Yeah for sure! Abolition of gov't would be even better or at least replacing it with a real democracy. But my point is that we need more than that. It's "yes and", ya know?
This feels especially juicy and pertinent…I guess always. Like it’s always really critical to invite this kind of approach. Everything. Do you’re small piece and do the big piece. My Dad told me about Kinshasa Congo, where he has friends who have grown up there. The city is quadrupled in size in his lifetime. He asked his friend, “How does the city cope with such a growth in population?” His friend said, “They don’t adhere to capitalism.” My summary of the second-hand convo was that they run on a DIY approach. Everyone grows food and sells it. Everyone hauls water. Everyone is creating solutions all the time. As in, there is no big box company making millions. This friend also remarked that they look forward to the day that the US economy collapses and Africa can once again retain their resources and people. They can finally have their continent back. So I guess this comment encompasses the macro and micro. DIY the shit of life so the Big Box Boys can go fuck themselves. (excuse the language).
"look forward to the day that the US economy collapses and Africa can once again retain their resources and people" - yes to this. 1000%.
And you bring up a really good point, Maria, about how the macro and micro really are tied together because when shift at the individual level, it becomes a priority to divest from the harmful systems at the macro level.
One more thought that I might riff on in a separate piece is the disability justice piece. Diy often feels very able-bodied. But it isn’t. When I look at it through the lens of affluence it feels unavailable. I don’t have time to raise bees or space to grow my own quinoa. But if I shift my gaze to the rest of humanity (the 99%) I see that diy/survival culture is the only way we are still here. The make-do, make-better life. Find the free stuff. Forage the dumpsters. Pull the free fruit off the sidewalk trees. Go into those abandoned community gardens and find some free grub. The cult of “wellness” has distorted diy to the point that it feels elite. I feel like you are pointing us back to the dirty, messy side of it all. So thank you. Diy for all.
I often think of disability justice as distinctly embodying the community level because it's all about local support. With reference to the diy movement, it becomes so much more apparent that we all win when we do these things together <3
YES! And the problem with the culture of podcasts is that a lot of the time it's just men talking to talk. So many podcasts lack depth and nuance, which this subject definitely requires. Have you read any Wendell Berry? He's currently my favorite voice in this topic.
Idk but getting money out of politics seems like a pretty good solution
Yeah for sure! Abolition of gov't would be even better or at least replacing it with a real democracy. But my point is that we need more than that. It's "yes and", ya know?
This feels especially juicy and pertinent…I guess always. Like it’s always really critical to invite this kind of approach. Everything. Do you’re small piece and do the big piece. My Dad told me about Kinshasa Congo, where he has friends who have grown up there. The city is quadrupled in size in his lifetime. He asked his friend, “How does the city cope with such a growth in population?” His friend said, “They don’t adhere to capitalism.” My summary of the second-hand convo was that they run on a DIY approach. Everyone grows food and sells it. Everyone hauls water. Everyone is creating solutions all the time. As in, there is no big box company making millions. This friend also remarked that they look forward to the day that the US economy collapses and Africa can once again retain their resources and people. They can finally have their continent back. So I guess this comment encompasses the macro and micro. DIY the shit of life so the Big Box Boys can go fuck themselves. (excuse the language).
"look forward to the day that the US economy collapses and Africa can once again retain their resources and people" - yes to this. 1000%.
And you bring up a really good point, Maria, about how the macro and micro really are tied together because when shift at the individual level, it becomes a priority to divest from the harmful systems at the macro level.
One more thought that I might riff on in a separate piece is the disability justice piece. Diy often feels very able-bodied. But it isn’t. When I look at it through the lens of affluence it feels unavailable. I don’t have time to raise bees or space to grow my own quinoa. But if I shift my gaze to the rest of humanity (the 99%) I see that diy/survival culture is the only way we are still here. The make-do, make-better life. Find the free stuff. Forage the dumpsters. Pull the free fruit off the sidewalk trees. Go into those abandoned community gardens and find some free grub. The cult of “wellness” has distorted diy to the point that it feels elite. I feel like you are pointing us back to the dirty, messy side of it all. So thank you. Diy for all.
I often think of disability justice as distinctly embodying the community level because it's all about local support. With reference to the diy movement, it becomes so much more apparent that we all win when we do these things together <3
YES! And the problem with the culture of podcasts is that a lot of the time it's just men talking to talk. So many podcasts lack depth and nuance, which this subject definitely requires. Have you read any Wendell Berry? He's currently my favorite voice in this topic.
That name has come up a few times in the past weeks so I'll take this as my cue to do some reading. Thanks!!
This video is a great intro! I think you’ll vibe with him: https://youtu.be/2ejYAfcjJmY?si=0a-KBbF6Nhm5-FCU
Cheers!!
Thank you for this good pice, it's gonna help me keep doing actions