Book reading: History of the throwaway society
VHS@home on 17 May, 7 to 8.30 pm
Sooner or later, everything is thrown away; throwing away is part of our consumption. In his book "Geschichte der Wegwerfgesellschaft. Die Kehrseite des Konsums" (The flip side of consumption). The Chemnitz Adult Education Centre invites all interested parties to an online discussion with the author on Monday, 17 May from 7 to 8.30 pm. He will also present the results of his work in a satirical reading.
Participation is free of charge. Anyone interested can register by 4 p.m. on the day of the event at www.vhs-chemnitz.de or 0371 488 4343 and will receive an access link by email.
Not only old, worn or broken items are thrown away, but also usable and as-new products end up in the rubbish. Many items are produced for a single use only to be disposed of immediately afterwards. Such behaviour is the result of a long-term historical process. It started at the turn of the century with hygiene products such as toilet paper, sanitary towels, nappies and paper handkerchiefs. After the Second World War, other disposable items were added: paper cups and plastic crockery, nylon stockings and ballpoint pens, razor blades, drinks cans and much more.
In his book, Wolfgang König shows how the economy and consumers have jointly made throwing away a routine and discusses ways of overcoming the throwaway society. During the reading, he would like to discuss what alternatives are available and how we can become aware of our own behaviour.
The author is Professor Emeritus of the History of Technology at the Technical University of Berlin. His book "Geschichte der Wegwerfgesellschaft. The flipside of consumption" was published in 2019.