On Sat, 15 Feb 2003, Steven McGraw wrote:
> Consuming at a responsible level does not mean "being poor." Jay's
> obnoxious habit of tooling about in a BMW may not weaken his analysis,
> which I hope we can look at with some objectivity to avoid resorting to ad
> hominem, but everyone has a moral obligation not to take more than his or
> her share. This might even entail (gasp) making personal sacrifices.
>
This assumes some obvious, universal standard of "responsible consumption". Who gets to power to decide that a BMW is frivolous? For people in many poor nations, simply owning a car is frivolous. Are you going to lecture working class people who drive to work in a 20-year old beater that they are "irresponsible"? --And compared to somebody who owns a couple of Hummers, yachts, summer mansions, and a Jaguar, Jay looks pretty good to me.
What is every person's "fair share"? It's far from evident! Clucking our tongues at people who drive more expensive cars than we do is not going to clarify things. (--A good example of Nietzsche's slave morality: a Christian asceticism through and through.)
Miles