The Politics of Living Simply

Caring and Sharing

By: Thuy Vy Bui Nguyen, David, Astrid,
Yingzhao, Garen


Research Question


How does bell hooks major points in relation to the
topic of living simply
How does bell hooks major points in relation to the
topic of caring and sharing?

What are some real life example of living simple that
happened in real life?
What are some real life example of caring and sharing
in real life?

Group Question


What does class solidarity mean?
What is the difference between class
solidarity and charity?
bell hooks Major Points In Relation to
The Politics of Living Simply

What does bell hooks mean when she talks about The Politics of Living Simply?

Bell hooks means everyone has to follow certain steps and be willing to change their lifestyle to
live equally and simple. For example live like most poor people.

To stand in solidarity with the poor is no easy gesture at a time when individuals of all classes are
encouraged to fear for their economic well-being. Certainly the fear of being taken advantage of
by those in need has led many people with class privilege to turn their backs on the poor. (hooks
p.46)

We need to stand in solidarity with all classes.
We need to build unity between the poor, middle, and rich classes
bell hooks Living SImply
At church we were taught to identify with the poor. This was the spoken narrative of class that
dominated my growing-up years. The poor were chosen and closer to the heart of my divine
because their lives embodied the wisdom of living simply. (hooks p. 39)

Most of the time just because people were considered poor
They were viewed to be more holy and closer to the divine since they were living simply.


.To see the poor as ourselves we must want for the poor what we want for ourselves. By living
simply, we all express our solidarity with the poor and our recognition that gluttonous consumption
must end. (hooks p. 48)

In order to stand in solidarity with the poor we must want the best for them, we must want
what we want for them also.
The greediness and selfishness must end if we want to express our solidarity with the poor.

"United States is one of worlds largest producers of trash.
Trash is produced at an alarming rate of 1,609 pounds of
trash per person, per year."
"Almost every hour, nearly 250,000 plastic bottles are
dumped."
Plastic bottles constitute close to 50% of recyclable waste
in the dumps.
Cell Phones and its burden on the environment.
"About 130 million cell phones are retired annually in the
United States. Collectively, these cell phones weigh about
14,000 metric tons."
Real Life Research In Relation To Living Simply.

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Real Life Research and Example In Relation To Living Simply.

Other Example
Examples show Bee Johnson caring and sharing:
1. Bea Johnson shared a list of a years unrecyclable trash in her household to
her friend and told her story that how she started. (P270) He figured were
saving about forty percent over what we used to spend, she told her friend.
(She shows her friend how she lives simply and the list of a years unrecyclable
trash in her household. It shows she is willing to show her simply life to her
friends and want to introduce this kind of lifestyle to others, because she thinks
it is good.)

2. Bea Johnson shared her sons ninja-lunch YouTube videos and other stuff on
her blog. (P281) The Johnsons answer to this classic question was to attend to
their own nest first, to put down the wasteful things that once defined their
home and possessions and then find ways to help others to do the same with
Beas blog and de-cluttering business, with their sons ninja-lunch YouTube
videos, with the example of a different way they provide to friends and local
businesses in Mill Valley.
(She shares her own life experience and teach others to live simply. It shows
she is willing to share and spread her thoughts of living simply and want others
to live in a low-wasteful way.)
8
bell hooks Major Points
In Relation To Caring
and Sharing
What is bell hooks trying to suggest by caring and sharing?
She thinks that rich dont care about poor. Bell hooks sees such a thing as something against God. She wants to
break the idea of class segregation by suggesting people to care about each other by sharing the things they can to
help each other.

God had given them a paradise of bounty on earth
and they had not shared. The rare ones, the rich people who
shared, were the only ones able to meet the divine in paradise,
and even then it was harder for them to find their way. (pg 27)
This quote states one of hooks beliefs about the ones who dont care about the poor. She think thats its against God. Those who
care about poor have a spot reserved in heaven.
Indeed showing solidarity with the poor was essential spiritual
work, a way to learn the true meaning of community and enact
the sharing of resources that would necessarily dismantle
hierarchy and difference. ( pg 39)
bell hooks brings friendly communities as an example where people caring and sharing is greatly expressed.
For instance Northridge mall is the home for our community because it cares about the community.
Caring and Sharing Continued
Resisting unnecessary consumerism, living simply, and
abundantly sharing resources are the easiest ways to begin an
economic shift that will ultimately create balance. (pg 162)
This is what bell hooks suggests to do in order to break the class segregation. Her ideas
are like Humes idea in terms of consumerism and living simply. By balance she means
equality.
Unfortunately in our society people cant resist their consuming habits and most of
them dont live simply.

Significantly, while the uncaring rich and powerful, especially
those in control of government, big business, and mass media,
were and are at the forefront of campaigns to place all
accountability for poverty on the poor and to equate being
poor with being worthless, lots of other non-wealthy citizens
have allied themselves with these groups. (Pg 45)
One of the reasons why hooks wrote her book is expressed in this quote.
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11
According to the Internal Revenue Service records of Americans,
"Taxpayers who earned $50,000 or more in 2008, Donated a
median of 4.7 percent of their discretionary income to charitable
causes."
"Provided $135-billion to charity, nearly two-thirds of the $214-
billion donated by all individuals in 2008." (Emily
Gipple, Ben Gose).
"Two of the top nine states have high numbers of Mormon
residents, who have a tradition of tithing at least 10 percent of
their income to the church. The remaining states in the top nine
are all in the Bible Belt."(Emily Gipple, Ben Gose).
Church teaches you to identify with the poor and live simply.
Statistics show that nation wide, states associated with religion are more
likely to be charitable due to their faith.
Real Life Research In Relation To Caring
& Sharing
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13
Total Contribution
Contributions By House Hold
Real Life Research and Example In
Relation To Caring and Sharing
He figured were saving about forty percent over what we used to spend, she told
her friend. (Humes, 270)

Bea Johnson shared a list of a years unrecyclable trash in her household, her method of living
simply (4R to her friend and told her story that how she started.
She believed this method is good for saving up money and resources.

For birthdays and Christmas, the family emphasizes the giving thing of experiences
rather than things(Humes, 279)


Beas family chose to have more time spending with her family rather that buy decoration item
for event and instead, she hand made them.

There are lots of ideas and experiments in sustainable living generated through
permaculture principles, and sharing them in person creates opportunities for
everyone to learn, for everyone to be inspired, and for everyone, no matter how
new they are to permaculture, to come away with practical information that they
can go home and apply." (Baird, LIVING SIMPLY)


The idea of sharing his knowledge using face-to-face method is either living simply without
technology but also because he care for those who listen, they are able to learn more, and inspire
by the performance.
Other Example
Living simply
1, when she went to grocery shops, she brings three
reusable shopping totes with a number of mason jars
in them. (P276) She brings three reusable shopping
totes with a number of mason jars in them.
2, Johnson buys a local dairy brand of milk that
comes in returnable reusable glass bottles. (P276)
3, she keeps two big mason jars of flour on hand all
the time for baking-quiche, pizza, cookies. (P276)
Those habits Bea Johnson has show that she lives
simply in different ways and it is totally possible to
live simply like those ways.
15

Analysis!



What is the difference between class solidarity and charity?
Class solidarity is when people come together and unite, It refers to the ties in a society that bind people together as one. although charity is
when people just donate to those in need.

How does the politics of living simply relate to the social classes?
The politics of living simply relates to social classes because in order to live simply you must give up a lot and be willing to live with the things
the lower class does.

Why are living simply, caring and sharing are hard things to do?
hedonistic consumerism and material longing
There is fear of being taken advantage of, for both the rich and the poor.
They are chosen to be like that.
They work hard so they have what they have, why share? It is Unfair.
They think being with the poor make you look poor.
Living simple, makes people think we are poor.
Rich want to be richer when poor is falling to be poor.
Other people share, care and save already, why us?
In Conclusion
it was possible for us to gain class power without betraying our solidarity toward those without class privilege.
One way that we achieved this end was by living simply, sharing our resources, and refusing to engage in hedonistic
consumerism and the politics of greed. Our goals were not to become wealthy but to become economically self-
sufficient (pg.108)

Most people, the first thing they say is, all this fighting waste must take up so much time and effort. It must be
exhausting. And I say, just the opposite. I have more time than ever for family activities, for arts, for whatever I
like. I spend less time shopping, less time cleaning, less time picking up. Ive never been happier or more relaxed.

"He's a big believer that we should choose our technology carefully and be conscious of the way machines can
negatively impact our lives by removing exercise, community interactions, and opportunities for rest - picture the
stress we've added to our lives by making ourselves constantly accessible through e-mail, phone and text
messages," said Maggie Sullivan (LIVING SIMPLY)
Reference/Citations
Picture:
http://www.foodforthoughtbooks.com/event/resistance-resilience-community-book-discussion-
where-we-stand-class-matters
http://www.traemcneely.com/2011/08/17/sharing-is-caring-black-white-tablet-phone-background/
Books Citation
Hooks, bell. WHERE WE STAND: Class Matters New York: Routledge, 2000. Pg. 60 -108
Humes, Edward. Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash. Penguin Group. New York: Avery,
1994. Print. Tue.
Article/Statistic Citation
Hewitt, Dawn. "LIVING SIMPLY: Simply Living Fair Offers Ideas for People Seeking Harmony with Earth."
The Herald - Times, (2010): March 23, 2014.

Gipple, Emily, and Ben Gose. "How America Gives." The Chronicle of Philanthropy. N.p., n.d. Web. 27
Mar. 2014. <http://www.philanthropy.com/article/America-s-Generosity-Divide/133775/>.
"Recycling Statistics and Facts." All-Recycling-Facts.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. <http://
www.all-recycling-facts.com/recycling-statistics.html>.
"The Environmental Costs (and Benefits) of Our Cell Phones." TreeHugger. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar.
2014. <http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/the-environmental-costs-and-
benefits-of-our-cell-phones.html>.
"What's In My Phone." Minerals Educations Coalation. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.mineralseducationcoalition.org/pdfs/Cell-Phone.pdf>.