Dumbfuckistan…
November 17th, 2006I forget what set me off earlier. Something to do with French Fries Freedom Fries, I mean…what was it…Freedom…oh hell I can't remember…maybe I'll remember and make this post slightly more interesting at some point.
So here are the five common types of Libertarians, care of the Prometheus Institute:
1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect their lives and not be subject to the will of another. Therefore, we will work to increase public participation at every level of government and to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We will also work to create new types of political organizations which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process.2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law.3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM
Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society which utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation. To this end we must practice agriculture which replenishes the soil; move to an energy efficient economy; and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems.4. NON-VIOLENCE
It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments. We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace.5. DECENTRALIZATION
Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. Therefore, we support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system which is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all citizens.6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
We recognize it is essential to create a vibrant and sustainable economic system, one that can create jobs and provide a decent standard of living for all people while maintaining a healthy ecological balance. A successful economic system will offer meaningful work with dignity, while paying a “living wage” which reflects the real value of a person’s work.Local communities must look to economic development that assures protection of the environment and workers’ rights; broad citizen participation in planning; and enhancement of our “quality of life.” We support independently owned and operated companies which are socially responsible, as well as co-operatives and public enterprises that distribute resources and control to more people through democratic participation.
7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY
We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want.8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY
We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines.We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We acknowledge and encourage respect for other life forms than our own and the preservation of biodiversity.
9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY
We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.
I don’t see how anyone could disagree with any of those values, especially those who have brought children into this world…you (and I mean “you” in a very general sense) should be most concerned about the future. After all it will be your children who will have to live with the consequences of our (general again) self-absorbed, ego-centric actions.
If there is going to be a future for your children and your children’s children….we all need to start assessing our actions, make responsible choices, put our wants & “needs” aside and actually start thinking about those future children’s needs, their basic needs such as clean air, clean water, food, etc.
We all need to start being more responsible…use less, recycle more…make better choices for the sake of the future, the children of the future.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Peace out.
It seems hopeless to me. I recycle and all, but I don’t feel that it’s going to make enough of a difference. The world is just going to keep getting more and more populated and we are going to need more and more resources. I’m about at the “fuck it” stage.
Wrong!
No no no, you can’t have that attitude. YOU can make a difference…even if it is a very small difference, it’s still something and it brings about a good feeling knowing that you are at least trying.
I think WAY WAY too many people feel the same way as you but the thing is…if all those people would turn their attitudes around and decide that their contribution IS needed, their action WILL make a difference, the result would be tremendous….tremendous with a capital fucking “T”.
Seriously! There should not be a “fuck it” option when you consider what impact your actions may have on future generations. Do what you can, continue recycling and look for other ways you may be able to make a difference…make less trips into town or to the store, recycle your junk mail (yes, that’s right, junk mail does recycle), use biodegradable cleaners, don’t use one-time use items such as paper/plastic plates. Anyway, these are just a few easy things, for more tips check out these sites:
http://idealbite.com/index.php
http://www.care2.com/healthyliving/
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/take-action/greentips
Your children, grandchildren & future great-grandchildren will appreciate your efforts.
I can’t help but think that it is an unstable system doomed to some type of collapse to a more stable state. People can’t continue reproducing ad infinitum, can’t continue consuming resources ad nauseum, can’t continue on the track we are currently taking without everything hitting a way. The closer we get, the more people close their eyes and hum, because there is simply a limit to everything. The industrial revolution brought about an amazing change, but unless a brand new technological revolution comes about quickly that completely changes the paradigm, a collapse is inevitable.
I’m hoping for unlimited free energy, myself. Something that will allow for a near complete reduction in the massive pollution caused by current energy production systems. Hopefully it will have the added benefit of reducing stress and competition between groups of people, lower poverty and hunger, and in general increase the base living condition for all people…
The problem with something like that is you have to sneak it out from the powers that be. How do you monetize something that needs to be free and equally available to the poorest person in the most abject nation? You don’t…and that is going to be a hard sell to todays multinational corporations. They’d much rather ride this into the ground, milking it as they can. They see the writing on the wall, but how do you change horses when your stockholders are expecting your horse to win day after day with ever increasing profits, market share and stock value? How are you supposed to say ‘what we’ve been doing is bad for the planet, bad for the future, here is what we are going to do, it will cost our company $5 billion over the next twenty years and have no positive impact on our profits, it will simply be good for the planet’? Exxon is going to do that? When they take tax subsidies (a tax burden on those millions who make minimum wage to $40,000 a year and pay their taxes like good citizens should) from our government during record profits?
I don’t have much hope. I have some hope, but it is a realistic hope. The future won’t look like today. No one cares (or, no one cares enough to actually do anything). It won’t be “Nature’s End”, perhaps, but if we are lucky it won’t be entirely a uniform, bland, enormous farm/factory feeding the mouths and megastores of a population gigantically ballooned…
If we are lucky a common mans revolution will have brought limitless, clean energy into the hands of every man, woman and child on Earth, removing one of the greatest contentions in existence today. The reduced strain on resources and the reduced output of pollution will allow people to realize they can re-prioritize while there is still something to conserve…
If we are not lucky, corporations will continue to rule the day, money will continue to be the end-all be-all of existence, and the entire world will be turned into the sterile, highly productive factory which ensures the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor.
…or, if we are really not lucky, the shit will hit the fan, huge chunks of the economy will go belly up, countries will go bankrupt, governments will scramble for power and/or collapse, military coups will break out worldwide, nuclear war will eventually unfold with some crazed dictator in some crazed Balkan republic in some crazed corner of Iowa, and a terrible thousand years of pain, suffering and despoiling of anything beautiful will be the legacy of our times…
[...] http://www.garrettsocling.com/2006/11/17/dumbfuckistan/#comment-315 I can’t help but think that it is an unstable system doomed to some type of collapse to a more stable state. People can’t continue reproducing ad infinitum, can’t continue consuming resources ad nauseum, can’t continue on the track we are currently taking without everything hitting a way. The closer we get, the more people close their eyes and hum, because there is simply a limit to everything. The industrial revolution brought about an amazing change, but unless a brand new technological revolution comes about quickly that completely changes the paradigm, a collapse is inevitable. [...]