The Monday Mix (01/11/2021)
Hey friends,
This week has been much quieter and sedate than previous weeks so there’s not much to report. With that, I’ll get straight into what I want to share this week.
Progressive Gestures From Big Business Are Useless
This is another article from The Guardian Long Read series and one of the most interesting I’ve read in a while. The premise of the article is that big businesses might talk a good game about acting on progressive causes such as climate change, racism, equality etc, but how much of a difference do they make?
Do they put their money where their mouth is, or are their actions more cynical in nature? Corporations making pledges to donate money to charitable causes is all well and good, but, as this article demonstrates, it’s not always as clear cut as it seems.
A fairer way to redistribute this money would be if they were taxed fairly so the money could go what it’s actually needed instead of where corporations feel it should go.
Capitalism Is Killing The Planet
This is one of the best articles I’ve read in a long time by one of my favourite writers, George Monbiot. The title is very provocative, which I think is the point. Although there is an element of truth in there. There’s no doubt the economic system we live under is fuelling the climate crisis. Although the same was true of Communism in Soviet Russia, so it’s not just a singular problem with capitalism.
Still, the points made in the article by Monbiot ring true. As much as we can make changes in our lifestyles, it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the impact big polluting industries have on the planet. Until companies like Shell and ExxonMobil stop extracting fossil fuels, we’re doomed to see emissions continue to rise no matter how much we reduce our meat intake or our consumption of plastic.
The Intellectual We Deserve
I’ve never understood the fuss surrounding Jordan Peterson. I haven’t read any of his books, but I’ve read some of his articles and listened to some of his speeches and what struck me most about them was how banal they were. For a guy who’s supposed to be the leading thinker of his generation, what he has to say isn’t particularly groundbreaking.
This article is a fantastic takedown of Peterson. While I’m sure he’s a great clinical psychologist, the field he’s trained in, he’s a poor philosopher and an even worse political theorist. The best part of this article is where one of his speeches is transcripted and you have to try and plough through a word salad that is as incoherent as it is boring.
The fact Peterson is as popular as he is without having anything meaningful to say, suggests there’s something wrong with our discourse in society.
Book I’m reading - Debt: The First 5,000 Years
I’m still working my way through this beast of a book, and I was expecting, it’s a fascinating read. David Graeber is a fantastic thinker and writer and his thoughts on the history of debt and its role in human life are truly eye-opening.
Quote I’m pondering: “A room without books is like a body without a soul.” – Cicero
That’s all for this week.
Until next time,
Tom