Why the focus on the left in “the left needs to focus four square on the inequality and fundamental unfairnesses within our societies?” Why should this not be everyone’s focus. Why just the left? Why not just push to make luxury unfashionable? Consumption should be consider evil. Wasteful consumption should be shunned as double evil. Conservation and Conservatism do not have to be mutually exclusive.
There are as many profligate wastrels on the Left as there are on the Right. It is just so painful to see some of the people with the biggest carbon footprints complaining that we need to reduce carbon pollution.
The people with power and money need to lead the change. Grass roots lead change is a myth. Grass roots movements only succeed if their is also a large constituent from the rich and powerful.
Sadly the rich who wear ripped jeans bought them that way not by wearing them out.
In a collapse the rich and powerful might be the last to fall but they will fall the farthest. In the Maoist Re-education camps the rich pampered elites suffered the most as they were too soft for a hard day’s work.
A society that revels in conspicuous consumption, pursues material possessions grossly in excess of one’s needs, is impressed by ostentatious displays of wealth and condones the use of power to amass greater personal wealth instead of in pursuit of noble goals is eventually going to end badly.
If you want to limit your outreach to the left that is fine, I will try to reach out to both sides, all sides, but I suspect we are shouting in the wilderness and we will never get close enough to the people who most need to hear this message for them to hear us.
TEK
