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They present any growth in output and purchasing as a rise in national wealth, even if it includes the growing quantity of throw-away packaging, gadgets and metal thrown on the refuse-tips, paper burnt along with rubbish, non-repairable household goods; it even includes artificial limbs and medical care required by victims of industrial or road accidents. Destruction officially appears as a source of wealth since the replacement of everything broken, thrown out or lost gives rise to new production, sales, monetary flows, and profits. The more quickly things are broken, worn out, made obsolete or thrown away, the larger the GNP will be and the wealthier the national statistics will say we are. Even illness and physical injury are presented as sources of wealth, for they swell the consumption of drugs and health-care facilities.
✏️ Deserves more thought, because yes, at face value it does seem about right that any and all growth in purchasing and output means more wealth. And the cynical followup thought to that is, yes, even illness and injury are a source of wealth because they lead to extra consumption of drugs and healthcare facilities.
This leads to the common stereotypical comments about:Link to original
- Pharmaceutical companies focus on treatments, not cures, because that’s where profit is.
- Any technologies should break down faster because that’ll lead to buying replacements more and increasing profit.
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