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- Thread starter Odo
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Opaline
1
I love this idea and I've considered it so many times. And I haven't even graduated college and lived long-term in the "real world" yet. But how does one do it? Simply refuse to work and... go on welfare for a while (you can't stay on forever)? Try to live off the land? It seems like a fantasy. I wish I had the balls. And the knowledge.
Nanita
Well-known member
Looks up "wench" ;
Urban dictionary:
1) a dirty pirate hooker
2) A voluptuous female pirate type woman, usually seen around taverns and bars, seaside fishing towns, and wherever pirates roam.
And so on!
Used in a sentence: Call over the one of the kitchen wenches, i must needs have more ale.
Nanita
Well-known member
I think a lot of people ARE dropping out of society. I know a couple who just moved to Spain with their 4 children, they are building their own eco friendly mud-ish house right now, they are growing vegetables, they have chickens, and they will be home-schooling their children. I know of another couple who moved to a forest in Sweden to do the same. I think capitalism and the insanity of the capitalistic society has made a lot of people want to drop out and be self-sufficient or partly self-sufficient.
In my country there is a documentary/monthly tv program about this 25 year old guy who bought some property in the countryside, build a house and some stables for animals, does organic farming, is self-sufficient. He knows how to do everything himself... This tv program has become so popular here, and he's like famous now because a lot of people want to do the same as he's doing.
I've spend a lot of time in Greece, where the so-called financial crisis has really made it's impact. Many people have lost their jobs and become homeless. In Greece, people usually have some property in some island or an old little country house and an olive garden, that belonged to their family for centuries. During the financial crisis, people have actually realized that they wouldn't be able to get another job or ever make enough money to live the city life where everyone depends on money. So they moved out of the cities to live in those remote places, to get by in whatever way they can, growing vegetables, olive trees, making their own cheese....
I think learning useful skills is what we need, so we can be more independent. These days, people pay with money to get things done or to get things we want. It would be cool if more and more people knew how to do things themselves, rather than paying other people to do it. Less jobs, more self-doing!! And trading; I give you a box of vegetables and you help fix my roof. People should take the power back and depend less and less on money. I'm not saying that money can or has to be taken completely of the equation, but I wish it could be a smaller part of the equation.....
As utopian as it sounds, I do believe it's possible to unite and create the largest mass movement for social change and awakeness. I believe in withdrawing our money from the banks.... rejecting the system and its institutions (banks, media, military, political parties, large corporations), declaring all the natural resources on the planet as common heritage to all people.... And all this, non-violent, of course
And by "unite" I mean, we should start with our own lives, not necessarily do it together, because I have to much social phobia to do anything with a lot of other people, haha....But the movement starts when a lot of people decide to change their own life to depend less on the systems.Even small things count: learn a useful skill. Or don't watch the news.
Odo
Banned
I started writing this in the movie thread but it was too long, so I'll put it here.
The Wolf Of Wall Street
7/10
It's not Scorsese's best film and I thought many of the scenes went on for far too long.
It was enraging and I absolutely despise the lead character, but at the same time I also know others would be more envious than disgusted, because focusing on the hedonism while leaving the victims faceless kind of underplays the damage that these *******s do. But I'm pretty sure nobody wants to see a movie about the people who were hurt by this guy.
On the other hand, the reason they were hurt is because they were greedy idiots who trusted complete strangers on the phone... I mean, seriously? I guess I'm not actually in that situation and it was in the past, but yeah-- if someone is promising you riches over the phone or I guess on the Internet now, you probably shouldn't believe them.
But then again, around the same time I was selling credit 'protection' and it really wasn't that hard to manipulate the language to sell it as essential... you just used words like 'there has been a significant rise in the amount of identity theft' (which was true, but it wasn't necessarily about them, their bank, anyone they knew, etc) and basically you used the fact that they could call and cancel at any time as a selling point, telling them that it was free and all they had to do was 'let us know' if they didn't want to continue. So what happened was some of them forgot about it and ended up paying for it, some of them tried to call the completely jammed up lines to cancel (and ended up paying for it) and there were a lot of realllly pissed off people because of it. I think it actually made the news as a scam. The company wasn't particularly happy about it because they had to deal with all the cancellations, but the point wasn't to help them, the point was to sell sell sell.
