Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by helloooooooo 291 days ago
I don’t think anyone here has yet come to the realization that ending rampant consumerism is the whole damn point of the tariffs.
7 comments

No, that's surely not the point of tariffs. Maybe a silver lining, but for sure not the intention.
According to who? That's not the most common justification provided for them, the more common refrain a bag full of lies about what a tariff is and what a trade deficit is.
The "point" of the tariffs is that Trump likes tariffs. There's nothing more to it than that.
Why cut off your thinking there? I can think of many reasons why he would like tariffs. Two off the bat:

- Allows claiming various benefits like onshoring production, or reduced taxes. This is for the voters.

- Allows threatening other countries' industries with tariffs unless they invest in his friends' enterprises. This is for him.

Yeah gilding the Oval Office really drives the message home.

“Trump calmly reminds nation that desire is the truth of all suffering” - Onion

My brain just leaked out of my ear.
This is a ridiculous attempt at sanewashing. When has Trump or anyone in the GOP EVER stated that they want to end consumerism?
Pretty dishonest. There is nothing about curbing consumerism there. Just telling people that they will HAVE TO buy less if consumer prices increase, in order to hurt China.
Trump effectively saying "deal with it, you'll live" is not even remotely evidence that the primary goal is ending rampant consumerism.

Just… stop.

Lol, are you serious? Can you elaborate on your thinking here? Are you suggesting Trump imposed tariffs out of some altruistic goal of reducing waste or the social impacts of consumerism?? That can't be right. What is the motivation in your mind?