Consumptionomics

Asia’s role in reshaping capitalism and saving the planet

Discussion: do “green” and “growth” always go together?
Jul 27, 2011

“Green growth” has recently become a popular topic. Can we go “green” simply through a combination of technology, finance and free markets, or are we avoiding the real issues? Do “green” and “growth” always go together? Central to the notion of growth is “more”. If we are talking about finite resources and its limitations, how can we pursue growth indefinitely? Shouldn’t we instead strive for development that is fair, sustainable and empowers the majority?

Irshad Mobarak:
Aug 19, 2011 at 11:36 AM
The present world financial system is the fundamental cause of causes. It is known as fractional reserve banking system and lending money on interest. This system allows us to borrow from our future and even from our children's future. During an economic crash ( endemic in the system ) some people are not able to repay these loans they are forcing them to appropriate it by all means usually at the cost of the environment. This is true for individuals and even for countries too. When countries economies fail the are forced to open their markets to corporations and surrender their natural resources like mineral wealth, timber etc. In a desperate attempt, governments liberalize regulations so as to encourage investments. They pay low wages for the manufacture of products.

This system also encourages investments towards industrial consumer goods ( high returns on investments) and discourage investment in traditional activities like agriculture( high risk low returns) with no jobs in the countryside it results in migration of people to the cities lead to the creation of slums that become the breeding ground of disease and criminal activity, drug addiction, people smuggling and prostitution. Remove this interest based system, reintroduce the gold standard and tax idle wealth this will reduce banking monopolies and ultimately lead to a fairer distribution of wealth.

Irshad Mobarak:
Aug 21, 2011 at 01:43 PM
Throughout the history of man, vested interest have manipulated knowledge, science, economic and religion as a means to an end. This is true weather it is in the jungles of Borneo, in smoke fill corner room of gentlemen clubs in London or the dark hallways of congress.

Take for example the science of evolution, when it was presented in 1858 by the eminent naturalist Sir Charles Darwin, Europe was at the peak of the 2nd industrial revolution and in any industrial revolution we need raw materials and markets.

These raw materials and markets are in Africa, Asia and South America and by promoting the view that evolution only supported the stronger or faster, that in nature it is all about 'survival of the fittest' which is a term coined by a leading social philosopher and economist of the time, the eminent Herbert Spencer. Perhaps Herbert Spencer's is influenced by his understanding of Adam Smiths -The Wealth of Nation.

Applying the principles of free markets,non interference, supply-demand and competition into his ideas of the social sciences of man vs man, tribe vs tribe, nations vs nations and even race vs race. Adam Smith believed in the superiority of the Anglo Saxon race. Leading social philosophers of the time in Germany and France each believing that they were the more superior of all. Now add into the mix the birth of a powerful class of people the Industrial Capitalist and on the opposite end Karl Marx's 'Das Kapital and you have a powder keg.

It starts the european race for raw materials and markets and ideologies which leads to the subjugation of Asia and Africa under the pretext of civilizing the uncivilized and savages of Africa, India, South East Asia, and China.
Alfred Russel Wallace the co-founder of the theory of evolution will speak out against this perversion of evolutionary science in 1885 in an article called 'Bad Times' that this manipulation of our science

Irshad Mobarak:
Aug 21, 2011 at 02:04 PM
Cont. will lead us Europe to a catastrophe, Wallace will pass on in 1913 and the following year what he had feared most was to happen the 1st World War, over 11million will people will die. Fighting in the trenches of the this first WW is none other the monster Adolf Hitler who will believe that it is the blond blues eyed Aryan that is the most superior…..he will industrialize genocide of 6mill Jews and thousands of Roma, disables and homosexuals and take us to the 2nd WW in which 40million people mostly civilians will perish.

My hero is Alfred Russel Wallace and all those people of the ages who spoke out and continue to speak out against injustice and the animalisation of the human, for there is also in us the gene for compassion, love, justice, forgiveness and all that differentiate us from the beast. Unlike the beast we have in our genes the ability to make our own choices, we choose our future and the future for our children.

Irshad Mobarak