I was selling this shit because I needed a job-- and I was doing it that way not because I was getting rich, but because it worked and I liked feeling successful. I didn't make a lot of money, but I think it's the same basic principle that leads salesmen (which is what Belfort was) to scam people. It's easy and it feels good.
And most importantly, you're completely cut off from the people you are annoying... just like he was cut off from the people he was hurting, and we're all cut off from the people who make our clothes, grow our food, etc. We know in some abstract way that we are hurting people, but we don't actually feel the hurt-- we just feel the thrill of buying that new jacket, or of eating that chocolate bar, or of unboxing our new tablet.
I remember watching a documentary about the 80s that made it seem like the decade where most of the western world officially lost its soul to rampant commer******m and the glorification of greed and wealth... it was all due to Reagan and the deregulation/'freeing up' of the markets, which was a reaction to the end of the postwar boom in America.
Basically, the rebuilding of Europe and Asia after WWII gave the US this huge economic boost that began to decline when Europe and Asia were rebuilt... not because of their culture or innate 'goodness', but because there was almost no competition. But when other countries became competitive, they lost their edge and needed to reform their policies... so they swallowed this free market bullshit and started taking from the poor to give to the rich, who in turn made everything look good 'on paper'. This led to all of the trade agreements and the end of manufacturing-- it was no longer about countries at all and had everything to do with making sure the 'face' of the US, the corporations, survived.
There was a study published a week or so ago that proclaimed that democracy was dead in the US and it was now officially an oligarchy... which is terrifying. You have people who are completely cut off from the results of their actions and who have enormous amounts of political power and control of the entire economy... they could ruin the world and would still end up in the last remaining inhabitable zone, and never have to face a single one of their victims. Technology is empowering them to do worse things, to rely on fewer people, to deal with people less.
The same goes for most of us, but we don't matter because we have literally zero power and zero influence on anything that happens. No matter what we do, unless there is an armed rebellion (that would probably fail) or possibly a peaceful resistance movement, we will only be passive observers, complaining about how it sucks whenever we're not distracted by potent entertainments, anxieties, psychotic internet bullies, the pursuit of superficial perfection, or the same ridiculous, meaningless bullshit people tend to complain about on these forums like how women only want money or how we want to visit the Eiffel Tower.
The Wolf Of Wall Street
7/10
It's not Scorsese's best film and I thought many of the scenes went on for far too long.
It was enraging and I absolutely despise the lead character, but at the same time I also know others would be more envious than disgusted, because focusing on the hedonism while leaving the victims faceless kind of underplays the damage that these *******s do. But I'm pretty sure nobody wants to see a movie about the people who were hurt by this guy.
On the other hand, the reason they were hurt is because they were greedy idiots who trusted complete strangers on the phone... I mean, seriously? I guess I'm not actually in that situation and it was in the past, but yeah-- if someone is promising you riches over the phone or I guess on the Internet now, you probably shouldn't believe them.
But then again, around the same time I was selling credit 'protection' and it really wasn't that hard to manipulate the language to sell it as essential... you just used words like 'there has been a significant rise in the amount of identity theft' (which was true, but it wasn't necessarily about them, their bank, anyone they knew, etc) and basically you used the fact that they could call and cancel at any time as a selling point, telling them that it was free and all they had to do was 'let us know' if they didn't want to continue. So what happened was some of them forgot about it and ended up paying for it, some of them tried to call the completely jammed up lines to cancel (and ended up paying for it) and there were a lot of realllly pissed off people because of it. I think it actually made the news as a scam. The company wasn't particularly happy about it because they had to deal with all the cancellations, but the point wasn't to help them, the point was to sell sell sell.
I was selling this shit because I needed a job-- and I was doing it that way not because I was getting rich, but because it worked and I liked feeling successful. I didn't make a lot of money, but I think it's the same basic principle that leads salesmen (which is what Belfort was) to scam people. It's easy and it feels good.
And most importantly, you're completely cut off from the people you are annoying... just like he was cut off from the people he was hurting, and we're all cut off from the people who make our clothes, grow our food, etc. We know in some abstract way that we are hurting people, but we don't actually feel the hurt-- we just feel the thrill of buying that new jacket, or of eating that chocolate bar, or of unboxing our new tablet.
