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I really shouldn't even have to say this but apparently this is unclear to some people. There are exactly zero sane countries which are going to adopt a policy

I really shouldn't even have to say this but apparently this is unclear to some people. There are exactly zero sane countries which are going to adopt a policy of deliberately reducing the material standard of living of their citizens. Zero. Democratic, authoritarian, capitalist, communist, doesn't matter. No one is going to do that. No one is going to run on a platform of "I will make our country poorer and reduce its international influence". Anyone who thinks this that this is an even remotely plausible solution to the issue at hand is nothing short of delusional.

selimthegrim 5y ago
Even the Taliban will probably go back to selling drugs at some point.
lettergram 5y ago
What happens when inflation rises to the point people can’t purchase goods effectively? Reduced consumption. What happens when you lockdown the economy and force people out of the workforce — less production (higher cost of goods). I agree it’s delusional, but I’m pretty sure they’re doing it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Reset https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Reset Of course, the stakeholders will become massively rich.
- thunderbird120 5y ago
  Inflation is usually demand driven and it certainly is in the current case. It is the result of INCREASED consumption. U.S. consumer spending (adjusted for inflation) is significantly above the pre-pandemic peak https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/consumer-spending https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/consumer-spending
  - lettergram 5y ago
    I believe that assumes correct inflation figures. I don’t know if those are accurate. I can tell you almost all goods and assets are up over 6% this year. Hell, Kraft-Heinz, General Mills, etc are all raising prices 20% in January 2022, etc
- gjs278 5y ago
quantified 5y ago
This is sort of the rub. What looks to be the most effective is also not possible due to current and real incentives. But let’s see. Family size is similar, your family is more influential in its community if it’s larger, but more education and affluence tend to cause smaller sizes. Wonder if an analogous shift would occur.
titzer 5y ago
> is nothing short of delusional. Agree. But what if it was not actually physically possible to sustain humanity's current level of consumption, no matter what the energy sources are? Then we're headed for catastrophic failure and collapse. Not considering this possibility is as delusional as anything. This site is particularly bad with techno hopium. When in reality, nothing is moving in the right direction, let alone fast enough. There are a lot of delusions and magical thinking, and it's hard to be a realist without suffering accusations of doomerism and legions of downvotes.
klauss 5y ago
Nobody thinks this is a desirable solution. Yet, many (including me) still suggest we talk about it. The reasoning is backwards. This is not the kind of situation where we have the luxury to paint a future we might like and then design a plan to get there, this is a situation where given a set of strong constraints we need to weigh our options and choose the less terrible one.

selimthegrim 5y ago

Even the Taliban will probably go back to selling drugs at some point.

lettergram 5y ago

What happens when inflation rises to the point people can’t purchase goods effectively? Reduced consumption. What happens when you lockdown the economy and force people out of the workforce — less production (higher cost of goods). I agree it’s delusional, but I’m pretty sure they’re doing it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Reset https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Reset Of course, the stakeholders will become massively rich.

thunderbird120 5y ago
Inflation is usually demand driven and it certainly is in the current case. It is the result of INCREASED consumption. U.S. consumer spending (adjusted for inflation) is significantly above the pre-pandemic peak https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/consumer-spending https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/consumer-spending
- lettergram 5y ago
  I believe that assumes correct inflation figures. I don’t know if those are accurate. I can tell you almost all goods and assets are up over 6% this year. Hell, Kraft-Heinz, General Mills, etc are all raising prices 20% in January 2022, etc
gjs278 5y ago

quantified 5y ago

This is sort of the rub. What looks to be the most effective is also not possible due to current and real incentives. But let’s see. Family size is similar, your family is more influential in its community if it’s larger, but more education and affluence tend to cause smaller sizes. Wonder if an analogous shift would occur.

titzer 5y ago

> is nothing short of delusional. Agree. But what if it was not actually physically possible to sustain humanity's current level of consumption, no matter what the energy sources are? Then we're headed for catastrophic failure and collapse. Not considering this possibility is as delusional as anything. This site is particularly bad with techno hopium. When in reality, nothing is moving in the right direction, let alone fast enough. There are a lot of delusions and magical thinking, and it's hard to be a realist without suffering accusations of doomerism and legions of downvotes.

klauss 5y ago

Nobody thinks this is a desirable solution. Yet, many (including me) still suggest we talk about it. The reasoning is backwards. This is not the kind of situation where we have the luxury to paint a future we might like and then design a plan to get there, this is a situation where given a set of strong constraints we need to weigh our options and choose the less terrible one.