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Producerism?
[Bruce Frohnen 02/28 11:43 AM]I'd endorse pretty much everything being said, here. But, before we all get tossed out of the club for good, I'd like to point out, again, that none of this is to endorse any form of socialism, or to deny the importance of economic freedom. And I'd like to add this: consumerism, or more generally materialism, is a (bad) value judgment, not an integral part of any free society. Moreover, as we've seen, it actually undermines free societies, and free economies, by destroying the relationships and common values that maintain our social order. And consumerism in particular is really a form of laziness. We waste time shopping, watching TV, and playing games because it's easier than actually producing something — be it a useful product or a well-reared child.
Government may be able to help somewhat in making things better — mostly by ending policies that punish families for making virtuous choices like raising children — but the real improvement has to take place within us. When we choose to produce culture rather than consume it, to see our jobs as vocations, worthwhile in the doing only if done well, and producing something worthwhile, then perhaps we will see real improvement, in our own lives if nothing else.
One of Rod's favorite examples of someone producing culture is Robert Morris, a nineteenth century designer, author and leftie. Morris wanted a kind of socialism, so he claimed. But what he really wanted was a return to the middle ages (just read one of the books he wrote and published at his Kelmscott Press — complete with "thees and thous" and intricate woodcuts). This is too much. But a return to pride in one's work is important, and requires employers, too, to change some attitudes.
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