I remember watching a documentary about the 80s that made it seem like the decade where most of the western world officially lost its soul to rampant commer******m and the glorification of greed and wealth... it was all due to Reagan and the deregulation/'freeing up' of the markets, which was a reaction to the end of the postwar boom in America.
Basically, the rebuilding of Europe and Asia after WWII gave the US this huge economic boost that began to decline when Europe and Asia were rebuilt... not because of their culture or innate 'goodness', but because there was almost no competition. But when other countries became competitive, they lost their edge and needed to reform their policies... so they swallowed this free market bullshit and started taking from the poor to give to the rich, who in turn made everything look good 'on paper'. This led to all of the trade agreements and the end of manufacturing-- it was no longer about countries at all and had everything to do with making sure the 'face' of the US, the corporations, survived.
There was a study published a week or so ago that proclaimed that democracy was dead in the US and it was now officially an oligarchy... which is terrifying. You have people who are completely cut off from the results of their actions and who have enormous amounts of political power and control of the entire economy... they could ruin the world and would still end up in the last remaining inhabitable zone, and never have to face a single one of their victims. Technology is empowering them to do worse things, to rely on fewer people, to deal with people less.
The same goes for most of us, but we don't matter because we have literally zero power and zero influence on anything that happens. No matter what we do, unless there is an armed rebellion (that would probably fail) or possibly a peaceful resistance movement, we will only be passive observers, complaining about how it sucks whenever we're not distracted by potent entertainments, anxieties, psychotic internet bullies, the pursuit of superficial perfection, or the same ridiculous, meaningless bullshit people tend to complain about on these forums like how women only want money or how we want to visit the Eiffel Tower.
Odo
Banned
Today I also wanted to talk about the pointlessness of recreational travel.
And yes, it is all pointless. I think it was when I was in high school that I started to realize that people thought that travelling was sexy. Being who I was, I immediately rebelled against it without knowing what it involved.
Everyone else seemed so excited by it all-- I'm not sure why exactly, but I think it probably had something to do with the fact that everyone THOUGHT it was exciting... and if you told people you had been to this place, they would want to talk to you. Even if you didn't have anything interesting to say about it, you can just mention a few details about it and you would have an audience. And having an audience... I mean, actually having someone pay attention to something you have done... is pretty rare nowadays.
I have been to a few countries, but I'm starting to think that it was because I was sold on the idea of travel as something that makes you special, and because I wanted people to think I was interesting. I did notice things and I suppose in many ways it has changed my perspective, but ultimately I don't think it makes me better or smarter or more cultured. I have contributed to jet fuel emissions in order to visit the same touristy destinations and do the same things that so many others have done as well.
And I am positive that for most people, travelling is just another thing to do... they go abroad and it's all about social time with their friends. It's about 'relaxing', or about letting loose. At worst, it's about trying to have sex with a local person, or about meeting other foreigners for a single night of drinking. WHY? So they can come home with a story about travelling to wherever, crossing whatever off of their list. But what do you do with these experiences, besides use them to impress people?
I did most of my traveling alone... and I would say that even though things stand out, for the most part I think I could have gotten the same perspective on things if I had gone for a walk in the forest. In Korea I would climb the same mountain every weekend all by myself, and I felt rather amazing every single time. I can't see how that's so different from visiting the Louvre, except for the fact that people will go 'oooh aaaahh' when you say you visited the Louvre and won't know what you're talking about when you say you climbed a mountain they've never heard of-- because it isn't big, it isn't famous, it hasn't been marketed as a major accomplishment in the world, and it isn't so special except for the fact that you've climbed it. The people you might meet on that mountain could be just as interesting as those you meet abroad. The high you get from reaching the top is just as good as the high you get from seeing the Mona Lisa-- basically a commercialized celebrity of the fine art world.
So yes, recreational travel... is all about spending thousands of dollars to find something you can just as easily find at home. It's all about the airlines and the governments hungry for tourism dollars. The US has Elvis and Jennifer Lawrence, and France has the Mona Lisa and the Eiffel Tower-- they're basically the same thing. I mean, how many people go there to truly understand what they are seeing/witnessing and how many go there because it has been advertised and marketed and they want to participate in the advertising and the marketing?
