&quot;However, it really needs to be repeated: austerity is only braindead if you insist on ever-increasing aggregate demand. If you are willing to accept stagnant or even decreasing aggregate demand (for whatever reason) then austerity is perfectly reasonable and perhaps a good choice.&quot;<p>I think the problem is that austerity advocates argue that that aggregate demand will increase in the face of austerity, when we know that doesn&#x27;t happen. Austerity advocates then often bring up the theory that if debt is lower, then external actors will have more confidence in the country and interest rates will decline.<p>So while I agree with you that no one needs to be condescending, it is challenging to deal with the pro-austerity folks when they seem to be fact-challenged.