tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104745414778029014.post522117209762291398..comments2023-06-26T04:26:42.894-04:00Comments on Anubis Bard: Consuming our ProblemsAndy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820201752437230985noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104745414778029014.post-10641173214276336542014-05-07T20:40:54.327-04:002014-05-07T20:40:54.327-04:00Very good post. The idea that the "consumer ...Very good post. The idea that the "consumer stance" applies to much more than just buying stuff is so accurate, but something I had never thought about. Thank you.FLwolverinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15714397414422766313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104745414778029014.post-1650177003439352092014-05-07T20:34:42.235-04:002014-05-07T20:34:42.235-04:00@ thrig - on a trip to Scandanavia a few years ago...@ thrig - on a trip to Scandanavia a few years ago, our guide - a Norwegian who lived in Denmark but gad also lived and studied in the US - explained that in general citizens in the Scandanavian countries trusted their governments because they believed they (the citizens) could change the government if they didn't agree with what it was doing. He also patiently explained that this attitude was possible because of the small and relatively homogenous population (I say patient, because some people in the group took every description of a local system as a criticism of the US). Unfortunately, given the tribal nature of human beings, I think democracy does not work well in a country as large and diverse as the US.FLwolverinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15714397414422766313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104745414778029014.post-84919849869288869882014-05-04T17:40:50.850-04:002014-05-04T17:40:50.850-04:00The one thing that everyone agrees on up and down ...The one thing that everyone agrees on up and down the political spectrum is that politicians have been corrupted. They just think the other guy's candidate is even worse than theirs.Anubis Bardhttp://anubisbard.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104745414778029014.post-53719425569327000022014-05-04T17:35:38.686-04:002014-05-04T17:35:38.686-04:00Aye, the blinding desire for infinite growth on a ...Aye, the blinding desire for infinite growth on a finite planet is the defining madness of the age.Anubis Bardhttp://anubisbard.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104745414778029014.post-23873980716212437692014-05-04T17:32:48.586-04:002014-05-04T17:32:48.586-04:00That's a really good question, Aimee. And one...That's a really good question, Aimee. And one that probably deserves a full post. Maybe you've given me the topic for my next essay. But marching for the changes you want isn't futile, even if it may not be enough.Anubis Bardhttp://anubisbard.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104745414778029014.post-32409222520859903222014-05-04T17:24:41.373-04:002014-05-04T17:24:41.373-04:00I think the Maker movement is great. Probably the ...I think the Maker movement is great. Probably the best way to shore up our numbers of much-needed tinkerers! As for the speed of collapse, my guess is that it won't be evenly distributed. There's a case to be made that places like Syria have already tumbled down a couple of steps (since demographics, climate change, water shortages and so on may prevent it from ever getting back to where it was). Egypt has pulled itself together, but is it recovering ground it lost?Anubis Bardhttp://anubisbard.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104745414778029014.post-37226010466678042262014-05-04T16:56:01.019-04:002014-05-04T16:56:01.019-04:00But that old paradigm of "growth is good"...But that old paradigm of "growth is good" persists, to our collective peril.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104745414778029014.post-82276497745376191402014-05-04T15:17:02.424-04:002014-05-04T15:17:02.424-04:00Hmm, between the nation-changing population growth...Hmm, between the nation-changing population growth (5 million to 300 million over two centuries, or two orders of magnitude of change, plus some territory gain) and the outsized influence of money in American politics, compared to, say:<br /><br />"The most famous example of electoral expense is perhaps that of Yorkshire, where William Wilberforce’s two opponents in the bitterly contested election of 1807 each reputedly spent £ 100,000, or more than £6 million today; Wilberforce topped the poll, but out of a total of nearly 24,000 votes only 850 finally separated the three candidates. By comparison, the average election budget allowed by law for a parliamentary candidate in the final month of the 2010 general election, including all staff, office and equipment costs, campaign literature, merchandise and advertising, was approximately £12,000 – less than the cost of a single TV advertisement in a U.S. congressional election." — Norman, Jesse (2013-05-21). Edmund Burke: The First Conservative (p. 75). Basic Books. Kindle Edition. <br /><br />it may be no surprise that the American political process might be down on the ropes. (Parallels to the democracy-at-home-but-Imperial-tributes-from-abroad Athens look interesting; I really must get through Thucydides one of these days.) Is democracy something that can scale out to multiple millions, or are different structures required with that many humans about?<br /><br />However! There will need to be consumption, only of different quality: glass containers and clay pots for food preservation, local food and not greens flown from Chile. Alas, enthused patrons in a local bar spoke of their new TV, and a snorkling trip to Alaska—doubtless things more fun than pondering the mysteries of Sauerkraut.thrighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12057080636193592744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104745414778029014.post-90995556618654683792014-05-04T15:06:55.702-04:002014-05-04T15:06:55.702-04:00Very interesting post. I'm particularly intere...Very interesting post. I'm particularly interested in hearing your thoughts about alternatives to the consumer stance in the political process. Speaking personally, i do feel like an alienated, dissatisfied consumer in elections, but short of running for office myself I'm not sure what to do. Well - today I'm marching for immigration reform, but even as I make my cardboard sign, it feels like an exercize in futility. Aimeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06358194304460170717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104745414778029014.post-62912361327042275962014-05-04T01:39:56.665-04:002014-05-04T01:39:56.665-04:00Great topic. We were having a discussion on the GW...Great topic. We were having a discussion on the GW forum about when things are in season recently. I'm so used to having fresh lettuce available 365 days a year for a salad that I don't even know when vegetables are naturally in season anymore.<br /><br />I'm trying onions this year in the garden, which can be staggered. The garden guru at the nursery where I buy compost (can't compost on my own since I rent) introduced me to "onion sets" and suggested planting them as two rows. You harvest the first when they are young and sweet then the second set later when they are mature. We came up with a follow on of scattering seeds on top so that a third planting will come up later as well. I understand onions can be dried and stored well too.<br /><br />BTW Anubis, this would make a good guest blog post for the <a href="http://www.greenwizards.info/" rel="nofollow">Green wizards website</a> if you'd like me to cross post this there. Even better it would get you three chances to win one of the free JMG books we are giving away in our June promotion. Info is <a href="http://www.greenwizards.info/?p=1592" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. Pop me an email at ran domsurfer 200 at yahoo dot com, if that interests you.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07774068965203466058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104745414778029014.post-74559157914790334582014-05-03T22:47:25.968-04:002014-05-03T22:47:25.968-04:00Good points, AB.
On the plus side, there *are* ma...Good points, AB.<br /><br />On the plus side, there *are* many 'maker spaces' popping up in the country and the world, where people are a) learning to get along with each other and b) learning to make stuff with their own hands, and c) sharing tools and resources (http://makerspace.com/makerspace-directory).<br /><br />My view on fast collapse/slow collapse is still unclear. There's a hell of a lot of interconnectedness, more so than has ever been, in any other civilization that has collapsed. Stairstep collapse sounds like the way things might happen, but I'm wondering if at one point along the stairs downward we get one step that breaks, so we fall through to the next floor. A fast-slow combo, that, when you pull back, looks like a fractal. A quick search on fast-slow collapse turns up oodles of discussion. It does seem that things will be uneven, for sure. Too many variables influence things, in my opinion.<br /><br />Look forward to more commentary in the JMG vein!<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com