working hours and environmental pollution, family conflict and rampant commercialism are actually symptoms caused by a single "disease": affluenza, the never-ending search for more.

Thankfully, affluenza can be cured. If it turns out you do have the bug the book includes a self-diagnosis test so you can find out the authors detail a number of treatments that offer hope for recovery. They show readers how millions have already enriched their lives by getting rid of the excess baggage, the cultural clutter, and the exhausting race to keep up with the Joneses. Affluenza offers prescriptions that deliver greater value for the money, time, and energy spent each day; for augmenting individual efforts with political remedies; for inoculating ourselves against advertising; for using technology and inspired design to minimize the side-effects of overconsumption; and more.