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People individually choose to buy these 'useless cheap low quality gadgets and services' and work full-time until retirement instead of living frugally and limi

People individually choose to buy these 'useless cheap low quality gadgets and services' and work full-time until retirement instead of living frugally and limiting work time (like advocates of FIRE movement). Who are we do prescribe what is best for others?

lm28469 4y ago
> People individually choose to buy these 'useless cheap low quality gadgets and services' After decades of Hollywood propaganda, non stop advertisement from birth, &c. yes sure the "choose" it. We're still Neanderthals looking for shiny sea shells on a beach, the problem is that it's been weaponised against us. Do people want to doom scroll social medias ? Do people want this sickening political polarisation ? Do people want to retire at 67 ? Did people agree to bail failed banks in 2008 ? Did people agree to go from 1:6 to 1:1000+ employee:employer compensation over the last 100 years ? > and work full-time until retirement instead of living frugally and limiting work time I could keep my lifestyle with 1 day of work a week but no company would hire me for that schedule, but at the same time I'd need to save for 30 years to afford my own place. Most jobs barely pay living wages, talking about frugality and FIRE seems easy in the techbro bubble but it isn't a reality for the vast majority of people. Unless frugality means living in a 30sqm flat and renouncing on basic things like healthcare, vacations, kids, owning your house, &c. that your grandparents could afford while being 10x less productive than we are today > Who are we do prescribe what is best for others? Who are they to prescribe what's best for others ? The propaganda is so deeply rooted that questioning our insane consumerist system triggers allergic reaction such as yours
thethirdone 4y ago
Society at large already prescribes what is best for others. When the government or major business owners choose to do A versus B. In many cases, people do not to choose on their own for the opposite. As a clear example, if you want a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the newest iphone, that is just not possible. Apple chose for you.| In many cases, these choices are more obscured, but it is not at all inappropriate (relative to what currently is acceptable) to force degrowth.

lm28469 4y ago

> People individually choose to buy these 'useless cheap low quality gadgets and services' After decades of Hollywood propaganda, non stop advertisement from birth, &c. yes sure the "choose" it. We're still Neanderthals looking for shiny sea shells on a beach, the problem is that it's been weaponised against us. Do people want to doom scroll social medias ? Do people want this sickening political polarisation ? Do people want to retire at 67 ? Did people agree to bail failed banks in 2008 ? Did people agree to go from 1:6 to 1:1000+ employee:employer compensation over the last 100 years ? > and work full-time until retirement instead of living frugally and limiting work time I could keep my lifestyle with 1 day of work a week but no company would hire me for that schedule, but at the same time I'd need to save for 30 years to afford my own place. Most jobs barely pay living wages, talking about frugality and FIRE seems easy in the techbro bubble but it isn't a reality for the vast majority of people. Unless frugality means living in a 30sqm flat and renouncing on basic things like healthcare, vacations, kids, owning your house, &c. that your grandparents could afford while being 10x less productive than we are today > Who are we do prescribe what is best for others? Who are they to prescribe what's best for others ? The propaganda is so deeply rooted that questioning our insane consumerist system triggers allergic reaction such as yours

thethirdone 4y ago

Society at large already prescribes what is best for others. When the government or major business owners choose to do A versus B. In many cases, people do not to choose on their own for the opposite. As a clear example, if you want a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the newest iphone, that is just not possible. Apple chose for you.| In many cases, these choices are more obscured, but it is not at all inappropriate (relative to what currently is acceptable) to force degrowth.