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More people should read and learn from this farsighted book that tells how to fix , and live right, the worlds economies.
Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, by Bill McKibben
"In this powerful and provocative manifesto, Bill McKibben offers the biggest challenge in a generation to the prevailing view of our economy. For the first time in human history, he observes, "more" is no longer synonymous with "better"—indeed, for many of us, they have become almost opposites. McKibben puts forward a new way to think about the things we buy, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the money that pays for it all. Our purchases, he says, need not be at odds with the things we truly value.
McKibben's animating idea is that we need to move beyond "growth" as the paramount economic ideal and pursue prosperity in a more local direction, with cities, suburbs, and regions producing more of their own food, generating more of their own energy, and even creating more of their own culture and entertainment. "
There have been predictable waves of these kinds of people. Just as there were those that followed up "Silent Spring" with all kinds of "we can do better than rely on the chemical companies and the food processors type "post hippie" books int he 70's that went no where.
In the 80s it was the nay sayers that were focused on Japan kicking our asses in automaker and how "Sun Tzu" was the key to reshaping American business thought to use Asian strategy.
Al Gore is a big fat loser that bought into the same mindset with load of crap based around the "people are killing the planet" hooey.
I suspect if I had the inclination I could draw a line all the way back to Malthus on that one!
The reality is that business is ALWAYS about competition. Cooperation never works. Regulations only work when they are not punitive and truly do set the playing field to a more level plane. The history of such things as the IBM ISSC / Global Services ruling, ATT vs MCI and even DOJ vs MSFT shows that courts can make some doozies but companies with leadership still come out on top...
There have been predictable waves of these kinds of people. Just as there were those that followed up "Silent Spring" with all kinds of "we can do better than rely on the chemical companies and the food processors type "post hippie" books int he 70's that went no where.
Unless you've read the book how can you discount it's message?
Others here may find value in the the work but shy away due to your very unfair comment. Your comment does them a disservice of deciding for themselves if the book has any value to them.
I will readily admit to "bagging" on this sort of book. I have no doubt that some people will buy it and if they are inspired that will be wonderful for them but having been around the block many times now I have to say it is tiresome when anyone comes up with some "utopian" view that will remake society. FedEx did not revolutionize business. The fax machine did not change the world. The internet has not unleashed a workplace that is particularly enlightened. Things just don't change that much.
The basics of business life in the US and around the world are really never going to change: a small group of people with large amounts of capital will have far more influence than the large groups of people with relatively little individual capital. The actual hours in a day that either group can devote to work is absolutely limited to 24 hours so the folks that can work SMARTER blow away those that work "harder" though actual effort on the part of the dumbest tends to fall way behind the productive efforts of the smartest...
I am sure that there are those that can find individual instances of 'enlightened thinkers' doing some wonderful thing. If you a high end organic resturant and its suppliers there are those that will say "look at the wonderful things that Alice Waters has done for her customers and the farmers they support" and there is no denying that BUT IN THE EXACT SAME TIME PERIOD the dominance of WalMart has resulted in massive consolidation of the grocery business and tens of thousands of family run stores now are gone. Huge numbers of small growers and processors have been consolidated and massive amounts of produce come into the US from South America and further. The trend is not to a "kinder happier more local" marketplace but simply a MORE DIVERSE range of options where the limousine liberals can dine on locally grown organic produce and the proletariat gets cheap food set from half way around the world.
It ain't food, the same things happen for all kinds of good and services.
Read the book if you care too, heck if I see at my library I might even do so, but believe me to think that there is anything revolutionary in that sort of thing is really really hard to dream of.
It is impossible to think about anything like this and not delve into the politics of the present. We have a White House that is intent on ramming through legislation for "health care" that will increase the amount of tax dollars that goes toward health care, adding fuel to the fire of run away costs that everyone says they want to change but no one is serious about accepting the responsibility that would be needed to change that. We have billions in stimulus spending that pretty clearly did not stimulate much. A focus on so called green technologies that has already seen some what were called the most promising manufacturing jobs lost out to PacRim countries. A ridiclous effort to save union jobs in failed industries as pay back for blue collar foot soldiers in the war on holding power and a hysterical show of limiting the income of the cronies of the political class where the law makers routinely go to after holding office and come back from when their pals need some one to 'restore confidence' among business leaders. What a joke...
