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| All of America’s institutions are focused exclusively on churn. Planning prior to 1990s was predicated on the assumption of continued upward mobility, middl
by howmayiannoyyou 5y ago
| All of America’s institutions are focused exclusively on churn.
Planning prior to 1990s was predicated on the assumption of continued upward mobility, middle class persistence and strength of US production of goods and services (a/k/a wealth).
Instead, the US exported all of that to China, and praised its new service-led, consumer-based, greener economy. Of all the self-inflicted (likely fatal) wounds inflicted upon great societies throughout history, the civic ignorance (and arrogance) of our body politic is the greatest.
- mistrial9 5y agoLet them serve lattes ? to rephrase an unfortunate quote from France
- kcatskcolbdi 5y agoLet them eat cake was a monarch's response to being told the starving poor had no bread. She offered to let them eat cake, as that's what she had been eating. Your version would only make sense if the rich were previously serving lattes.
- mistrial9 5y ago"Let them eat cake" is the traditional translation of the French phrase "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche", said to have been spoken in the 17th or 18th century by "a great princess" upon being told that the peasants had no bread.
- kcatskcolbdi 5y agoI'm not sure what your point is exactly. You italicize peasants as if that's a meaningful distinction from what I stated. I used the term "starving poor" in place of peasants.
- frenchyatwork 5y agoI'm pretty sure it was a silly joke. "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" (brioche is a light pastry bread) is unlikely to have actually been said by Mme Antoinette anyways.
- munificent 5y ago"Yes the planet got destroyed. But for a beautiful moment in time we created a lot of value for shareholders." https://www.newyorker.com/cartoon/a16995 https://www.newyorker.com/cartoon/a16995
- nightski 5y agoThis is such a dumb quote, because obviously they are creating a lot of value for customers as well. It's easy to blame "rich shareholders" and ignore our own impact via consumerism. Especially when many Americans themselves are shareholders through retirement plans.
- avidiax 5y ago"Shareholder value" seems to be concentrated in industries that serve wants rather that needs. Basic clothing, food & shelter might have large cash flows, but they don't have the profit potential needed to have "shareholder value" compared with consumerist industries. To put it another way, we could satisfy most human needs with little associated "shareholder value" by meeting those needs efficiently.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- Seattle3503 5y agoMcDonald's and H&M are companies serving shareholders in the food and clothing industries.
- amrcnimgrnt 5y ago"obviously they are creating a lot of value for customers as well" Or not. It's been well over a decade (more or less since I've been economically independent) that I've been trying to avoid cheap, made in a death camp consumer goods, but they generally don't exist. What little does exist is geared towards the super wealthy. I don't want a cheap fridge with WiFi. I want a good one I don't want fast fashion. I want timeless I don't want a new cellphone every other year. My SE works fine There's no escaping it though. Not only have the blue collar middle class jobs disappeared. The middle class quality goods have gone too - there is no Kenmore no more.