Abundance 2
What are the 4 qualities that American consumers like? Give origin and example of each
1) Comfort: originates from frontier times where there were very few comforts. Example: mattresses, furniture, etc.
2) Cleanliness: originates from Puritans' need to cleanse body from dirt, evil and sexual desires. Example: all kinds of cleaning products/Febreeze
3) Novelty: Love to invent new stuff to trivial problems and get rid of old but still usable stuff in order to get new improved products. Example: selfie stick.
4) Convenience: They like to save time. Example: dishwasher, food processors.
What is frontier?
a new place or idea to explore
How were American values shaped by the frontier?
Key words:
All 6 American values with examples/explanations
What is abundance?
A very large quantity of something
Which video talks about "Best by Date" and expiry date"?
Dumpster Diving
What were the two effects of advertising? Give 3 examples from the book.
2) Advertising started changing Americans' attitudes, behavior and beliefs.
Examples:
1) Urge teenagers not to use drugs
2) Charities ask for donations
3) Politicians advertise their campaigns
What is a rugged person?
A person who is tough, with determination
Describe the 3 reasons why people moved West.
Key words:
overcrowded NYC
Government gave land
Gain land from Native Americans
What is dumpster diving?
The act of getting food from garbage
What is the last message that Lisa Nichols give?
She had to rescue herself.
What are the consequences of mass print loss of revenue? What is revenue?
Mass print loss of revenue consequences:
1) Mass print has gone out of business
2) Others have gone online
3) Journalists no longer do research. Articles are published without checking for facts. There is no in-depth coverage
Revenue: Income or money made by a company
What is desensitized?
No longer having feelings because of repeated
exposure
Describe the rugged individualist and indicate what values he represents.
Key words:
physically tough, rugged by living conditions, good with guns, lonely, no family, no children, need no help from others, could meet all dangers of frontier life
all 6 American values with examples/explanations.
What is aristocracy?
Highest class in a society, with noble titles
Compare the view of cowboys, their ethnicity, guns and Indians between Hollywood’s image vs. reality according to Adam Conover. Indicate how the concept of the Hollywood’s cowboy originated.
What has the internet and 24-hour news created?
1) A desire for instant reporting with factual mistakes, wrong interpretations, silly and fake news.
2) newsertainment or infotainment: News that entertain more than inform.
3) More access to eyewitness news, which is hart to verify its accuracy.
4) customizable or personalized news don't show two points of view.
5) social media as the biggest influencer
What is a "can-do spirit?
Positive attitude
Describe the two types of rugged individualists. Explain the characteristics of both.
Key words:
Before Civil War: man vs. wilderness
After Civil War: man vs. man
Give 3 examples (2 from the book) that show that America is abundant.
Key words:
Energy consumption
amount of waste
natural resources
beliefs, hard work and determination
Summarize the video on dumpster diving.
Keywords:
Stores throw food because:
people look for perfect food so they throw away a whole bag because one is bad,
they throw food with near best by date but they're still edible because of the many preservatives. Only expiry dates should not be consumed.
The refrigerator goes down.
How to avoid food waste?
Check your food before you throw it away. Don't look for the perfect produce.
Why is the limitless supply of information a double-edge sword? What is a double-edge sword?
This limitless supply of information has good and bad sides:
1) Positive: help us solve important problems and can bring many benefits to humanity.
2) Negative: May overwhelm us and lead to making quick poor decisions based on emotions, not informed.
Mention one difference between the Hollywood cowboy and the real cowboy.
1) Image: tough, lone, protectors of the West vs. cattle tenders
2) Gun use: very skilled/enforced law vs. prohibited.
3) Ethnic background: white, tall, blonde, blue eyes vs. from different races: African Americans, Mexicans
4) Indians: savages vs. victims of U.S. Government
5) Origin: started in a circus vs. started in Mexico after being introduced by Spaniards.
Why was the frontier a place where inventiveness and a can-do spirit originated?
Why was the frontier an example of equality of opportunity?
Key words:
inventiveness due to need, can do spirit: always find a solution
People in the frontier dressed alike, and didn't worry about anybody's past. Even rich people did not show off.
When were Americans producers? When did they start thinking themselves as consumers? Why?
Key words:
18th Century: Factory workers, land owners, farmers.
With mass advertising, Americans became consumers: everybody received the same ads
Summarize Lisa Nichol's story and message
She had a rough start. Nobody believed in her: her teachers discouraged her from writing or public speaking. She worked in a collections agency but because she knew what it was to be broke, she would be horrible at her job because she tried to help people off the list instead of instigating them to pay. She hit rock bottom when she found herself living in her poor native neighborhood of East LA, with a 6 month-old baby whose parents was in jail and she couldn't get money from the MTA to buy diapers for her baby because she only had $11 so she had to wrap her baby in towels for two days. She started attending conferences many times to learn how to become rich. Now she is a very successful multimillionaire who provides motivational speeches and helps adolescents.