Economists Gone Wild!

This segment from the new documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, illustrates our insane obsession with economic growth. The GrowthBusters film explores how these media messages keep us hooked on an unsustainable goal. See the film trailer, find a screening, order the film, at http://www.growthbusters.org

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• economists
• economic growth
• steady state economics
• degrowth
• sustainability
• consumption
• growthbusters
• documentary
• film
• dave gardner

[wrlgmail]

One thing wrong with this-- none of these people are economists. Ben Stein is a comic, the yelling guy is a stock broker, and all the rest are talking heads or government employees-- for whom growth is always good. Growth gone wild, yes. Economists, nope; esp. not economists if they work for the federal reserve. I could see all of this on cable TV, which is why I no longer own a TV. Was hoping to see original content rather than channel flipping. Great title though.

[Growthbuster]

@wrlgmail 1. The video is about "economists and those they lead on." 2. Morici is an economist, Goolsbie is an economist, Geithner is an economist, Stein majored in economics and is a financial advisor and commentator, not a comic. 3. The purpose of this video is to show the kind of messages we are bombarded with in the media. Thanks for stopping by to gripe, though!

[oncegoneagain]

hey Dave great try but I have to agree with some others...I'd rather see some of the original content from the film in the trailer to spark interest, not recaps of "lamestream media" (which I love, by the way @FarmerTeri) . This is a nice clip but I still would have no idea what your film was about if I was not following you for the last year or so....can you give us another trailer to share??

[avantisprod]

Your concept is extremely powerful and long overdue. But I agree...the trailer is too much channel flipping and overstimulative. The tone of the trailer seems insincere. It would work better if you had the rapidly flashing images but some music that is darker and foreboding, perhaps in the Phillip Glass vein. I'd like to help. I do music and VO at command-post thank you - John

[FarmerTeri]

Love the title, concept, & adbusters...would love the trailer if I felt engaged by original, intelligent, & artful depictions of our economic growth addictions - warpspeed clips of lamestream media make me feel like barfing (although I understand the intention of illustrating how we are bombarded by these type messages, it is exactly why I wish to see something different from independent reader-supported media)

[MsReasonableperson]

Way too fast. Why have headlines if there isn't time to read them?

[Holisticky]

"it's growth and eternal optimism like you've never seen before!" love that line! too bad we see such blind optimism all around us all the time... the market will recover, we just need more consumption. buy stuff, people! that's what makes the world go 'round. forget the toxic heap of plastic that's twice the size of Texas in the Pacific Ocean! don't worry about the slave labor in Asia. those are just the necessary costs of keeping a healthy economy going! yep, healthy, indeed.

[SquidgyMcGee]

Brilliant! Check out Professor Steve Keen, one of the few real sane economists in the world who saw all this mess coming years ago.

[BertMcBert]

can't wait to catch the full movie -- Viva la Sustainable Living!!