Building a New Order of Things
In my mind what must undergird any energy transition is the building of a new way of being that is made possible by a much lower-consumption world coupled with living more communally.
anti-consumerism
Redwashing consumerism will not save the planet
Overall the plan of action should be the same: empowering localized economies and grassroots organizations as a way to mitigate resource overuse and move toward an ecological civilization. Any model that begins from the proposition that consumption patterns can remain unchanged is a nonstarter.
Demon Copperhead & an Idea
Once the paucity of this cheap world is made plain, once the naked emperor is publicly called a cheated imbecile, once the grubbiness of what shows up in those priority mail deliveries is clearly revealed, maybe, just maybe, the privileged will then notice the rest of the misery embodied in their spending…
Reordering the concept of well-being with Epicurus and the hierarchy of desires
Most importantly, we need to shift our personal and societal imaginaries of ‘the good life’ from that of ever-increasing consumption and material wealth to cherishing sufficiency, fulfilling basic needs, and respecting a vivid and vibrant web of life.
Just Peachy!
I have a strong inclination toward hygge culture. This is not merely that I like being comfortable and among friends… or maybe it is… because those are far more profound than our mainstream EuroWestern culture allows… but I tend to think of it in more philosophical terms.
The Great Coffee Economy Con
Coffee, the addictive obsession of the affluent class, can tell us more about modern society than just retail trends; it is an indicator for how the modern neoliberal system operates, and its current shift toward new economic extremes.
The Great Simplification: Josh Farley: “Modern Monetary Myths”
Money. What is it? Where does it come from? How is it created? How is it tethered to our biophysical balance sheet? What is on the horizon with our monetary system? How might we create and use money differently in the future during a source and sink contained system?
Buying and Dying: How Online Shopping Grew from a Small Weed Deal into a Global Environmental and Societal Disaster (Episode 62 of Crazy Town)
Now that online shopping and the technology supporting it have ramped up commercialization and supercharged consumerism, we’re facing existential crises.
What Could Possibly Go Right?: Episode 84 Douglas Rushkoff
Douglas Rushkoff is an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in a digital age. Before our season break, enjoy this casual chat between Douglas and Vicki.
Throwing Superman through a Cigarette Truck: The Insidious Manipulation of Advertising (Episode 59 of Crazy Town)
Take a tour through the history of advertising, and explore the escalation of mind games and marketing mania that has fueled consumerism and the capitalist conflagration, leaving us on the brink of a climate meltdown. B
What Could Possibly Go Right?: Episode 79 Stacy Mitchell
Stacy Mitchell is co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a national research and advocacy organization that fights corporate control and works to build thriving, equitable communities. She addresses the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?”
The toxic cloud called ‘Internet’
“If we’re fortunate,” Crary dares to hope, “a short-lived digital age will have been overtaken by a hybrid material culture based on both old and new ways of living and subsisting cooperatively.”