‘The Harried Leisure Class’ (1970) – ‘A Book in Five Minutes’, No.17
Channel: ramblinactivist
Date: 2022-09-16

Ramblinactivist 2022/28, 16th September 2022.

Published in 1970 by Swedish economist Steffan Linder, it examines how society has become ‘time poor’, and therefore has become increasingly trapped in the complex ‘rationalisations’ of the modern economy.

Linder was one of the first to argue that because it costs more time to maintain the ‘stuff’ in our lifestyle, we can earn more from working those hours, and so the pressure will be to use throw away/cheap goods and buy new ones. And 52 years after its publication, ‘The Harried Leisure Class’ is just as valuable today for its insightful critique of the myths of consumer capitalism.

For the referenced text and an audio podcast of this post, goto:
http://www.fraw.org.uk/blog/reviews/017/index.shtml

You can find more of these reviews in ‘A Book in Five Minutes’ here:
http://www.fraw.org.uk/blog/reviews/index.shtml

Finally, it would really help to promote this work if you could follow, subscribe, or like my social media presence – which can be accessed from the link above. In today’s digital analytics popularity contest, all that button-pressing means something in this messed-up world.

#lifestyle #economics #consumerism #waste #stress