Ecology & Economy: We Can’t Get Something for Nothing
(This is part 2 of a trilogy. See part 1: Ecology & Consciousness and part 3: Ecology & Empire)
You can’t get something for nothing. This is true and we all know it, though we often tend to forget it, ignore it, or leave it out of our plans or dreams.
In “developed” societies like the US, any monetary wealth that a person gains has a material cost in the world, both to other humans and to the environment. For every dollar that exists, labor was exploited, raw materials extracted, or pollution generated.
Our victims did not assent willingly, either. Their position is forced upon them with violence or its threat. The environment is increasingly toxic to life, including our own. In short, we’re bullies and we’re shitting in our own bed. In the interest of justice and a living ecology, then, we must collectively reduce our wealth generation.
This gets tricky though, both logistically and politically.
Take, for example, the case of the campaign for living wage. On the one hand, minimum wage has not kept up with inflation, and a full-time job at that rate is not adequate to pay rent on a two-bedroom apartment in any US state. That’s ridiculous. After all, what is a “minimum” wage supposed to cover, if not necessities? Can’t we just pay people enough to live…
