[lbo-talk] socially irresponsible investment

[Michael Dawson]

OK on the investment side, but how about Carrol's unconcern with product
(a.k.a. "consumption") politics?  Cigarettes don't bother him any more than
MP3 players, he says.  That must mean cars are as good as bikes.  Fox News
as good as Mike Leigh movies.  Suburban McMansions as lovely medium-scale
green condos.  Etc. etc...

Will we ever change capitalism if we confine ourselves to Cox's hidebound
productionism?  No way.  We need to talk about class power, class coercion,
and democractic choice _wherever_ it is at issue in actual human activities.
Because of ecology, "consumption" is likely to become the next site of
upheaval.  Will we cede that field to the bourgeoisie, because Karl Marx
didn't talk much about it 150 years ago?


> -----Original Message-----
> From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org]
> On Behalf Of Doug Henwood
> Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2005 7:12 AM
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] socially irresponsible investment
> 
> Carrol Cox wrote:
> 
> >I have no money to "invest," but if I did have, and excluding companies
> >against which there is an organized boycott, I would not consider any
> >factors other than safety and return.
> 
> I agree. When people ask me about socially responsible investment, I
> always say it's mostly a crock. They should invest conventionally and
> do the right thing with the rest of their lives.
> 
> Doug
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