I think you’re right, there’s not a short-term solution to capitalism, or at least it doesn’t seem in sight. I don’t know that there is a systemic solution to it… the only solution I’ve ever really had faith in is localism and smaller organizational structures. When it gets to big, we all become numbers. When it gets to big we don’t care about chemical impact on rivers. When it’s our stream behind our house… we’d never do that, would we ?

I’m not against capitalism. I don’t think we’ve actually got much choice. We’re in it and there’s no way we’re going to be able to change that – not in the short term anyhow. The whole western economies are inextricably linked to it. However, I am totally against exploitation – on any scale. And I see more and more (as pointed out by the M&S scandal written my Mike M) that this is taking place and affecting all of us.

It’s affecting the poor – they are taken advantage of by bosses getting fat, not happy with making a DECENT profit – but more concerned with bleeding every last drop out of their business. More importantly, we are ALL being shafted by the giants – where their number one reason for being in business is to create profit for the shareholder.

And who owns most of the shares? Hmm….let me think…….

And please don’t even mention the banking system……

Ok…someone else can have a go with the soapbox now…

Personally … I think it has to be a balance. Those who most appreciate being a consumer appear, to me at least, to be those who have been great producers in the past. Perhaps it is about earning your worth and being rewarded … but also trying to be part of society that allows you to show and earn your worth in the first place … something we cannot honestly say has always been true … and in some areas it still isn’t.

No magic bullet to fix things from me … just appreciation of what you are talking about.

The writings of Daniel Quinn have been formative on my thoughts in this field. Worth checking out. 1984 or Brave New World… I would lean towards BNW as I think we have more individual freedom than represented in 1984 and yet big brother might not be a government but the culture of hyper-consumption itself.

I have a bizarre take on this. Our media was responsible for the mass marketing of un-needed goods. (Note need versus want). This developed marketing and mass production. Media has been responsible for dumbing down the population – and still is.

Are the masses now on a guided sleep walk into an abyss? So many people think that ‘keeping up with the celebrity culture’ is being informed and advised.

George Orwell probably got it right with 1984

As I read about the strikes in England, the occupy WS movement in the US and all that’s been going on in the Middle East I think we’re finally realizing we’re depending on a system that is having a hard time holding itself up. Consumption for comfort, but when we’re comfortable we don’t want to produce and if we don’t produce then we can’t consume… and it gets pretty uncomfortable pretty quickly.

And with the inequality of wealth both internationally and even within the richest nations, it seems we are approaching a revolutionary moment. Time will tell, and I think you’ve emphasized the right word… consumption. For me, the question is “why” ? Why is that the cornerstone of our modern world, both from a historical perspective and a philosophical one. Hmm…

Then when I open the post in W L Writer it comes back from the dashboard in code….I can’t figure out the problem and I am no maven in WordPress code or Live Writer code….