Not Buying It Redux: Brian Lehrer Live
Published March 20th, 2009I had an interesting conversation with WNYC radio’s Brian Lehrer the other night on his TV show. Among other things, we chatted about my recent Salon.com piece, The Case Against Thrift, and about how life has changed since Paul’s and my blithe self-imposed parsimony of 2004.
I’m still thinking about that piece, and why I’m so bothered by claims that compulsory penury will bring moral benefits. I mean, there are good reasons to be thrifty — to save the poor earth from piling up with garbage, for one. But will it make us better people? Is greed the same as enjoying the pleasures of excess? How do we make distinctions between morality and moralism?
I didn’t have time to get into all that with Lehrer, whose program airs live Wednesdays 7:30 to 8:30 PM on CUNY-TV in New York and at brianlehrer.tv. It’s produced by the versatile radio veteran Marty Goldensohn.
Watch the segment here.
I just finished “Not Buying It”. It seems from your discomforts and discoveries over the course of that year, an from my own paltry attempts at doing more with less, that learning what is “enough” has great value, both practically and ethically.
Really delighted in the book. I came here to learn more about this wonderful writer.
Thanks!
Comment by Larry LoVerde — May 6, 2009 @ 9:45 am