| Italic Title: | (see above) --> |
| The Waste Makers | |
| Author: | Vance Packard |
| Country: | United States |
| Subject: | Consumerism |
| Publisher: | David McKay |
| Pub Date: | 1960 |
| Pages: | 306 |
| Isbn: | 978-1935439370 |
The Waste Makers is a 1960 book on consumerism by Vance Packard. It was bestselling when it was released. The book argues that people in the United States consume a lot more than they should and are harmed by their consumption.
One reviewer summarized the book's thesis as follows:
Another reviewer noted:
Vance Packard worked to change the meaning of the term "consumerism" from a positive word about consumer practices to a negative word meaning excessive materialism and waste.[1] The ads for his book The Waste Makers prominently featured the word "consumerism" in a negative way.[1]
One reviewer said that the book is an examination of how economic growth became thought to be a virtue.[2]
Another reviewer said that the book describes the manipulation of ordinary people by business interests.[3] The reviewer for Commentary noted that Packard had made harsh attacks on businessmen.[4]