Is there cause for optimism?
Regarding Oliver Burkeman’s piece What if we’ve never had it so good?: yes, of course I am grateful I am not a slave, and that my daughters have a choice of financial independence other than getting married or entering prostitution (18 August). I am also grateful that so many of us are living longer and eating better. The New Optimism sees the overwhelmingly positive outcomes of a few constructive initiatives, but the argument that the journey ahead looks favourable seems to be ignoring all the “uglies” that are holding back progress.
A few examples here. I value my vote in our democracy, even though I know my vote cannot compete with political donations.
We struggle to make rational consumer decisions because we do not have the credible information to help us do so.
Employment is available to those who are connected as opposed to those who can do the job, undermining equality of opportunity. New Optimism rings hollow to those captured in the maze of barriers that is modern poverty.
Yes, we live with the many benefits of the modern, but it is not the time to pat ourselves on the back. The era of fake news and manipulation of truth cannot be an acceptable new normal. The future is indeed very bright, but only if we allow the light to shine. How can we find the courage to tackle the “uglies” if we are constantly kept in the dark?
Farah Hassim
Melbourne, Australia
• It would not be hard to imagine a group of prognosticators gathering around a table in, say, the spring of 1914 and, after earnest debate, concluding that the world never had it so good. Europe was at peace and had been so, apart from a long-ago kerfuffle in Crimea, since the end of the Napoleonic wars a century earlier. Large parts of Africa and Asia were reaping the benefits of enlightened governance, courtesy of their colonial masters. Globalisation was well advanced, with telegraphy and ever-improving forms of transportation boosting international trade to unprecedented levels.
Education was recruiting the brainpower needed to keep the wheels of industry and commerce turning, creating an expanding, self-confident middle class in the process. The franchise was spreading ever more widely. Advances in medicine, including x-ray photography, were reversing the slump in life expectancy caused by the Industrial Revolution. State pensions, along with unemployment and health insurance, were early welfare reforms that pointed to a better future for all. The provision of leisure activities was becoming an industry in itself. The French had a turn of phrase to sum it up: La Belle Époque.
There was, it’s true, a little local turbulence in the Balkans, but nothing that was due cause for alarm. All in all, what could possibly go wrong?
Bernard Besserglik
Pantin, France
• Does the fall in the number of people in extreme poverty (137,000) each day equal the number who die due to extreme poverty each day?
Robin McMurdo
Berry, NSW, Australia
What is real wealth?
Many will agree to downgrade GDP as an index of wealth and to “do more with what we have” (Real wealth so different from GDP, 18 August). But my stomach churns when Julian Baggini declares: “Real wealth consists in what we are able to own or consume.” Not at all. Real wealth consists in how much free time we have to do or be what we wish. I’ve found that owning and consuming just get in the way of enjoying the wealth of time. Small is beautiful and less is more, so all you need is less.
Douglas Porteous
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
• Fine article by Julian Baggini and the linked cartoon by Bill Bragg. Just goes to show that for nations and for individuals, money should be used for doing good.
Geraldine Dodgson
Pauanui, New Zealand
Substance as well as style
I was very disappointed in Eleanor Ainge Roy’s article “Jacinda-mania” seizes New Zealand as Labour’s new leader soars in the polls (18 August). A full-page article dedicated to Labour’s new leader one month before an election, and there wasn’t a single mention of her policies or stances on political issues, instead focusing on Jacinda Ardern’s charismatic personality.
As a Canadian, I witnessed the same phenomenon with Justin Trudeau, who won an election on the back of his charm and charisma without serious examination of his policies, surprising many Canadians when his progressive rhetoric and personal image were not backed up with progressive policies.
With an election approaching, it would have been nice to get a sense of Ardern’s substance as well as her style. I hope you will consider a follow-up article on her policies.
Felix Cowan
Champaign, Illinois, US
Briefly
• Congratulations to the businessman for telling us what he is really thinking after recovering from burnout (11 August). This is a condition that is often unrecognised or denied but may have a major impact on not only the affected individual but also family and work where, for some, there may be wider safety implications. Well done for highlighting an important personal issue amid all the national and global news.
Robert Logan
Carterton, New Zealand
Email letters for publication to weekly.letters@theguardian.com
