DEMATERIALIZING: CHALLENGING A POSSESSION-OBSESSED CULTURE

If you’re secretly stunned by the consumerism of your friends, family or co-workers, and even yourself, you’re not alone. Studies show that 95 percent of Americans believe materialism increasingly dominates our lives and may undermine our most important values. And for a lot of people, it may be time to dematerialize. Join Wesleyan authors for a lively discussion about the pressures and expectations related to owning things, and gain historical and cultural insights into why “stuff” becomes so important.

Presenters: Jane Hammerslough ’82, former New York Post columnist, frequent contributor to national magazines including Parenting, Child, Travel and Leisure, and Country Living, and author of Dematerializing: Taming the Power of Possessions; David Brancaccio ’82, Host and Senior Editor, Minnesota Public Radio’s Marketplace program and author of Squandering Aimlessly: My Adventures in the American Market Place