The (small ) minds of the the think big capitalist set.
Close to half a century ago, when I was about ten or twelve years old, I enjoyed (as many boys did) rummaging around the local rubbish tip. (These days you pay admission to get into the tip to dump, no way can you rummage!)
I still remember the day (electric sewing machines were coming in to the shops) that about fifty or so mechanical sewing machines were dumped, and this crud smashing them one by one with a hammer, in case some poor sod who would probably be unable to afford a new electric one anyway, should get something useful that was being thrown out.
About twenty or thirty years ago, Malcolm Fraser, one-time Prime Minister, sold a boat to a workmate's brother. The Bro' asked if the lifejackets were included. No, only at a price. No thanks, says Bro'. Malcolm then threw them on his rubbish pile!
Last week we had the local hard rubbish collection. It is quite a social event around Chelsea and Chelsea Heights. You put out something that may still be of use to someone else (our old letterbox has just completed its first year of service for the next door neighbours) and hopefully pick up some useful bits.
I scored a guitar stand, a foldable workbench with screwed on mitre box, a Tuner/amplifier, and some other useful items.
Collection day was Monday, though it took til the end of the week for things to be collected.
Guess what, as from Monday, the scrap collectors obviously had legal title to everyone's waste.
So prior to collection, thrown out TV's and other electrical goods had their power leads cut off, exercise bikes had their seats removed, in half a century the world has changed but the capitalist is still a selfish small minded weasel.
Capitalism is an illogical, unsustainable and morally and ethically corrupt system. Infinite growth just can't continue on a finite planet. But greed wants all, and wants to leave nothing for others.
To quote from The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band)
"You take what you need and you leave the rest,
But they should never have taken the very best......"
World Overshoot day in in 1987 was on December the 19th.
This year it was 9th October. This is the day of the year when we go into ecological deficit, when we will have already consumed the total amount of new resources nature will produce this year.
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?content=overshoot
Capitalism will surely die in an ever more rapidly approaching near future, but will take us down
with it.
The current World population is around 6.6 billion people, practically all of whom will be dead within ninety years. I haven't heard even a hint of anyone else saying it, but I will say it anyhow: In terms of misery and catastrophe and premature death, it is not unreasonable to guess that within ten to twenty years at least a quarter of these people will be dead.
The majority won't have funerals or even be buried.
Perhaps the next dominant species on this planet will be enlarged, overfed ants. They are already more social, mutually cooperative and cohesive than humans!
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