Odette Brady: I read an article recently where the author – a defender of economic growth – said that adopting a degrowth model would mean “abandoning 800 million people to extreme poverty”.
"Images and stories of people suffering become ‘too much’ and people switch off entirely."
Yes, I feel this all the time in myself as person from the GN, from clicking past yet another email about Palestine to driving past the homeless by the side of the street. It's hard when there's no sense of creating impact. For example, I made a largish donation to an aid organization lately, got a thank-you note, and, for me experientially, everything went on as before: same horrors, same emails, same requests for more donations.
This is why I'd really like to see a progressive, degrowth political agenda and strategic plan come together as an alternative to fascism/neoliberalism in GN, a "Project 2029," though that name has already been taken. Working toward something actually tangible is a great motivator.
I would not say they are softer words, I would say they are forging words; they forge the path ahead.
"Images and stories of people suffering become ‘too much’ and people switch off entirely."
Yes, I feel this all the time in myself as person from the GN, from clicking past yet another email about Palestine to driving past the homeless by the side of the street. It's hard when there's no sense of creating impact. For example, I made a largish donation to an aid organization lately, got a thank-you note, and, for me experientially, everything went on as before: same horrors, same emails, same requests for more donations.
This is why I'd really like to see a progressive, degrowth political agenda and strategic plan come together as an alternative to fascism/neoliberalism in GN, a "Project 2029," though that name has already been taken. Working toward something actually tangible is a great motivator.