this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2024
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Maybe an unpopular opinion here, but degrowth of any kind will never be marketable or popular with the working class.
It needs to avoid being couched as "you'll have to make do with less."
I wonder how much degrowth can be achieved by hollowing out production without broad utility (yachts, expensive military toys) while still promising the masses the basics.
On the other hand, we're seeing the status quo pushing the same stories-- the whole "scrimp and cut out anything beyond bare survival and maybe you'll qualify for a mortgage by 60." We don't need degrowth to get quality of life degradation!
Duh?
Worth mentioning that we need to be aware the degrowth in a degrowth scenario is a global average. Working classes could see growth (in living standards) whilst the whole economy shrunk.
On a lot issues people consistently say the they want the sort of changes (energy) degrowth would provide. We shouldn't get lost in the current systems deliberate blurring of economic value and living standards.
See for example this work here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-018-0021-4
It sure wouldn't be, if the owner class wasn't put up to it.