239 comments on The financial crash has a simple cause and a simple solution
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239 comments on The financial crash has a simple cause and a simple solution
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Hi Nate--I agree we need a Culture Shift. But to accomplish that, we must reform the corporate media which sent the "wrong" message in the first place. Not that anyone comments on what I write, but I've written about the need for a paradigm change since I joined theoildrum.com almost at its inception. Such a change requires behavioral change by the body politic, as you've pointed out in your essays. Since the late 1990s, I've wrestled with what ought to be the goal of the new, Post-Modern, economy--one not based on money. Knowledge and Wisdom ought to be the goals of a cooperative culture/society that relegates (discredited, old-culture) wealth formation to the commonweal and its promotion. Such a culture does go against some attributes of the human animal, but it also stimulates other attributes buried far too long, IMO. We've seen what the power of media can accomplish in generating the current dilemma; it can also be used to help us solve the dilemma, but radical change is required.
Karlof - here is someone in France with the same thought:
France seeks new growth measure
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7177100.stm
Hi pondlife--Thanks for the link. I'm not the least surprised that Stiglitz is involved as I've been following his course since he quit the World Bank in the late 1990s. Nor is it surprising that the IMF would make such recommendations. The French are quite right to determinedly resist such policy advice as it would work to destroy the commonweal they've struggled to achieve.
So often, the US economy is measured by the number of new single family homes, which is invariably an incentive to further sprawl.
Former California Governor Jerry Brown said something similar in the 70s; we need to not just focus on money income but psychic income. Growth that is meaningful to the individual and the society should be focused not just on economics but on spirituality, wisdom, and happiness.
And I, being somewhat naive, thought there was some chance that this might occur. Didn't happen and, if anything, we are farther from that ideal now than we were in the 70s.
Excuse me for being cynical, but as the financial shit hits the fan, people will become even more fearful and greedy and their brains will lose all capability of dealing with these problems in a manner that fully recognizes things like peak oil, climate change, the environment, and personal psychic growth.
Before you can build a new house, you need to tear down the old one.
"But to accomplish that, we must reform the corporate media which sent the "wrong" message in the first place."
The wrong message is now engrained across the generations. We have been suckers, for the most part - muppets, with someone else's hand up our rear ends (excus3e the visual). I'm all for changing that, but it will be a hell of a fight... minor changes will be purely cosmetic.
the media controls which messages we sheeple are to see, hence: Obama approval ratings. As far as I can tell, the media machine has already crowned Obama as King!
The sheeple are too concerned with what the media tells them, from Britney to Dancing with the Stars. The news is only sensationalistic, not exactly newsworthy. The commercials are only designed to get you to part with your money. thats all. The media is largely controlled by corporate, corporate runs this country, not the self serving politicians. these politicians seem to be more concerned with steriods in professional sports and pork barrel projects rather than fiscal leadership. we are doomed!