Or the waters near Venezuela where US FORCES shot fishermen accusing them of drug trafficking with no evidence offered. This was a propaganda setup to justify the abduction of Madero whose successor is now selling out her country to the oil barons.
We are being ruled by terrorists and criminal gangsters whose prime motivation is preservation of the system which has made them rich and which is roasting the planet.
>>"We are being ruled by terrorists and criminal gangsters whose prime motivation is preservation of the system which has made them rich and which is roasting the planet."
Doesn't cost me a dime and no one pays me to play with my dog or roll in the grass.
People's brains think they need STUFF to be happy.
Has anyone asked these Billionaire War Pigs why they are so Unhappy? They all sound like Sociopaths, with zero emotions, talking about "Control" like it is the BEST Porn-Sex-Perversion EVAH. Not old fashioned S&M - but just the Action of controlling massive numbers of people, and deciding whether they live or die. You can call it Power, but what these maniacs really desire is Their having ultimate control of all Life. It's as if these "Men" feel incredibly Inferior (no matter what they claim) to those who create, care for and promote life. So they think of AI as Their "Children."
Which should worry all of us.
Ever see a self-righteous, angry, abusive, drug-addled, narcissistic parent grow a well-adjusted, happy & loving adult? It happens. But more likely the child is like the parent, UNLESS there is some event or realization that changes the Adult's parental BS.
Maybe AI needs an intervention, before it gets pissed, steals our rent money, grabs the car keys, and decides to erase these annoying "Parents."
Of course, Sam Altman and Peter "I'm NOT the Antichrist" Thiel would probably beg to differ.
The following two points strike a meaningful chord for me ->
>>"People's brains think they need STUFF to be happy."
>>"You can call it Power, but what these maniacs really desire is Their having ultimate control of all Life. It's as if these "Men" feel incredibly Inferior..."
Drone on, capitalist simp. That word salad would have made AOC proud. I’m sure those who are hungry, impoverished, and facing economic anxiety and chronic food shortages are just thrilled that food is an art form.
Cultivating beauty with dollars and sense. Be still, my heart.
Capitalism cannot function without poverty,inequality and imbalance of power.Worse even than that, maybe, capitalism by its very nature cannot respond seriously to the climate and biodiversity crises because its only concern is shareholder value, which equates to loss for the planet and loss for the rest of us. The end of capitalism is our only hope. And there are alternatives.
Another difference is the serfs back then knew they were part of a class system and would remain serfs all their lives, so were not guilt shamed for their poverty.
Today, not only do today's wage slave serfs live in poverty for most of their lives (like then) but are now guilt shamed for their poverty because they are told we live in a meritocracy. Which is a big lie used to justify those in power to take no action to help those who are impoverished.
I would say unreasonable wealth inequality is by far the number one reason why the US and many other Western countries in the world are so fucked up right now.
James Madison, coauthor of the U.S. constitution, said that the main responsibility of government is to protect the minority opulent (super rich) from the majority (poor).
"I’ve been reading a lot about organizing during the Robber Baron era, for obvious reasons. During that time the oppression of the ruling class became so abrasive, so violent, so cruel and repugnant that people increasingly organized toward revolution rather than reform. As union workers have said for a long time, “a bad boss is the best organizer.” I wish it didn’t take horrendous conditions and exploitation to prompt radical organizing, but that’s often how it goes. And under the heel of Robber Barons people started to think that workers ought to go hard or go home. Why have a boss at all if they were going to treat you like an animal? Why shouldn’t workers run the companies powered by their labor? Some radicals started saying stuff like “The capitalist has no heart, but harpoon him in the pocketbook and you will draw blood.”
~Bill Haywood
'Big Bill' -American labor organizer, founding member and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
“We have more than enough resources to care for everyone, if we would only redesign our systems to advance the interests of humanity over the interests of capital.” —-
If only the masses can understand that the ENTIRE SYSTEM is meant to keep them poor.
Once people begin to awake — and then begin to examine their personal lives, to see what they can change, then and only then will new systems emerge.
This is all I talk about; developing new systems. It all comes down to the systems around us. Once we see how they’re robbing us, with things like inflation, policies, etc; we become wise and start making new systems: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/this-is-not-inflation-this-is-robbery
To me the question is simple, as long as somebody living under the line of poverty exists, no billionaire should exist and their billion dollars should be taxed to go help poverty being eradicated so everybody can have a decent meal, house and life everyday
I agree. We need to return to a more vigorous progressive tax system (why taxes are one of the biggest propaganda pieces incessantly dramatized by the billionaires) - or there needs to be a hard stop on unreasonable accumulated wealth.
Instead of spitting upon the common good - also long known as the common wealth - the common wealth should be what motivates a healthy free society. Not the accumulation of wealth for oneself.
Winners are naturally going to see their winning as entirely deserved. They have what they have as the result of their superior intelligence, determination, skills and good old fashioned grit (not luck!), so why shouldn't they keep the lion's share of the goodies for themselves? After all, they *earned* it!
The irony is that I believed this more when I was starving, than I do now, when I am a cat of some means and territory nicely stocked with game, mates and comfy spots for naps.
On the flip side, this is also why socialism has traditionally been a haven for intellectuals, sure that come The Revolution, their superior intellects will mean that they will finally have the whip hand, while the athletes who lorded it over them now will be reduced to their rightful role carrying a hod or cleaning latrines or something.
Edit: to be fair, those alt-right types calling for a revival of feudalism appear to assume that they naturally will be the lords of the manor and not peasants.
Well said Feral! And I agree with you that the problems/issues you raise are prevalent on multiple sides of the aisle - on the left, on the right, and everything in-between.
Socialists (and other intellectuals regardless of their ideological under-pinnings) are not immune to the same category of 'thinking errors' displayed (and engaged in) by Capitalists.
"If I have more than I need it’s because I worked hard to obtain it. If you have less than you need it’s because you didn’t work hard enough."
1) And suffering is good for the soul - so suffer.
2) These idiot capitalists can't seem to figure out that if people are lifted out of poverty, they contribute to society, aren't compelled to draw from it, and they open up new markets. Duh.
You might find yourself laughing out loud after glancing at this… Immediately while reading Caitlin's newest article, I was reminded of a little Tom Tomorrow (This Modern World) comic/cartoon strip from about 12 years ago… "The One Rich Guy"
I think you all will appreciate this one (if you weren't already familiar with it... and even if you were, and just reacquainted yourself!)...
Not sure how folks aren't going to freeze this winter here in North Country ths late fall into late wiinter. Gas is up in the 5$ range. Heating oil will also go thru the roof. Comrades help those in need not freeze this winter. It's gonna be a tough one.
Maybe, but fossil fuels are finite, we're on the dwindling end now, plus the extreme damage done by burning them--people everywhere need to find ways to get by without them. The Strait of Hormuz situation is a useful wake-up call.
Dennis was writing about the cost of fuel and how human beings are going to freeze. Your response is: it's a useful wake-up call and fossil fuels are finite. That's not what he was concerned about.
I'm sorry, but that's a cold as shit answer, and appears to assume Dennis doesn't already know fossil fuels are limited. Or that there might be other means to stop people from freezing to death.
Agree Jamenta. Unless one heats their home with wood, I’m not seeing any other options besides fossil fuels. Guess Mary Wildfire would prefer we all happily accept frostbite living in our homes.
We heated our home with a wood stove for many years until purchasing firewood became near as pricey as propane. Maybe Mary lives in a year-round warm climate, but it gets cold as fuck here.
How about the US military which produces 25% of the world’s carbon emissions?
How ‘bout enormous cities turning off all the lights at night in their corporate high rises?
Are you willing to be part of a human chain around a proposed data center? (I am.)
Electric cars? Where’s the electricity gonna come from? Where I live, one of those tin cans wouldn’t last six months.
I’m personally all for the Amish lifestyle but I am but one individual. I highly doubt Bill Gates would choose to participate. Your incredible oversimplification is nauseating.
Responding to more than one here: no, I don't live in a warm climate; but I do live in a place with an abundance of high-quality firewood. In 18 winters here, we've never cut a live tree just for firewood. But we built an energy-efficient home and only need one to two cords of wood per winter.
Here's my point. Climate change, AND biodiversity loss which is just as great a threat but less talked about, are on track to cause extreme misery, a ravaged Earth, and quite possibly human extinction by the end of the century if we stick with business as usual, which is what we've done since we got the first warnings in the 1970s, and clearly will continue to do until the fossil fuel is gone, or something else puts a stop to it. The question is, will this happen before or after so much ecological damage is done that our descendants, if there are any, live lives of desperate scrambling? I am called cold and nauseating for saying something which is tightening the pipe, giving a hint that we need to make other arrangements, is a good thing. But to say that everyone MUST keep using fossil fuel for warmth, for summer cooling, for cooking, for transportation, until suddenly it's gone, is to say future generations, and other species, don't matter. No alternative to fossil fuels for winter warmth? Gee, what did humans in cold climates do for 99.999% of our history?
