The danger of the title “Consumer”

James Kunslter , author and critic of suburbia and proponent of New Urbanism, said something very interesting and important in a podcast referred to me by a friend: “Please, please stop referring to yourselves as consumers, OK. Consumers are different than citizens. Consumers do not have obligations, responsibilities and duties to their fellow human beings.” He goes on to suggest that by referring to ourselves — I might add that even by subconsciously thinking of ourselves — as consumers we are “degrading the conversation.” More than degrading any conversation about the future of America, we’re degrading ourselves. Are we to be defined by how big businesses and billion dollar corporations look at us? Should we continue to pay so much, if any, attention to things like the Consumer Confidence Index ? How important is it, really, to a successful and happy life that the economy be always heading up, up, up? We’re naive to think that ...