Hee hee

This sure rattled a few cages! If you read my post earlier (and the replies) you'll know I'm broadly in agreement with this argument. I dislike the exesses of today's modern western capitalism, and the inevitable 'me-too-ism' of the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, China) which is accelerating our descent to environmental disaster 100-fold.

It is the relentless pursuit of growth for its own sake that fuels the mess we're in. I largely blame the media; I have a strong feeling that while all the BBC and Fleet Street journos were sitting around at dinner parties discussing how much their 4-bed semi in Chiswick is now worth, none of the buggers could give a flying toss that a huge section of society were being priced out of the property market. They've used their good luck to buy 2nd properties and buy-to-lets which have chucked petrol on the fire. I'm not so disengenuous as to not realise that house price inflation has let the Grimsdale's survive at a ridiculously high level of luxury over the past couple of decades too. I know that in my case, it wasn't due to relentless hard work, but then again, I work with plenty of people that also don't work hard, but have had an even easier ride than me.

I know people that earn about the same as an MP for a nominal 37 hour week - though more like 30 actual work. They send their kids to private schools as their parents help them out; they have 'gites' or apartments in Europe and jet or drive down to them four times a year; they have horses and three cars and investments and savings. It's not so much that I'm jealous of them - they chose right at uni and have made good choices (unlike me), but I don't think they deserve so much.

So, yes, we are all spoilt. Yes, we all like nice things. But no, we aren't all wasteful, we don't all like what we see around us. Some of us try to do better and some of us despair about the kind of planet and society that we are bequething to our children and grandchildren.

I don't really have any answers, except - to some of you flamers: If you can't think of anything nice to say, don't say it. And to the original poster: Do as I do, not as I say.

Amen.
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Mon 13 Oct 2008, 12:04, Reply)