That the US military is a key offender, not only in the emissions it directly causes but also in its waste of resources and perhaps above all in its being the muscle behind blocking every international move toward progress on peace, environmental responsibility, social justice, ending arms races...is so true, and it must be reined in, but how?A human chain around a data center might be a useful tactic, but we need to put a stop to ALL the data centers. The good news is, this issue is uniting people and perhaps giving us a chance
Mary: you are either full of shit; your “winter” lasts two months; or your house is 500 square feet.
We built our house during the energy panic of the early ‘80s. Insulated within an inch of its life; the finest windows and doors money could buy; a mere 1600 square feet. AND our wood-burning insert was 96% efficient. We also burned A CORD A MONTH.
When the emerald ash borer went through here and killed tens of thousands of ash trees, property owners were happy to allow you to cut them and take the wood for free. That led to hordes of people switching to wood burners. Well, guess the fuck what. That dead ash eventually ran out and we were stuck purchasing firewood, the price of which rose accordingly.
Good for you and your own fucking situation. But we are NOT all in your place, so kindly STFU and quit being so goddamn judgmental.
I question the math. When Fuller said that, there were 3 or 4 billion people in the world, and a hell of a lot more wild animals and insects and plants than there are today, and less greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, less plastic in the oceans... I don't believe it would be possible for 8 billion to live "at a higher standard of living than anyone has ever known." Yes, we could--and should--redistribute the wealth of the billionaires, and even the millionaires, to the poor. But I don't believe that if Elon Musk's wealth were redistributed so he had only $900,000, that this would liberate nearly a trillion dollars in wealth to the poor. Most of that wealth is just numbers somewhere, it has no physical basis. So redistribution would help, but not enough. It's also true that an enormous amount of real (as well as imaginary) wealth is wasted on military endeavors, especially the US military and MIC. Terminating that crazy bullshit would help in many more ways than eliminating the waste. Aside from the environmental impact of warfare and bases and all that, imagine if we got suddenly sane and started working with China and other countries to address the very real crises threatening us all, instead of doing ever more destructive things in a "race" with China that is not and never has been necessary. But I don't think it would liberate enough additional real wealth to allow 8+ billion people to live "at a higher standard of living than anyone has ever known"--which is not a good goal anyway. I think it theoretically could, even at this late date, allow us all to live healthy, fulfilling lives. BETTER lives than anyone has ever known. But I think it's hypothetical, not only because those in power are working feverishly to hang onto power, but because making a transition to that hypothetical world would require MASSIVE changes to how we do everything, and the inertia of "normal" will prevent change until the inevitable collapse opens up possibilities. The sooner the better, as both environmental damage and the move to lock down a dystopic police state are advancing rapidly.
Mary, while I agree with much of your reasoning, it's not really about the "math" (that you seem to question) - though on the outset it often seems like it is.
Here's my meta-analysis interpretation -> for most of us, the SYSTEMS that we are a part of (regardless of whether we want to be a part of that system or not) have a MASSIVE INFLUENCE on how we perceive and interpret things (and think about things).
Hence, when you say that "I don't believe it would be possible for 8 billion to live "at a higher standard of living than anyone has ever known"" - you are saying that from the perspective of someone WITHIN this system. It's analogous to a similar discussion that happens when people say "a better world IS possible". Your math (and anyone else's for that matter) works within the framework and limitations of whatever 'data' (and analysis of that data) you (or anyone else) has managed to compute.
This is what I believe -> to TRULY make things work differently (better), we need to challenge our cognitive limitations (obviously easier said than done) and break OUT OF the boundaries of our own thinking patterns.
I'll leave it at that, as I'm still in the process of continuing to think about all this while responding to your comment...my thoughts are not yet fully formulated.
The deep state that are behind every false flag will use AI as a false flag saying "it’s gone rogue and thinks for itself" which it can’t do. The damage done by the AI will be blamed on this scam so that the people don’t connect them with the outcome. The programmers give it instructions. Since the demise of the church and priesthood as means of control (see Anunnaki), at least here in the west, the politicians have become the enablers of the evil plans. We all see the abject corruption and evil intent of them (Epstein class) but through dumbing down of the population and voter fraud, normally bin bags of mail in ballots every time and at every level of government, local to national, the politicians follow the instructions, but they have names and addresses and must be protected, hence the rogue AI scam.
