Does the strength of our economy depend on our individual financial weakness? That can't be right. Help me out here...

-- Paulineee (paulineee_@hotmail.com), July 10, 2001

Answers

No, it depends on a carefully crafted system that promotes the latest hip-hop and ignores Debussy, that promotes uninhibted sexuality but ignores love, that bleats endlessly about human rights but forgets about human responsibilities. It equally depends upon our children never learning about such things in school, where they would be un- cool, at home, where we are too embarrassed to mention them (often because we don't know enough about 'em).

Our economy is based upon cheap, reproducable, disposible trash and can only function when that which is real, enduring and beautiful is hidden from our youth.

If we want to change this then we must begin by teaching values to our children (presuming we can articulate them sufficiently well to communicate the ideas).

We must also teach them language (a prickly subject in Quebec) for language is the medium in which we think. Fuzzy language leads to fuzzy thought.

I live in Vienna. I go to concerts (Strauss, Wagner, Beethoven) and I see that 2/3 of the audience is under thirty as are many of the musicians. Unthinkable in North America.

If our economy is based on consoicuous and pointless consumption it is because we have failed to retain and teach anything more enduring. We can change it if we will, but it will require committment and work.

-- Jeremy Brown (dipdoc@hotmail.com), July 11, 2001.

I'm no expert on this matter but do know that most manufactured products are designed to last only five years. To me that seems to be so wasteful.

-- Denver doug (ionoi@webtv.net), July 12, 2001.

I believe that our economy is driven by a balance of our individual financial weaknesses. If too many individuals drown under the weight of their finacial obligations then the economy will slow down due to the lack of repayment of debt. It is a knife edge... you need a small number to drown and a larger number to just float on the edge of drowning.

I have a daughter who is 15. She is driven by the image of goods. Yet, when youchat with her she will not say that. She is anti- consumezism (I know, spelling and is it a word?) and will talk out about yet another La Chateau store going in on mian street, but the next day she is down there buying with her friends.

-- Douglas (Douglasb@canada.com), July 13, 2001.

The saddest part of all this is that we seem all to be in (more or less) agreement. Meanwhile we are actually accomplishing nothingm except, possibly, a small profit for microsoft.

Maybe those kids who smash McDonald's windows at G8 meetings have a point???!!!

-- jeremy brown (dipdoc@hotmail.com), July 14, 2001.

No we are accomplishing more than a small (?) profit for MS. We are realizing (or affirming) that there are others who see things similarly, notwithstanding location, background, experience.
We are perhaps causing others to examine their beliefs (ok that's a bit pretentious maybe but it could happen!)

Speaking our minds is never futile. That's why there is so much opposition to free speech from those with certain agendas.

I think of it as the power of drops of water, which eventually form a raging river, and the erosion, etc. etc.

Hey it's 2:30 AM, what do you want...

-- Pauline (paulinee@colba.net), July 15, 2001.