We're not people, we're consuming units

i deeply resent being labeled a "consumer..." consumption in all of its most ugly forms - conspicuous, over, unbridled, insatiable - is the symptomatic badge of the first world and of the u.s. in particular... we've got young people dying in iraq so we can continue our consumptive ways... does this critical national issue ever make it to the msm...? nah... we'd rather soak up natalee holloway, what one blogger has termed "emotional porn..." at least somebody's putting their finger on the problem even if it's only in alternet...

In American Mania: When More is Not Enough, renowned psychiatrist Dr. Peter C. Whybrow skillfully and sensitively critiques the mess America has made of its consumer culture.

What have we become? According to Whybrow’s scientific and philosophical analyses, we’ve devolved into a nation of overindulging, overstimulated flakes addicted to easy access and instant gratification.

Dr. Whybrow argues that our seemingly interminable quest for more -- more money, more power, more toys, more cars -- has in fact become a form of clinical mania marked by symptoms such as anxiety, depression and obesity.

To avoid suffering a collective mental breakdown, Whybrow implores us to stop focusing on things and instead turn our attention to people -- family, friends and community.

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