• JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    1 year ago

    Maybe I’m misunderstanding degrowth. Is it trying to decrease GDP? How does it do that? Or is it moreso increased worker rights and protections with decreased GDP growth as a byproduct? Because I’m all for the second version.

    • kmaismith@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      IMO Degrowth would have to start with finding better, less destructive metrics than GDP to measure and plan economic prosperity with

    • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      I believe that the intent is to shift focus away from material goods, since we have long passed the point of diminishing returns on increasing material wealth increasing individual well-being, and focusing on things that actually do improve it, which our system overall neglects. That would be things like meaningful work, community, art, leisure, et cetera. In short, the things that make us happy, but which GDP doesn’t measure.

      • JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        That makes sense. Those activities are still adding value, but not usually taken into account in economic metrics.

    • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      at least to my understanding degrowth is about not doing things that are ultimately not actually productive for our quality of life, the prime example being the clothing industry which churns out more clothes than we would ever need every year and literally just throws it in the garbage, going so far as cutting things up just so people won’t fish it out of the container and wear it without paying.

      There are a ton of things like that, which basically only serve to enrich the already wealthy, and if we stop doing that shit and just give people what they need to live regardless of if they have an employment, we can all enjoy life more while also being more sustainable.

      The solarpunk movement shows one take on what degrowth can look like: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solarpunk