Hi all. I made this community because I want to get involved, and I honestly don’t know where to start. It seems like activism in the real world is a better way than just typing on the internet. Where are the protests? How can I volunteer with a climate change organization? And so on. I figured if we had a little community...
What’s wrong with smaller cities, with more evenly distributed population across countries, with density lowering as you move from the center? Reduces city impact, still promotes dense urbanization and reduces transportation costs if there is something being produces around the city. Also left to nature is a bit impossible in today’s world and promotes detachment from feeling like part of nature for most people. Most of Europe and north America is riddled with invasive species or just have been devastated by agriculture or deforestation in the last centuries and if managed correctly which can mean leave it alone humans can have a positive impact on the world. If you could create forests in the desert with plants from around it, wouldn’t that be positive?
That would be better true but I argue that even if you compare companies to cities the same problem occurs with cities, mega or very big cities are not sustainable or easier to manage, they just occur naturally.
I don’t think even if a company is worker owned or democratically controlled may still choose to go against the customer or competition with monopolistic practices so I’m not sure it’s possible to have mega corps be very positive in any way to society.
How do those people feed themselves? How do they move around? How far away is the average person’s house from the workplace, or the market, or the hospital? In the end is the average energy consumption per person smaller? The existence of mega cities requires a lot of land elsewhere to sustain those people with the added transportation costs. There is not much to gain from gathering too many humans in one place for the sake of it.
Hey so I’m sort of getting involved in my local XR (Extinction Rebelion) group but I have to say after a couple of meetings I’m feeling like it’s not really my type....
I’m actually in the the part of XR in my region most likely to do stuff like that but since XR in my country has very few people doesn’t look like I’m going to divert many to do different things but I see what you mean. I’m having an in person event soon so I may try to network in that direction.
You are right it’s kind of exactly what I was looking for, I will look further into that, thank you! As for XR I’ll push forward trying to build connections and meeting like minded individuals who might even be interested in adjacent stuff like what you mentioned.
I’m just afraid that it’s all destruction and PR stunts. I believe in demonstrations, up to a certain point. I just feel like they accomplish too little when they are generic. I read somewhere that XR UK was very poorly seen by general population which is a shame because a few years ago they weren’t (at least so much).
I’m afraid that the regular person is going over the hill of being concerned with the planet and just gets annoyed by road blocks and demonstrations fronted by young people to pretend throw paint at art and just give up. Because those people that are affected feel like there is little they can do about the big parts of it. I know the argument of union strikes civil rights protests but I feel like the public opinion is not going in the right direction.
In the end I feel that if there is going to be any hope of moving the needle of the big issues regular people need feel included and like it’s their cause too.
I used to think like that. As times passes I’m increasingly starting to agree with what you are saying. Sadly I do still think that is a matter of choice. There are poorly valued college educations and not all off them are philosophy and literature. I don’t see anything wrong with them existing like you said, they teach people critical thinking and improve people overall. But like you said the lie that education exists to give us jobs exists and there are people going to college to learn not very lucrative things and expecting to make a living out them and coming out with dept and can’t find an occupation that provides for them. Honestly I think the only way to go around that problem is to make University universal and free. That way you can always go back for something more lucrative or later in life to learn something that makes you grow.
ChatGPT cannot imagine freedom or alternatives; it can only present you with plagiarized mash-ups of the data it’s been trained on. So, if generative AI tools begin to form the foundation of creative works and even more of the other writing and visualizing we do, it will further narrow the possibilities on offer to us. Just as...
Nice and informed comment. Completely agree, specially with the part about software being the domain most advanced in terms of post capitalistic post scarcity.
One of the big winners of the Unity debacle is the free and open source Godot Engine, which has seen its funding soar to a much more impressive level as Unity basically gave them free advertising.
I’m with you on that. I feel like open source is the best possible way to security audit and test issues. As any issue will be out there to see, most proprietary code ends ups being years of duct tape which wouldn’t fly if a large community of different backgrounds took a look at the code
Damn you know some cultured people. I can’t get anyone to leave Whatsapp for it. Even when I mention how ugly it is and how shady it is for it to be owned by Facebook
Interesting… what made you think The dispossessed has solarpunk elements? Obviously anarchist but I feel like it doesn’t have much focus on balance with the natural world, just in how the inhabitants of Anarres feel like the people on Urras have an actual planet and treat it like shit while they have a deserted planet and try as hard as they can to be In balance with it.
