Letter of the day Don't blame only the consumer for consumerism

refer to Associate Professor Michelle Lee's Opinion piece "Time to take a hard look at curbing While I agree with her that the average consumer has a role to play in reducing excessive consumption, I feel she has overlooked the underlying problems.

- Holmberg Dennis

While I agree with her that the average consumer has a role to play in reducing excessive consumption, I feel she has overlooked the underlying problems. Consumerism is not just a consumer issue, but also a corporate and policy issue.

Consumerism is a corollary of capitalism and the growth imperative. Ever-increasing profit and economic growth demand ever-increasing consumption.

The annual exultation of gross domestic product and consumer spending growth implicitly endorses consumerism and the often shady business practices that fuel it.