...
written by RM Reiss , January 20, 2008

Wow that film is beautifully presented. The one flaw in the argument that I notice points up the reasonableness of everything else -- the flaw being the question about flame retardants in pillows. Our government, probably at the insistence of Ralph Nader and at the ongoing horror of fire in homes, put those there to protect us, which is the opposite of her message. (Ideally, manufacturers will someday find safer ways to make things fire retardant.)
On the rest of her message, it's worth seeing how clearly thought out these questions were even before the 1950's:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorstein_Veblen

A choice quote from the Wikipedia article on Veblen, which directly connects to the film section on the hamster wheel of consumption:

"Veblen described economic behavior as socially rather than individually determined and saw economic organization as a process of ongoing evolution. This evolution was driven by the human instincts of emulation, predation, workmanship, parental bent, and idle curiosity. Veblen wanted economists to grasp the effects of social and cultural change on economic changes. In The Theory of the Leisure Class, which is probably his best-known work, because of its satiric look at American society, the instincts of emulation and predation play a major role. People, rich and poor alike, attempt to impress others and seek to gain advantage through what Veblen coined 'conspicuous consumption' and the ability to engage in 'conspicuous leisure.' In this work Veblen argued that consumption is used as a way to gain and signal status. Through 'conspicuous consumption' often came 'conspicuous waste,' which Veblen detested. Much of modern advertising is built upon a Veblenian notion of consumption."

(Not bad for a book written in 1899.)

and on the mechanisms of consumer persuasion, Edward Bernays:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZYTrFokPHY