not just dissonance, a gaping wide gulf

I grabbed the book Living on $21 a week (or very similar title) at the library late this afternoon. Something in there for me to learn no doubt.

The extent of my commitment was rather obvious not long afterwards as I almost bowled another shopper over at the supermarket while rushing to the booze aisle for a bottle of wine. Yes I did leave my young daughter alone in the queue. We do live in Small Wet Town, not New York.

To those who have commented on my last post (thank you), I too wondered about the May Day comment about capitalist appropriation of transition towns. Jared also mentioned farmers markets and it was easier to see how they could be assimilated into a capitalist framework. The problem is that Jared was summing up from the group I was not in and this was a throw-away comment and then I was busy sorting out the afternoon tea in the kitchen for the opening and then I didn't get to the evening function as we didn't have childcare so I didn't get to follow the comment up at all. Sounds like a depressing case of a woman in need of Germaine Greer really.

My best guess from the surrounding comments which Jared made is that transition towns does not challenge our current status quo, but works within. Which I guess is the case, but that doesn't make transition towns bad in my books.

Actually that is another dissonance/gulf thing for me. It is high time I named this one, which I alternately fear and accept. I understand, for a lay person, a reasonable amount of the socialist project and the exploitative premise and reality of capitalism. But I wonder how strong I am to actually be a revolutionary. Not amazingly so I suspect. Last year when I first encountered the Christchurch anarchists, I found myself agreeing with them, especially on the problematic, dodgy nature of union bosses. At the time Andrew Little was the object of much of my wrath (nothing he has done since has ameliorated my assessment). I'm pretty unimpressed with my own union bosses and find their modus operandi to be greatly similar to the big work bosses themselves. I've read Against the Current's posts on recent union rollover and absolutely seen his point. Here is an example. But there is a niggly voice inside of me which says: 'if you were that person, would you roll over as well'?

This article, Heresy of the Greeks offers hope has been a great inspiration for me. By John Pilger and brilliantly argued, thankyou Steven of Against the Current for bringing this one to my eyes as well.

Sewing. The fabric I chose for the bag is very heavy, too heavy really. The wine I've been drinking at the same time is not too heavy. I've retreated to the keyboard and the knitting needles and tomorrow I will work out what to do. Indeed, it is time to retreat further, to bed.

Oh Johanna, the ear candles worked a treat, I did get FH to administer them though, OSH and all.

Comments

Anonymous said…
We don't have capitalism, that is the problem, not the Bosses(they are after all, also the workers for someone else -whether it be the global corporation or the customer at the farmers' market).

What we have is moneytarism (monetarism), that is the means of exchange is the end in itself since we have to serve it's value system instead of the value system in capital of what we as a collective of free individuals really want n like (farmer's markets, internet, sewing gear, homes, time out for leisure & family, spirituality practice etc)

The problem with Unions is that with no systemic Debt, we don't need to bargain with the workplace for the right to more breadcrumbs, instead the workplace needs to bargain with us for our work hours more n more. For the more the workplace needs to bargain with us individually, the more all work exchange is realized as being one in the physical world.

The barrier to the exercising of our values is moneytarism(monetarism). Getting rid of the diminishing benefits of capitalism that haven't been snuffed out yet will only leave us with Bosses, politics & at the top of the chain, Debt in one form or another!

Nik
Sandra said…
Thanks for your comment Nik. I can see what you are saying about monetarism dominating/ruling decisions but there is a gap between that assertion and the idea that capitalism is necessary and that a welll fucntioning community is one which caters to our individual (not collective good) preferences. I'm going to have to do some reading to see whether/in what way that gsap can be bridged.
Anonymous said…
Sure, you welcome, have a good weekend.


Nik


p.s. i think your home made chocolate snack logs would serve as a working example of that gap being bridged myself.
Anonymous said…
Thank you, that was extremely valuable and interesting...I will be back again to read more on this topic.

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