declinism

I. Can’t. Wait.

Today’s Daily from Statcan contained this gem, under new releases:

In which David Suzuki wonders whether the world today is better than it was in 1936. 

Apparently the latest thing in low-impact living is getting rid of your fridge. The NYTimes naturally has the details, though the featured performers are, improbably, a couple of public servants in Ottawa City, Canada: 

In last week’s New Yorker, Ben McGrath writes about his travels amongst the dystopians, aka declinists. You know the types — the various apocalyptos, misanthropes, primitivists, and eco-pornographers who fantasize of the day when our obsession with cars, suburbs, and Xboxes and hamburgers will finally whipsaw us back to the stone age.  

This story was briefed on page A14 of the WSJ yesterday. I didn’t see it anywhere else. 

Today’s WSJ front-page-quirky-story is about Russian academic Igor Panarin, who has made a bit of a name for himself predicting the imminent crackup of the USA:

Metal prices fall further than during Great Depression

The Post today reprints Rebecca Onion’s great piece on James Howard Kunstler & co.,  originally published in Slate: