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when i talk about current events, very little of my personal politics is involved. my views are not even in play for the loony third party options, much less the mainstream. really, i'm just describing the state of play as i see it.
https://twitter.com/questionaware/status/1324716304155246594
i'm a distributist, less the particularly catholic elements. corporations are a good structure, but they should be owned broadly, including by their workers and locals. i'm a green. i'm skeptical of any social entity larger than 100 people.
i'm a distributist, less the particularly catholic elements. corporations are a good structure, but they should be owned broadly, including by their workers and locals. i'm a green. i'm skeptical of any social entity larger than 100 people.
the problem with these views is that they are impracticable. the working classes of the west do not like the idea that they should consume less and take on the risk of owning the companies they work for. the monied classes dislike the idea of radical decentralization.
also, frankly, such a community would be as like to get invaded as anything else. this may change going forward if deterrence options develop considerably.
that said, there are questions of how to source resources and coordinate production of advanced industrial goods.
that said, there are questions of how to source resources and coordinate production of advanced industrial goods.
but for humans, i think most are now convinced of the shortfalls of concentrated global capitalism. the goods are great, everything else is crap. once all the durable goods are produced, you have to switch to sheer consumerism. at that point, even the goods turn to shit.
for the developed west, a well-educated, industrious, reasonably intelligent person has little reason to work past age 45 unless (1) they consoom, (2) they decide to raise their children in an expensive fashion, or (3) they don't know better.
that's a problem for the system.
that's a problem for the system.
a well-functioning system provides for three classes in ways that mostly help the society stick together.
1. the poor and stupid must be able to live decently.
2. the middling and quiet must be able to find meaning
3. the rich and ambitious must have an outlet.
1. the poor and stupid must be able to live decently.
2. the middling and quiet must be able to find meaning
3. the rich and ambitious must have an outlet.
as many have noted, the current system is tilting away from 1 and 2, but primarily 2. the poor live quite well, despite all the coverage to the contrary and in comparison to basically every other regime in history.
but our system is deeply unrealistic about stratification.
but our system is deeply unrealistic about stratification.
the frank reality is that people have different capacities. despite the great beauty and flowering of the human condition, some people just aren't able to (or do not wish to) produce as much as others. it's high time we admitted this and tried to be human about the consequences.
and then we have the collapse of the great wisdom traditions and an emerging ecological crisis. solutions for both are subordinated to the interests of class 3.
and the real problem? most people cognize the issues as a series of sinecure allocation problems.
and the real problem? most people cognize the issues as a series of sinecure allocation problems.
the vaunted revolutionary movements of the west are little more than advocacy groups for sinecures: for racial groups, sex or gender identities, creatives, political ideologies, religions, whatever. people fighting to be most-dependent on a sclerotic global capitalism.
this is a terminal mode. industrious, conscientious people will not get behind such movements at scale. at the same time, they are rapidly grillpilled by a system that doesn't truly reward them for productivity. whatever ideology manages to appeal to them will win.
if you find yourself wondering why the current dispute between right populism and left sinecurism resolves into bland neoliberal nothingburger, this is why. even though corporations, the neoliberal citizenry, are hostile to them, they at least provide somewhat for class 2.
members of class 2 feel something like:
(1) most of my value is siphoned off to provide for sinecures and meaningless populist signaling.
(2) that's still better than the alternatives.
(3) my life is mostly meaningless except for my family, friends, and hobbies.
(1) most of my value is siphoned off to provide for sinecures and meaningless populist signaling.
(2) that's still better than the alternatives.
(3) my life is mostly meaningless except for my family, friends, and hobbies.
in a well-ordered society, they ought to feel:
(1) my work provides for others to live with dignity, especially those who cannot provide for themselves
(2) politics doesn't interfere with that.
(3) my life has meaning as part of society, not where i can sequester from it.
(1) my work provides for others to live with dignity, especially those who cannot provide for themselves
(2) politics doesn't interfere with that.
(3) my life has meaning as part of society, not where i can sequester from it.
my politics, such as they are, is what i think would get us there. distributed ownership of locally-owned and oriented corporations producing goods that improve the lives of people you know. a relationship with ecology that doesn't make rivers flammable or deform children.
we don't need to worry about how to legislate or organize culture. humans will find art to make, stories to tell, people to love, etc. all politics really needs to do is keep class 3 from consolidating everything and class 1 from turning society into a sinecure factory.
so what concrete policy plank would i support within our current system?
monopoly and sinecure busting.
i think this has broad appeal to a majority of americans. notably, the best you get is a nominal choice between the two. that's worse then neither, and class 2 knows it.
monopoly and sinecure busting.
i think this has broad appeal to a majority of americans. notably, the best you get is a nominal choice between the two. that's worse then neither, and class 2 knows it.
