The Consumer's Dilemma
Interesting site: http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumer_dilemma/
I heard this on NPR this morning and I decided to visit the site.
I added a few of my own ideas to their list, we'll see if they publish them and how low they rank the feasibility...
Anyway, here are the three ideas I submitted:
Education
Democracy/Capitalism relies explicitly upon the idea of an informed polity/consumer. Culturally/Institutionally, we fail to meet this requirement. Marketing controls the bulk of political/dollar votes. Through propaganda the political/corporate machines generate buy-in from the masses. Making the education of our future generations a political/economic priority could create a critical/informed polity/consumer capable of using democracy/capitalism to manage this Earth.
Global Governance
Our global capitalist economic system has outstretched our political system. In a balanced scenario government can be used to check the excesses of powerful corporate interests, to protect the public trust and the public interests. Contemporary global capitalism has no such political equal to govern, limit, or moderate its processes or its impact. We are one world, one species, and we need one government to represent our interests, needs, and hopes for the future.
Don’t believe the hype
Global corporate propaganda has most of the world believing that if you stop being (mega)consumers, something very bad will happen. Innocent people will lose their jobs. There isn’t enough work to go around unless we keep making and selling lots of stuff we don’t really need. Meanwhile the promise of the future that we were all made in grade school goes unfulfilled: a world without hunger, a world with health care, clothing, food, and education for all of our brothers and sisters. There is plenty of work to keep us all busy. There are plenty of ways to structure an economy. Don’t believe that (over)shopping is your duty.
I heard this on NPR this morning and I decided to visit the site.
I added a few of my own ideas to their list, we'll see if they publish them and how low they rank the feasibility...
Anyway, here are the three ideas I submitted:
Education
Democracy/Capitalism relies explicitly upon the idea of an informed polity/consumer. Culturally/Institutionally, we fail to meet this requirement. Marketing controls the bulk of political/dollar votes. Through propaganda the political/corporate machines generate buy-in from the masses. Making the education of our future generations a political/economic priority could create a critical/informed polity/consumer capable of using democracy/capitalism to manage this Earth.
Global Governance
Our global capitalist economic system has outstretched our political system. In a balanced scenario government can be used to check the excesses of powerful corporate interests, to protect the public trust and the public interests. Contemporary global capitalism has no such political equal to govern, limit, or moderate its processes or its impact. We are one world, one species, and we need one government to represent our interests, needs, and hopes for the future.
Don’t believe the hype
Global corporate propaganda has most of the world believing that if you stop being (mega)consumers, something very bad will happen. Innocent people will lose their jobs. There isn’t enough work to go around unless we keep making and selling lots of stuff we don’t really need. Meanwhile the promise of the future that we were all made in grade school goes unfulfilled: a world without hunger, a world with health care, clothing, food, and education for all of our brothers and sisters. There is plenty of work to keep us all busy. There are plenty of ways to structure an economy. Don’t believe that (over)shopping is your duty.
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