These arguments are kind of dripping in slippery slope fallacy. That's a potential outcome but by no means the only one. I'd hazard that's a pretty worst case interpretation. I think your average person doesn't evaluate themselves solely through the lens of economic value. Capitalismwould nudge people toward your slope, but I don't think humans would totally cooperate with the effort.
I've told people before, as a non-smoker, that smoking would be the ultimate social activity if it weren't for all the cancer and assorted negative health outcomes. You've got an idle habit that many people also engage in. It requires that people come closer together to share the disposal resources. It then requires that you hold still and fidget with a small stick for several minutes every time you do it. And nothing else. It's hard to beat a set of conditions to get people to idly interact with each other that's better than that.
These arguments are kind of dripping in slippery slope fallacy. That's a potential outcome but by no means the only one. I'd hazard that's a pretty worst case interpretation. I think your average person doesn't evaluate themselves solely through the lens of economic value. Capitalismwould nudge people toward your slope, but I don't think humans would totally cooperate with the effort.