Reasons For The End Of The Consumer Society

Comment: Some economists claim that the consumer society is coming to its end. The first reason for it is lack of trust, which seriously inhibits trade and economic relations.

My Response: But this can be overcome.

Comment: The second reason is environmental pollution since we do not yet have enough technology to process all the waste that we produce.

My Response: Who cares about this? If there is enough technology, it will be possible to produce even more.

Comment: The third reason is limited natural resources.

My Response: Nobody is interested in this either. We will find them. Let us fly to the moon and bring them back from there.

Comment: The fourth reason is growing inequality between the poor and the rich. Even in the post-coronavirus period it can be seen that the rich are getting richer. And everyone has huge egoism, and people are unlikely to tolerate it.

My Response: Of course they will not. The rich will have to pay a certain percentage of their huge income to buffer the discontent of the poor.

Comment: The fifth reason is uncertainty. They say there is a term “wealth effect.” Even people who have money are afraid to spend it because of the uncertainty so the consumer economy is coming to its end.

My Response: There is nowhere to spend! Offer them something so that they can produce it and make money on it.

Comment: They are afraid to spend money because they do not know what will happen with employment tomorrow. There is no confidence in the future.

My Response: Then these people are not really rich. A rich person is the one who has practically unlimited possibilities to cover more than his vital needs.

Comment: The sixth reason is the development of technology, which will lead to an even greater division of rich and poor, and correspondingly, to unemployment.

My Response: Of course, since there is no consumption. Therefore, big wars periodically occur. But today they are very expensive, and no one knows how they will end.

In principle, once wars solved problems, but today they do not because there are no borders: go where you want, live where you want. You can buy any passport. Therefore, there are no objective reasons for wars. Only religious, ideological wars remain.

Question: The seventh reason is a change in man’s internal needs. In your opinion, is this the main reason?

Answer: Yes. It kills everything else. This is the end of the consumer economy.

Now the virus is destroying a huge industrial jet that has been driven by tourism and travel. Hotels around the world, planes, cruise liners, guides, and huge masses of goods associated with this industry, all this no longer exists and will not exist. People do not want to wander around the world. There is nothing to entice them.

Something will have to be done with thousands of unnecessary planes. Maybe take them somewhere to the desert. They say they can be kept well there. And what will come up there? A museum of our era? But you cannot get away from this. It is just over! We need to understand that we cannot build a new world with old tools.
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From KabTV’s “The Post-Coronavirus Era” 6/4/20