If an author were to write a book that the way to change things were to embrace cynicism and remind people that "talking truth to power" always applies to those IN POWER and just those in power whose ideology is not aligned with the world view of the elites maybe then I might have a little more 'hope'...
Unless you've read the book how can you discount it's message?
Others here may find value in the the work but shy away due to your very unfair comment. Your comment does them a disservice of deciding for themselves if the book has any value to them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett
I will readily admit to "bagging" on this sort of book.
Read the book if you care too, heck if I see at my library I might even do so, but believe me to think that there is anything revolutionary in that sort of thing is really really hard to dream of.
.
So I see that after all the long winded pontifications you admit you haven't read this book so you have no idea what the message is or the point of view of the author. In other words you're all hat and no cattle here...........
I think I am going to buy this book on your recomendation.
I am recently getting more and more intrigued with the concept of localizing. IMO- The squeeze of the efficiency of public companies is proving to be more harmful than helpful. Maybe we have reached the saturation point of efficiency to the degree where we each additional "gain" in competitiveness is a gain for the very wealthy only.
We are no longer making anything in this country (less jobs). Independant stores have been replaced with chains (robot, salaried employess). A sense of community is GONE in most areas. I do not buy the argument that we will excel as a service economy or that future technology will create more jobs (ex. "Green technology).
One caveat is any change should occur through personal choices. People need to make decisions with their money that support the community / country. This means purchasing products based on more than just cost. Where is it made?, How is it made?, etc. The point being PERSONAL CHOICE. Not Gov. intervention.
Just hope the book is more practical than enviro-hippy.
just to be clear, I am going on the sample chapter and the stuff on the site. I have seen this "genre" of book before. It fits TO A TEE the others that are like it.
And when it comes to "all hat no cattle" that generally applies to those that are boasting and am NOT boasting about NOT reading a book whose author is stamped from the same press as dozens of others.
Thanks for the recommendation Tightwad. I'll add it to my "list".
I'm currently reading "The Fourth Turning" and find that one very interesting.
I can see that over generations we get further and further away from the sense of community.
Different factors come in to play and we have become more isolated and more transient.
One black swan event could send us into a Greater Depression with this economy the way it currently is and then what will people do ? That's when you'll need that sense of local community the most. Today we deal so much more with the "faceless" over the internet, over the phone, over long distance travel.
just to be clear, I am going on the sample chapter and the stuff on the site. I have seen this "genre" of book before. It fits TO A TEE the others that are like it.
And when it comes to "all hat no cattle" that generally applies to those that are boasting and am NOT boasting about NOT reading a book whose author is stamped from the same press as dozens of others.
Sorry Chet but this time you disappoint. Downplaying a book based on a generalized genre assumption is not up to your speed at all. It's just plain mean spirited to comment with a very brief reading of the sales pitch.
That said, read the book. If nothing else it's a very good read..........
More people should read and learn from this farsighted book that tells how to fix , and live right, the worlds economies.
Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, by Bill McKibben
"In this powerful and provocative manifesto, Bill McKibben offers the biggest challenge in a generation to the prevailing view of our economy. For the first time in human history, he observes, "more" is no longer synonymous with "better"—indeed, for many of us, they have become almost opposites. McKibben puts forward a new way to think about the things we buy, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the money that pays for it all. Our purchases, he says, need not be at odds with the things we truly value.
McKibben's animating idea is that we need to move beyond "growth" as the paramount economic ideal and pursue prosperity in a more local direction, with cities, suburbs, and regions producing more of their own food, generating more of their own energy, and even creating more of their own culture and entertainment. "
Interesting. The proposal for communities providing more products locally is at such extremes with what our current reality is.
Centralized big box economies of scale
Homogenized, playlist-driven radio, music and TV entertainment
Constant brainwashing companies to buy mediocre products (the difference is drinkability my ass! I suppose flavorless is drinkable!)
A proposal that we decentralize and go back to locally produced anything is so preposterous, it sounds like science fiction or a proposal for a utopian society.
Maybe I am too cynical to believe that a movement like that could grow roots and really take off, but oh well. I'm sure it exists in pockets here and there in self-conscious west coast cities. I bet it makes great PR shots for the green industry!
What I do think could save America's hide is that we protect our agrarian areas from encroaching residential development so we can keep our economies of scale.
Deep economy, deep ecology. Whatever!
I wish I didnt have more interesting things to read right now. Maybe thats the problem with that whole idea.
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