I am currently working on a post regarding so-called “green” living, and I came across the name of photographer Chris Jordan. He has an interesting series entitled “Intolerable Beauty: Portraits of American Mass Consumption“
Quoted from his website regarding the series:
Exploring around our country’s shipping ports and industrial yards, where the accumulated detritus of our consumption is exposed to view like eroded layers in the Grand Canyon, I find evidence of a slow-motion apocalypse in progress. I am appalled by these scenes, and yet also drawn into them with awe and fascination. The immense scale of our consumption can appear desolate, macabre, oddly comical and ironic, and even darkly beautiful; for me its consistent feature is a staggering complexity.
The pervasiveness of our consumerism holds a seductive kind of mob mentality. Collectively we are committing a vast and unsustainable act of taking, but we each are anonymous and no one is in charge or accountable for the consequences. I fear that in this process we are doing irreparable harm to our planet and to our individual spirits.
As an American consumer myself, I am in no position to finger wag; but I do know that when we reflect on a difficult question in the absence of an answer, our attention can turn inward, and in that space may exist the possibility of some evolution of thought or action. So my hope is that these photographs can serve as portals to a kind of cultural self-inquiry. It may not be the most comfortable terrain, but I have heard it said that in risking self-awareness, at least we know that we are awake.
Some of the photos in the series, such as the one below, are simply amazing to look at. To think about the amount of waste that is produced every year is something most people, including myself, never think about.
Our society is built on consumption and throwaway goods. I am not going to point fingers, since I enjoying buying new gadgets as much as most people do. But I want everyone to consider cost versus value when making purchases. Instead of buying cheap clothing that will wear out quickly, spend the money on high quality items that will last years. Instead of buying cheap electronics with the intention to buy something better later on, save up for what you really want and buy that instead. That way you only pay once, which saves you money, you get the cool stuff that you really want, and you consume less materials in the end. Consider upgrade cycles and whether you really need to give in to buying the latest and greatest. Cell phones are a good example. Every time you take a free upgrade to another crappy cell phone (why do you think they’re free?) you are contributing to waste. And you lock yourself into another contract with your cellphone company.
I know I am slowly changing my views on what I buy and how I value those things. This is another example that buying less is good for both your wallet and the environment. I hope to follow up with more posts like this, but until then take a look at Chris Jordan’s website to see the rest of the photos. He has a few other really cool galleries to check out in addition to the one mentioned. Enjoy!
Cool article, but I can’t help but ask:
Is expensive clothing really that much more durable? And, when we do splurge and get the more expensive gadgets, does that prevent us from wanting the latest and greatest that comes out a month later? I think no matter what we do, we’ll always want more than what we have. It’s how our society is programmed.
That is a very good point, but I should clarify that expensive doesn’t always equal quality, and cheap doesn’t always mean bad. A $200 pair of jeans will wear out as fast as a pair of $40 jeans from the GAP. On the other hand a good pair of shoes will likely last longer than a pair from Payless, and be more comfortable at that. Plus a good pair of leather shoes can usually be resoled for less than buying a new pair.
Gadgets are a tough call. For me I know that if I do my research I will generally have less buyer’s remorse and will be happy with what I bought longer. Others may be different I guess. One example: I bought 480p plasma tv a few years ago, but soon wished I had waited to save for a full HDTV since prices came down dramatically. But I can’t imagine wanting a new TV if I had bought a 50″ 1080p plasma instead. But other gadgets, like digital cameras, have such a frequent upgrade cycle it’s hard not to get caught up in wanting something new. It’s just a matter of how much you’re willing to spend to be a gadget junky I guess.
And I absolutely agree that we will always want more. But I’m trying to shift to the mindset of having more actual money, instead of more stuff. Which is surprisingly hard to do, I think.