This is a niche topic and I’m not sure this is the right community. Let’s say we start to move on to a society less focused on capital. Not perfect but on the way there. There are still companies and there is an overall economy running around small businesses. How would a small business get started without access to...
True, completely agree with your final part. I think I see your point. But your set still needs a post money society. What about a middle ground? Would for example funding also come from the community?
I think I see your point. Getting investment from the parties directly affected makes sense and would also create a sustainable business model as it proves the need for it. It could also create some synergy if the created business is also a co-op itself that may in turn eventually do the same for something else. Basically investment without rent seeking.
That’s a good point. Capital is surplus value which can have multiple forms. I see what you mean creativity and I agree. If the whole could think like this we could start to build something like a post capitalist society without actual parting with capital. Thank you for your comment!
If there was ever a good reason for pre sales I think that’s that. The problem I see with start up hubs college based is that they are limited in terms of help and mostly lead to companies falling into VCs hands. At least in my country. I think the most “anarchist” way of doing it may be just crowdsourcing mostly because it’s the potential clients that actually fund the venture. I think it’s probably a pain mostly because it turns into a marketing campaign but at least the funding is honest. No VCs, no angel investment, no quarterly projections. A company could actually aim to be sustainable instead of infinite growth based.
Let’s put some life into this sub. I don’t think degrowth is possible under capitalism because the imperative to degrow contradicts the capitalist drive for the creation of value (valorization) which must always grow under capitalism’
If I may enter the discussion. I think it’s very very hard but may be possible. Let’s say people only buy new things when it’s something they need and the things itself should work for a long time, like generations. It reduces consumerism, things would only be replaced if something greatly superior appeared. Some things would still be bought so there is still some capitalism but wouldnt be focused on mindless spending in junk. Things would be more expensive but overall we’d have better things.
Thank you for that, I wasn’t aware that was a thing! I’ll bookmark that to read later as it seems a bit long! I didn’t even know melting currencies were a thing
looking for half-stable Linux distro
Hello, i am currently looking for a Linux distribution with these criteria:...
Hello, and Welcome
Hi all. I made this community because I want to get involved, and I honestly don’t know where to start. It seems like activism in the real world is a better way than just typing on the internet. Where are the protests? How can I volunteer with a climate change organization? And so on. I figured if we had a little community...
Are Ecovillages Impossible? | The back-to-the-land 1970s model ecovillage doesn't work for younger generations. Here's what does (terrenity.substack.com)
centralization guarantees freedom. would you like to learn more? (slrpnk.net)
Modern activism and it's role in saving the planet
Hey so I’m sort of getting involved in my local XR (Extinction Rebelion) group but I have to say after a couple of meetings I’m feeling like it’s not really my type....
reject college. embrace apprenticeship (slrpnk.net)
You can tell this is an ancient meme because it prices college at 4 years at $9,000 per year instead of 5 years at $30,000 per year 😆
Generative AI closes off a better future — Ursula Le Guin said we must be able to imagine freedom. AI traps us in the past. (www.disconnect.blog)
ChatGPT cannot imagine freedom or alternatives; it can only present you with plagiarized mash-ups of the data it’s been trained on. So, if generative AI tools begin to form the foundation of creative works and even more of the other writing and visualizing we do, it will further narrow the possibilities on offer to us. Just as...
Godot Engine hits over 50K euros per month in funding (www.gamingonlinux.com)
One of the big winners of the Unity debacle is the free and open source Godot Engine, which has seen its funding soar to a much more impressive level as Unity basically gave them free advertising.
55% of women say listening to Joe Rogan is a red flag (changeresearch.com)
Various nuggets of interest in this survey of Gen Z and millennials
Any book recommendations?
I am not sure what I am looking for, but I am interested in solar punk and am looking for books!...
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Opposition to capital and alternatives
This is a niche topic and I’m not sure this is the right community. Let’s say we start to move on to a society less focused on capital. Not perfect but on the way there. There are still companies and there is an overall economy running around small businesses. How would a small business get started without access to...
What are y'all's critique of Bookchin?
Bookchin prefigured many ideas in solarpunk and degrowth before these things were even coined. But what are your critiques of him?
Is degrowth possible under capitalism?
Let’s put some life into this sub. I don’t think degrowth is possible under capitalism because the imperative to degrow contradicts the capitalist drive for the creation of value (valorization) which must always grow under capitalism’