Wendell Berry: Global Economy Exploits
on Saturday, December 16, 2017Wendell Berry Money Quote saying local economies are not respected and are often sacrificed in favor of global economies for the sake of profit. Wendell Berry said:
“Today, local economies are being destroyed by the “pluralistic,” displaced, global economy, which has no respect for what works in a locality. The global economy is built on the principle that one place can be exploited, even destroyed, for the sake of another place”– Wendell Berry
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In this quote, Wendell Berry is criticizing how the modern globalized economy undermines local communities and their economic sustainability. He suggests the “pluralistic, displaced, global economy” prioritizes profit and efficiency gains above all else, with no consideration for environmental or social impacts felt within specific places and regions.
By stating local economies are being “destroyed” so that the global system can exploit and even destroy one locality “for the sake of another”, Berry argues this dislocated economic model inherently disrespects local needs, circumstances and what works best for individual communities. His view is that the principle of maximizing gains in some areas regardless of costs imposed elsewhere destroys the diversity and self-sufficiency of localized economies.
The overall interpretation is Berry sees the dominant global economic paradigm as threat to community-level prosperity and autonomy due to its lack of accountability for localized destruction and displacement of what naturally sustains individual places and their inhabitants for the benefit of anonymous profits accrued across vast distances and disparate regions. He advocates for models with greater respect for locality-specific needs and circumstances over singular pursuit of efficiency and wealth accumulation through globalized trade and investment.