Update: Mindless downvotes will be taken as evidence that degrowthers (of which I am one) are not capable of defending their ideas. What’s the point of a community where one only sees things that confirm one’s biases? I don’t get it. Maybe this lazy tribal attitude helps explain why degrowth is so deeply unpopular.
This seems as good a presentation as we’ll get of the case against degrowth. Namely that it’s a political loser, the environment be damned. People in this community probably want to read things they already agree with (update - they sure do). I’d say we’d do better by first taking seriously the arguments of the other side. Which appear quite solid, to the point that it’s hard to know how to go about countering them.
Some choice excerpts:
Most Americans care deeply about building wealth: Roughly 79 percent describe their money as “extremely” or “very” important to them. Eighty-four percent say there’s “nothing wrong” with trying to make as much money as possible […]
In 2024 […] Trump made major gains in large, immigrant-rich urban counties, where service-sector employment is dominant. […] Why did these previously stalwart Democrats break for Trump? Because they are all upwardly mobile groups, for whom pocket-book issues are central. More than progressive pandering, they want the opportunity to participate in the American dream—and Trump seemed to promise that. […]
To their credit, some liberals have tried to fill the void created by this anti-capitalist conservatism. The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson and his co-author, Ezra Klein, have pushed for an “abundance” liberalism in their new book […] [W]e now have two major parties infected by the gospel of no-wealth. Both parties embrace, in Klein and Thompson’s phrasing, a “scarcity” mindset rather than an “abundance” mindset.
It’s not mindless downvoting—I just think you haven’t put forth a convincing argument. Do some reading on dominant ideology and manufacturing consent. Then ask yourself why consumerism and the glorification of wealth are so prevalent in western capitalist societies such as the USA. This of course is just the cherry on top considering lots of americans are living paycheck to paycheck and are quite literally one medical emergency away from becoming homeless—having more money improves your quality of life considerably in this system and most people are faaar away from having the amount of wealth where you’d get diminishing returns from having more.
So are basically all progressive or revolutionary political movements before they gain traction. Republicanism (as opposed to monarchy), women’s suffrage, civil rights, queer rights… What’s your point here? People’s minds can be changed, especially in a world in which the shortcomings of the status quo become more and more apparent.
Go on then, change them. That’s my point. That’s why I posted this. It’s an article that expresses decently a viewpoint that is completely incompatible with degrowth and yet is currently fashionable and very widely held.
Your counter-argument is “Do some reading” and “Wait and in the end we will win”.
I’d love to have a six figure salary. not to blow on consumption but to have security and also start a commune