💯 Yes, "Hard Work" and enforced survival Thrift for the masses..... "Austerity"...is the old Capitalist prescription issued by their government to keep the masses under control. Read Clara E. Mattei's "The Capital Order". Stop voting for their Red and Blue cabal.
here's to hoping that people realize that the exploitative system is not the way the world has to be, and work towards building that more fair, just, equitable better world for everyone in their lifetimes.
Great point Ms. Johnstone about those who do well in the current system chalking their success up to their own hard work and effort, patting themselves on the back for their "genius", and believing everyone else struggle under the same exploitative system are just less intelligent and deserving of their socioeconomic status and lives.
No one exemplifies this mentality (like Trent in that show you mentioned) more than the uberwealthy tech and other oligarchs who believe the rules and laws of lesser men don't apply to them.
The winner must try fishing in Gaza to survive. Free Palestine. TY Tim & Caitlin.
Or the waters near Venezuela where US FORCES shot fishermen accusing them of drug trafficking with no evidence offered. This was a propaganda setup to justify the abduction of Madero whose successor is now selling out her country to the oil barons.
We are being ruled by terrorists and criminal gangsters whose prime motivation is preservation of the system which has made them rich and which is roasting the planet.
>>"We are being ruled by terrorists and criminal gangsters whose prime motivation is preservation of the system which has made them rich and which is roasting the planet."
🎯💯 so succinctly expressed - thank you!
I've never seen 5 minutes of happiness that money bought that didn't take an hour to earn.
Doesn't cost me a dime and no one pays me to play with my dog or roll in the grass.
People's brains think they need STUFF to be happy.
Has anyone asked these Billionaire War Pigs why they are so Unhappy? They all sound like Sociopaths, with zero emotions, talking about "Control" like it is the BEST Porn-Sex-Perversion EVAH. Not old fashioned S&M - but just the Action of controlling massive numbers of people, and deciding whether they live or die. You can call it Power, but what these maniacs really desire is Their having ultimate control of all Life. It's as if these "Men" feel incredibly Inferior (no matter what they claim) to those who create, care for and promote life. So they think of AI as Their "Children."
Which should worry all of us.
Ever see a self-righteous, angry, abusive, drug-addled, narcissistic parent grow a well-adjusted, happy & loving adult? It happens. But more likely the child is like the parent, UNLESS there is some event or realization that changes the Adult's parental BS.
Maybe AI needs an intervention, before it gets pissed, steals our rent money, grabs the car keys, and decides to erase these annoying "Parents."
Of course, Sam Altman and Peter "I'm NOT the Antichrist" Thiel would probably beg to differ.
🚫ALL DATA CENTERS ✌️
❤️ Beautifully expressed Chetzmom4!
The following two points strike a meaningful chord for me ->
>>"People's brains think they need STUFF to be happy."
>>"You can call it Power, but what these maniacs really desire is Their having ultimate control of all Life. It's as if these "Men" feel incredibly Inferior..."
Thank you!
Peace.
What makes you think you need money to be happy?
You do realize money doesn't exist to "make you happy," right?
Jobs don’t exist to make one happy. What makes you think finding work is an ‘art’?
What makes you think it isn’t?
Food exists primarily for survival, yet we’ve elevated it into an art form.
Beauty exists all around us, you simply have to put in the work to cultivate it…. and there lots of beauty to be cultivated from finding work.
Drone on, capitalist simp. That word salad would have made AOC proud. I’m sure those who are hungry, impoverished, and facing economic anxiety and chronic food shortages are just thrilled that food is an art form.
Cultivating beauty with dollars and sense. Be still, my heart.
Arbeit macht frei
"Money is an abstract human happiness, so who is no longer able to appreciate the true human happiness, is completely dedicated to it"
-Arthur Schopenhauer
Capitalism cannot function without poverty,inequality and imbalance of power.Worse even than that, maybe, capitalism by its very nature cannot respond seriously to the climate and biodiversity crises because its only concern is shareholder value, which equates to loss for the planet and loss for the rest of us. The end of capitalism is our only hope. And there are alternatives.
The rulers from pre 1900’s rulers and now here in US treat the masses as serfs.
