Sun beds cause you cancer. Organic food doesn’t do you any good. Orange offer students phone ads deal. Coca-cola introduce fizzy milk drinks. Peter Mandelson hints at increase in university tuition fees. A 77 shopaholic dies and can’t be found under purchase for five days.
All headlines from the last two days. What do they have in common? Go on take a wild guess. Can’t get it?
Shopping that’s what. I know you are shocked and saying to yourself “so Neal, are you trying to tell us that there is a link between so many rubbish things going on and the domination of our lives by turbo-charged consumer capitalism?” Funny you should ask because yes I am. But probably only because I’ve got a book to promote.
Of the above list of dreadful things, only the increase in university tuition fees really makes me furious. I just don’t understand how anyone can think that a country making its people pay for education is a good thing. It is rubbish. When will UK governments understand about investing in infrastructure for the good of all? That means keeping playing fields, re-nationalising trains, water, electricity etc.
I know you are with me on this one. If people were educated, maybe they would be less likely to die under the weight of their purchases. We can hope.
I agree Alex. The policy is designed to create a market in HE and financially and emotionally condition young people to the choice agenda, debt and making money not doing good. It makes sense if you believe consumer capitalism is all there is and should be but none if you want anything else. As someone once said if you think paying for education is expensive you should try the cost of the altercation
So it seems you are sadly misinformed on the current economic crisis. You seem to be blaming the entire thing on consumerism. Your solution which i presume to be larger state spending has been discredited many times over. Don’t even know why I’m posting here, probably because the Mises blog identified your book and it’s absurdity. Anyways, one must think of what brought about such lucrative consumption: let’s see, could be the congress act in 2001 which allowed D/E ratios to rise from 13-1 to 40-1 for investment banks. Could be the Mortgage backed securities spurred by Ford, Carter, and Clinton in that “right to own a house” rhetoric. Could be the government programs from the previous depression which are now blowing up in our face. No, we should have the government spending our money for us with higher taxes. Well think what you want but you seem rather misinformed and wrongfully educated in the field of economics.
I dont necessarily advovate more state spending Sean; it would depend on what and how. State spending has been discredited as much as the market fundementalism of Mises. But collective spending can be better than individual purchases. Economics is in part a moraility judgement about the good life.
where can I buy the boots in the picture??
Im not sure but they are fantastic.