culture geography ch9

Read the frequently asked questions I’ve posted below. Then reply to the questions, making sure not to just reply to the original FAQ.
1.Can you please explain the “age of mass consumption” to me?
It refers to our current culture of mass consumption: buying hordes of products and stuff, much of it being not really needed and rapidly disposable; e.g. a new cell phone every other year, new cars, new clothes, more shoes, super-sized meals, almost everything coming with extra packaging, etc. How about leaf blowers? These are just some of the blatant material things. What about information consumption? Many humans also consume staggering amounts of social[sic] media and “non-social” media (TV, news, sports, pornography, etc.), of which there’s a huge connection with material consumption.
How does such consumption affect society and effect global warming (deliberate choice of principal vowels there) in your eyes?
2.Is it possible for a second or third world country to improve its ranking to a first or second world?
Yes indeed. However, they are outdated terms. Third World was a term coined by the countries that weren’t associated with the Cold War between prominent communist nations and capitalist nations. Since then, many “third world” nations have developed massively, e.g. China, Chile, Mexico, etc.
What are your perspectives on these issues and terms?
3.I find it interesting to think that people find developments in nations based on GDP and the economy alone, this seems like a capitalist way of looking at things. Do other forms of economies see this the same way? Furthermore, how do geographers think of economics being a key factor in development? Do they agree or do they look more towards human development?
Indeed, there are numerous flaws with solely focusing on GDP. No, other forms of economies don’t see it the same way. There are many ways of analyzing economics by geographers. Over the past few decades most geographers have become critical of traditional economic paradigms and their drive to quantify and essentialize. Development is highly contested: in terms of what counts as it, how it’s structured, who benefits from it, and many intersectional politics come into play. As you say, human development is much more central. What are your views on it?
Here’s a neat resource:
https://ethical.net/politics/gdp-alternatives-7-ways-to-measure-countries-wealth/