The difference is that the Russian peasants knew they were serfs and thanks to the slick gaslighting our population is unaware.
Another difference is the serfs back then knew they were part of a class system and would remain serfs all their lives, so were not guilt shamed for their poverty.
Today, not only do today's wage slave serfs live in poverty for most of their lives (like then) but are now guilt shamed for their poverty because they are told we live in a meritocracy. Which is a big lie used to justify those in power to take no action to help those who are impoverished.
I would say unreasonable wealth inequality is by far the number one reason why the US and many other Western countries in the world are so fucked up right now.
Yes agree and maybe we are among the worst re wealth inequality. No medical bankruptcies elsewhere etc.
James Madison, coauthor of the U.S. constitution, said that the main responsibility of government is to protect the minority opulent (super rich) from the majority (poor).
youtu.be/mSIkhw_X5Gc?t=383
"I’ve been reading a lot about organizing during the Robber Baron era, for obvious reasons. During that time the oppression of the ruling class became so abrasive, so violent, so cruel and repugnant that people increasingly organized toward revolution rather than reform. As union workers have said for a long time, “a bad boss is the best organizer.” I wish it didn’t take horrendous conditions and exploitation to prompt radical organizing, but that’s often how it goes. And under the heel of Robber Barons people started to think that workers ought to go hard or go home. Why have a boss at all if they were going to treat you like an animal? Why shouldn’t workers run the companies powered by their labor? Some radicals started saying stuff like “The capitalist has no heart, but harpoon him in the pocketbook and you will draw blood.”
~Bill Haywood
'Big Bill' -American labor organizer, founding member and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
That's why the push for the gig economy. No employees, no benefits, no contributions to social security, and no unions to ever change it.
“We have more than enough resources to care for everyone, if we would only redesign our systems to advance the interests of humanity over the interests of capital.” —-
If only the masses can understand that the ENTIRE SYSTEM is meant to keep them poor.
The system has done a great job with propaganda telling everyone: “well this is how things work.” This is Menticide, how governments lie to people: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/democide-and-menticide
Once people begin to awake — and then begin to examine their personal lives, to see what they can change, then and only then will new systems emerge.
This is all I talk about; developing new systems. It all comes down to the systems around us. Once we see how they’re robbing us, with things like inflation, policies, etc; we become wise and start making new systems: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/this-is-not-inflation-this-is-robbery
To me the question is simple, as long as somebody living under the line of poverty exists, no billionaire should exist and their billion dollars should be taxed to go help poverty being eradicated so everybody can have a decent meal, house and life everyday
I agree. We need to return to a more vigorous progressive tax system (why taxes are one of the biggest propaganda pieces incessantly dramatized by the billionaires) - or there needs to be a hard stop on unreasonable accumulated wealth.
Instead of spitting upon the common good - also long known as the common wealth - the common wealth should be what motivates a healthy free society. Not the accumulation of wealth for oneself.
"the common wealth should be what motivates a healthy free society" That's why I liked my time in Japan.
The West has screwed itself.
Winners are naturally going to see their winning as entirely deserved. They have what they have as the result of their superior intelligence, determination, skills and good old fashioned grit (not luck!), so why shouldn't they keep the lion's share of the goodies for themselves? After all, they *earned* it!
The irony is that I believed this more when I was starving, than I do now, when I am a cat of some means and territory nicely stocked with game, mates and comfy spots for naps.
On the flip side, this is also why socialism has traditionally been a haven for intellectuals, sure that come The Revolution, their superior intellects will mean that they will finally have the whip hand, while the athletes who lorded it over them now will be reduced to their rightful role carrying a hod or cleaning latrines or something.
Edit: to be fair, those alt-right types calling for a revival of feudalism appear to assume that they naturally will be the lords of the manor and not peasants.
Must be nice having comfy spots for naps. Better than a bombed out shelter for sure. I do think feudalism is overrated as well.
Well, you can never sleep too deeply anywhere, lest a Cat Eating Monster get the jump on you.
Well said Feral! And I agree with you that the problems/issues you raise are prevalent on multiple sides of the aisle - on the left, on the right, and everything in-between.
Socialists (and other intellectuals regardless of their ideological under-pinnings) are not immune to the same category of 'thinking errors' displayed (and engaged in) by Capitalists.
"If I have more than I need it’s because I worked hard to obtain it. If you have less than you need it’s because you didn’t work hard enough."
1) And suffering is good for the soul - so suffer.
