David Cormack
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Won't somebody think of the ecosystem?
🕑 Added 2021-09-26 19:53:10 +0000 UTCThere's a battle of framing. It's usually split between left and right wing divides and it's frustrating.
Because framing is just the way you talk about something in order to make your argument more persuasive. It doesn't actually improve the merits of your argument.
The way in which we talk about the "economy" is a biggy.
Lefties like to frame the economy as something that people have a direct impact on. It's why you'll often hear left wing political folk talk about their opposition as having their "hand off the wheel" of the economy. This is supposed to implant in our brains the idea that we can intervene in the economy, and it's when we don't that shit goes bad.
On the other side, they like to frame the economy as this amorphous thing that is beyond the realm of mere mortals, and not something we should - or could - interfere with. This is a nod to the idea of the invisible hand, dictating the market-based economy. This is where things like boom-bust cycles come in, and unavoidable recessions every 10 years. These are just normal functions of the economy according to neoliberal framing.
The latter framing has won out over the years and it's a bastard to be on the other side of.
To be honest, both frames are a bit fucked. And I think it's down to the use of the word "economy".
I was talking about this with a friend last week (way to humble-brag that I have friends...) and he said to me that we should replace "economy" with "ecosystem". And I haven't been able to dislodge that thought since.
His view was that the economy was something supercomplicated and made up of myriad things and that the singular word "economy" didn't do it justice. He said if we used ecosystem instead, it would remind us just how messy and complex it is.
I agree with that and then some. Ecosystem suggests things in delicate balance, many things in fact. And that if we screw around with one part it will have a ripple effect on so many other things.
It also frames it in a way that has environmental concerns front and centre.
And it also attaches human beings rightfully into it. We are a major part of the ecosystem, and in fact we have the most impact on it. This framing gets away from right wing "invisible hand" framing and so we on the left should embrace it.
This means that in the context of Covid, we don't damage the "economy" by doing lockdowns or other health responses, but rather we are looking after the total ecosystem because we recognise that a healthy populace is key to a healthy ecosystem.
This would defang any number of right wing talking points that are used (cough John Key cough).
I'm not sure quite how to get this to take hold, but I'm going to be making the effort to say "ecosystem" instead of "economy", and if you see merit in this idea, then I encourage you to do it also; together we'll save the ecosystem.
