I read in my local paper-newspaper that the Barbie movie has sparked a fad for vintage dolls. Along those lines, how might we in the low-footprint movement drive an anti-consumer fad?
What sort of movie characters, book characters, plot, and so on might spark a massive and glamorous anti-consumerist trend?
There could be some hilarious character who has a neurotic hatred of single-use plastic. Or a very refined, elegant, possibly sexy character who has the same hatred.
There could be a superhero whose kryptonite is single-use plastic.
There could be a villain who has a fetish for giant, tank-like cars that burn as much petroleum as possible.
There could be a really cool character who can’t stand to keep any money around and is always just putting it out into the community. And the character is joyful and carefree.
Just shallow musing off the top of my head here. There’s lots that could be explored.
Some of my favorite city scape depictions are from the solarpunk movement. I think tall Hong Kong or Tokyo-esque skyscrapers covered with vegetation and all manner of organic beauty.
Special note for fellow boomers: our generation is very very large in number, plus we have a lot of spending power. We started many many fads back in the day, and I hear we are still driving a lot of hot trends even in our geezerdom. So, how might we spark a massive craze for all things simple and anti-consumerist?
Another angle is super creative green. Like in my post “jenny’s corner” the other day I was imagining how I’d love to see our whole city be one giant rain-fed waterpark. With the slides and rides and attractions totally interlaced with, and overlaying, all the houses and shops and other buildings.
That might not be obviously anti-consumerist, as there would be an investment required in infrastructure. However, in the long view, it would be anti-consumerist, as people would be very nourished both physically and emotionally, which would probably stave off cravings for less beautiful, less joyful and soul-nourishing, and more fleeting pleasures.
If something like this waterpark-streetscape came into being, it would raise the bar for beauty and joy, while being ecologically beneficial. I can see it sparking a lot of popular trends.