I agree that people overconsume "garbage." Indeed who needs 30 dolls or 30 Lego sets (Yes, I know Legos are not made in China, but never the less it's true). We don't need to revamp home decor every five years. What's wrong with having avocado green bathrooms or wood paneling in basements? Did the Russkies or Chinese communists ever feel like their people's housing needed new decor every few years? I doubt it.
We could do with fewer items --though items of higher quality and usefulness. Conspicuous consumerism is on a downward path, I hope.
First we argue that tariffs will bear no harm for the American people and when people plainly see prices going we change tack and argue that Americans not only should bear the pain of the tariffs in order to achieve the largely entirely imaginary gains but that they can do so merely by sacrificing unnecessary luxury.
The problem is that each economic segment of society lives a live entirely different from the ones above it and the bottom half shall not be sacrificing luxuries and the US shall not be stronger for it.
Importing cheap clothing allows people to have 30 shirts in their closet; however, on the flipside, people working as seamsters and seamstresses lose their jobs. That can mean taking lesser jobs at lesser pay and fewer benefits or leaving the labor market altogether. Underemployed or unemployed people get subsidized and that requires taxes. So the money we saved that allow us to buy cheap clothing also comes with paying more taxes. We'd have a better society with gainfully employed people while wearing more durable clothing with less impact on the environment.
But we aren't actually doing that because consumer preferences and supply chains are pretty sticky.
If it costs $5 for cheap insert country here and $10 for cheap American crap worse than the 5 then 8 for cheap stuff in some other poor country with a better trade deal and $20 for good American stuff almost none of your market moves to the 20 stuff and almost all of it shifts to the $8
We don't and should not buy cheap crap made abroad or at home. There are still clothing manufacturers in the US (and Japan), who make quality but more expensive clothing. Instead of a $30 "throwaway" hoodie, you get a $140 hoodie that lasts. It'll last longer and it can employ your neighbor instead of letting them become meth heads due to being laid of as a seamster or seamstress, etc. It's a better quality of life for everyone.
I do want them to keep absolute and utter disposable and toxic crap off the market and I want them to prevent dumping of products to undercut domestic producers.
The government already has its hand on thousands of levers that control our lives. I agree with many and disagree with some. That's life in a republic.
But they aren't doing that. Instead they are enforcing "reciprocal" tariffs which are calculated in such a fashion as to hold equal smaller and poorer countries buying less of our shit and actually tariffing ours.
I’m not claiming Legos are garbage. In this context I’m claiming we don’t “need” 30 affordable sets per person. If someone wants to collect so be it but it will have a relative cost.
This could be said about any hobby. Why should people that like to read buy physical books? Why should people that like to take photographs print on film? Etc.
Yes but not everyone is a hobbyist so not everyone needs so much stuff. Some people’s hobby is antique car collecting. Not everyone can do it. That’s fine. I’m not mad. Today your Legos hobbyist collects “rare” sets or whatever. It’s not cheap. All I am saying is that we don’t need an overabundance of things be they junk or even quality systems. There is a useful amount and then there is excess.
You have not explained how our current policy is doing anything to achieve this goal. Notably the quote that started this subthread was specifically about rat fucking the public then dismissing their pain it would be a let them eat cake moment were it not lost in the chaos of all the other stupid heinous things he's said
We could do with fewer items --though items of higher quality and usefulness. Conspicuous consumerism is on a downward path, I hope.