There was initially a good message there: let's not overconsume and take better care of the environment.
However, it gets lost in...
...the author's self-righteousness. He doesn't describe his choices as good for him, or some of the good alternatives. They are the best and they make him better than others.
...the lack of nuance and the author's ignorance of his own privilege. Don't get a computer, get your wife to type up your work, who cares if you want one or can afford to get married. People who watch TV and eat processed food are losers, who cares if it's the only food or form of entertainment they can afford. All technological progress is bad, so screw the people who need it to survive I guess.
...the sexism. The author fights HARD for the fact that his wife helps him because she loves him and for the idea that a loving wife doesn't need any compesation for helping her husband with his work because they are both working for their household. But there is ZERO mention of any ways he helps his wife or any nice things he does for her. Coupled with his staunce defence of the traditional way of life as the only right one, it all reads very much like "my wife should do and is doing a ton of unpaid physical and emotional labor for me".
...the hypocrisy. The author won't get a computer, but he takes flights and uses a chainsaw to cut wood. He keeps saying "well, I'm not perfect, of course, energy companies and such have made me their slave too"... But where do you need to fly so much? Why the chainsaw if cutting wood with an ax uses less energy and is cheaper (some of the criteria he himself establishes)?
...the author's hostility to people who disagree with him. When the initial essay was published, some people wrote letters to the magazine disagreeing with the author - and making some valid points. The author replies to them in a vicios, vitriolic way, attacking not only the points made but the writers themselves, personally. This feels really immature and further surves to undermine any good points scattered in this tiny book.
So, yeah, I usually try not to be wasteful but these so called essays have made me really want to go and finally replace my ancient laptop with something new, shiny, and wasteful. Kidding, but also kind of not quite kidding.