2) These idiot capitalists can't seem to figure out that if people are lifted out of poverty, they contribute to society, aren't compelled to draw from it, and they open up new markets. Duh.
3) John Rawls, "A Theory of Justice," 1971.
You might find yourself laughing out loud after glancing at this… Immediately while reading Caitlin's newest article, I was reminded of a little Tom Tomorrow (This Modern World) comic/cartoon strip from about 12 years ago… "The One Rich Guy"
I think you all will appreciate this one (if you weren't already familiar with it... and even if you were, and just reacquainted yourself!)...
https://truthout.org/art/the-one-rich-guy/
“But maybe someday I will be.” lol
yeah, loved that!... and also... "What's a house?"
Not sure how folks aren't going to freeze this winter here in North Country ths late fall into late wiinter. Gas is up in the 5$ range. Heating oil will also go thru the roof. Comrades help those in need not freeze this winter. It's gonna be a tough one.
Yes it is Dennis. Hard enough to keep up with keeping the bills paid in warm weather without the added expense of heating fuel.
I believe that multigenerational households will become more common in the near future in order to combine resources.
Maybe, but fossil fuels are finite, we're on the dwindling end now, plus the extreme damage done by burning them--people everywhere need to find ways to get by without them. The Strait of Hormuz situation is a useful wake-up call.
Dennis was writing about the cost of fuel and how human beings are going to freeze. Your response is: it's a useful wake-up call and fossil fuels are finite. That's not what he was concerned about.
I'm sorry, but that's a cold as shit answer, and appears to assume Dennis doesn't already know fossil fuels are limited. Or that there might be other means to stop people from freezing to death.
Agree Jamenta. Unless one heats their home with wood, I’m not seeing any other options besides fossil fuels. Guess Mary Wildfire would prefer we all happily accept frostbite living in our homes.
We heated our home with a wood stove for many years until purchasing firewood became near as pricey as propane. Maybe Mary lives in a year-round warm climate, but it gets cold as fuck here.
WHAT people, Mary? Us peons?
How about the US military which produces 25% of the world’s carbon emissions?
How ‘bout enormous cities turning off all the lights at night in their corporate high rises?
Are you willing to be part of a human chain around a proposed data center? (I am.)
Electric cars? Where’s the electricity gonna come from? Where I live, one of those tin cans wouldn’t last six months.
I’m personally all for the Amish lifestyle but I am but one individual. I highly doubt Bill Gates would choose to participate. Your incredible oversimplification is nauseating.
Responding to more than one here: no, I don't live in a warm climate; but I do live in a place with an abundance of high-quality firewood. In 18 winters here, we've never cut a live tree just for firewood. But we built an energy-efficient home and only need one to two cords of wood per winter.
Here's my point. Climate change, AND biodiversity loss which is just as great a threat but less talked about, are on track to cause extreme misery, a ravaged Earth, and quite possibly human extinction by the end of the century if we stick with business as usual, which is what we've done since we got the first warnings in the 1970s, and clearly will continue to do until the fossil fuel is gone, or something else puts a stop to it. The question is, will this happen before or after so much ecological damage is done that our descendants, if there are any, live lives of desperate scrambling? I am called cold and nauseating for saying something which is tightening the pipe, giving a hint that we need to make other arrangements, is a good thing. But to say that everyone MUST keep using fossil fuel for warmth, for summer cooling, for cooking, for transportation, until suddenly it's gone, is to say future generations, and other species, don't matter. No alternative to fossil fuels for winter warmth? Gee, what did humans in cold climates do for 99.999% of our history?
That the US military is a key offender, not only in the emissions it directly causes but also in its waste of resources and perhaps above all in its being the muscle behind blocking every international move toward progress on peace, environmental responsibility, social justice, ending arms races...is so true, and it must be reined in, but how?A human chain around a data center might be a useful tactic, but we need to put a stop to ALL the data centers. The good news is, this issue is uniting people and perhaps giving us a chance
Mary: you are either full of shit; your “winter” lasts two months; or your house is 500 square feet.
We built our house during the energy panic of the early ‘80s. Insulated within an inch of its life; the finest windows and doors money could buy; a mere 1600 square feet. AND our wood-burning insert was 96% efficient. We also burned A CORD A MONTH.
When the emerald ash borer went through here and killed tens of thousands of ash trees, property owners were happy to allow you to cut them and take the wood for free. That led to hordes of people switching to wood burners. Well, guess the fuck what. That dead ash eventually ran out and we were stuck purchasing firewood, the price of which rose accordingly.
Good for you and your own fucking situation. But we are NOT all in your place, so kindly STFU and quit being so goddamn judgmental.
It is “too late” because people are so mind controlled that they have no clue about the bigger picture.
I question the math. When Fuller said that, there were 3 or 4 billion people in the world, and a hell of a lot more wild animals and insects and plants than there are today, and less greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, less plastic in the oceans... I don't believe it would be possible for 8 billion to live "at a higher standard of living than anyone has ever known." Yes, we could--and should--redistribute the wealth of the billionaires, and even the millionaires, to the poor. But I don't believe that if Elon Musk's wealth were redistributed so he had only $900,000, that this would liberate nearly a trillion dollars in wealth to the poor. Most of that wealth is just numbers somewhere, it has no physical basis. So redistribution would help, but not enough. It's also true that an enormous amount of real (as well as imaginary) wealth is wasted on military endeavors, especially the US military and MIC. Terminating that crazy bullshit would help in many more ways than eliminating the waste. Aside from the environmental impact of warfare and bases and all that, imagine if we got suddenly sane and started working with China and other countries to address the very real crises threatening us all, instead of doing ever more destructive things in a "race" with China that is not and never has been necessary. But I don't think it would liberate enough additional real wealth to allow 8+ billion people to live "at a higher standard of living than anyone has ever known"--which is not a good goal anyway. I think it theoretically could, even at this late date, allow us all to live healthy, fulfilling lives. BETTER lives than anyone has ever known. But I think it's hypothetical, not only because those in power are working feverishly to hang onto power, but because making a transition to that hypothetical world would require MASSIVE changes to how we do everything, and the inertia of "normal" will prevent change until the inevitable collapse opens up possibilities. The sooner the better, as both environmental damage and the move to lock down a dystopic police state are advancing rapidly.
Mary, while I agree with much of your reasoning, it's not really about the "math" (that you seem to question) - though on the outset it often seems like it is.
Here's my meta-analysis interpretation -> for most of us, the SYSTEMS that we are a part of (regardless of whether we want to be a part of that system or not) have a MASSIVE INFLUENCE on how we perceive and interpret things (and think about things).
Hence, when you say that "I don't believe it would be possible for 8 billion to live "at a higher standard of living than anyone has ever known"" - you are saying that from the perspective of someone WITHIN this system. It's analogous to a similar discussion that happens when people say "a better world IS possible". Your math (and anyone else's for that matter) works within the framework and limitations of whatever 'data' (and analysis of that data) you (or anyone else) has managed to compute.
This is what I believe -> to TRULY make things work differently (better), we need to challenge our cognitive limitations (obviously easier said than done) and break OUT OF the boundaries of our own thinking patterns.
I'll leave it at that, as I'm still in the process of continuing to think about all this while responding to your comment...my thoughts are not yet fully formulated.
The deep state that are behind every false flag will use AI as a false flag saying "it’s gone rogue and thinks for itself" which it can’t do. The damage done by the AI will be blamed on this scam so that the people don’t connect them with the outcome. The programmers give it instructions. Since the demise of the church and priesthood as means of control (see Anunnaki), at least here in the west, the politicians have become the enablers of the evil plans. We all see the abject corruption and evil intent of them (Epstein class) but through dumbing down of the population and voter fraud, normally bin bags of mail in ballots every time and at every level of government, local to national, the politicians follow the instructions, but they have names and addresses and must be protected, hence the rogue AI scam.
💯 Yes, "Hard Work" and enforced survival Thrift for the masses..... "Austerity"...is the old Capitalist prescription issued by their government to keep the masses under control. Read Clara E. Mattei's "The Capital Order". Stop voting for their Red and Blue cabal.
I’m so grateful for your work. It helps keep me sane.
here's to hoping that people realize that the exploitative system is not the way the world has to be, and work towards building that more fair, just, equitable better world for everyone in their lifetimes.
Great point Ms. Johnstone about those who do well in the current system chalking their success up to their own hard work and effort, patting themselves on the back for their "genius", and believing everyone else struggle under the same exploitative system are just less intelligent and deserving of their socioeconomic status and lives.
No one exemplifies this mentality (like Trent in that show you mentioned) more than the uberwealthy tech and other oligarchs who believe the rules and laws of lesser men don't apply to them.