I can't blame people for wanting to escape the pressures here... to escape their routines. I just think it would make more sense to do so without spending thousands of dollars on mass-marketed tourist destinations. You can meet people, or make discoveries, or accomplish things here. The difference is you don't have the thrill of being exotic, or of seeming more interesting than you actually are, or of being able to pretend you're someone else.
And yes, it is all pointless. I think it was when I was in high school that I started to realize that people thought that travelling was sexy. Being who I was, I immediately rebelled against it without knowing what it involved.
Everyone else seemed so excited by it all-- I'm not sure why exactly, but I think it probably had something to do with the fact that everyone THOUGHT it was exciting... and if you told people you had been to this place, they would want to talk to you. Even if you didn't have anything interesting to say about it, you can just mention a few details about it and you would have an audience. And having an audience... I mean, actually having someone pay attention to something you have done... is pretty rare nowadays.
I have been to a few countries, but I'm starting to think that it was because I was sold on the idea of travel as something that makes you special, and because I wanted people to think I was interesting. I did notice things and I suppose in many ways it has changed my perspective, but ultimately I don't think it makes me better or smarter or more cultured. I have contributed to jet fuel emissions in order to visit the same touristy destinations and do the same things that so many others have done as well.
And I am positive that for most people, travelling is just another thing to do... they go abroad and it's all about social time with their friends. It's about 'relaxing', or about letting loose. At worst, it's about trying to have sex with a local person, or about meeting other foreigners for a single night of drinking. WHY? So they can come home with a story about travelling to wherever, crossing whatever off of their list. But what do you do with these experiences, besides use them to impress people?
I did most of my traveling alone... and I would say that even though things stand out, for the most part I think I could have gotten the same perspective on things if I had gone for a walk in the forest. In Korea I would climb the same mountain every weekend all by myself, and I felt rather amazing every single time. I can't see how that's so different from visiting the Louvre, except for the fact that people will go 'oooh aaaahh' when you say you visited the Louvre and won't know what you're talking about when you say you climbed a mountain they've never heard of-- because it isn't big, it isn't famous, it hasn't been marketed as a major accomplishment in the world, and it isn't so special except for the fact that you've climbed it. The people you might meet on that mountain could be just as interesting as those you meet abroad. The high you get from reaching the top is just as good as the high you get from seeing the Mona Lisa-- basically a commercialized celebrity of the fine art world.
So yes, recreational travel... is all about spending thousands of dollars to find something you can just as easily find at home. It's all about the airlines and the governments hungry for tourism dollars. The US has Elvis and Jennifer Lawrence, and France has the Mona Lisa and the Eiffel Tower-- they're basically the same thing. I mean, how many people go there to truly understand what they are seeing/witnessing and how many go there because it has been advertised and marketed and they want to participate in the advertising and the marketing?
I can't blame people for wanting to escape the pressures here... to escape their routines. I just think it would make more sense to do so without spending thousands of dollars on mass-marketed tourist destinations. You can meet people, or make discoveries, or accomplish things here. The difference is you don't have the thrill of being exotic, or of seeming more interesting than you actually are, or of being able to pretend you're someone else.
Odo
Banned
Arrr, I will make ye shower regularly, so ye never feel dirty when you be hookin' fer me mateys at the Rusty Clam!
Odo
Banned
So I made the huge mistake of googling 'wasted life' today, and this came up:
My dad wasted his whole life; please don't waste yours. - RandyClemens.com
I suppose it's a pretty common worry.
But the thing is, air travel is one of the worst things for the environment-- and I suppose I've already gone on about leisure travel. On the other hand, I plan on traveling this summer...
I'm not sure I feel the need to make my life extraordinary, but it would be good to die with a clear conscience. I think what bothers me the most is the idea of failure... the kind of failure that completely wipes out my bank account, and leaves me in a desperate position that I can't get out of.
BUT I suppose that is sometimes the risk you need to take to live out your dreams. And really, as long as you hold onto the people who care about you, then I think they will always be there to catch you when you fall.
Well, maybe.
My dad wasted his whole life; please don't waste yours. - RandyClemens.com
I suppose it's a pretty common worry.
But the thing is, air travel is one of the worst things for the environment-- and I suppose I've already gone on about leisure travel. On the other hand, I plan on traveling this summer...
I'm not sure I feel the need to make my life extraordinary, but it would be good to die with a clear conscience. I think what bothers me the most is the idea of failure... the kind of failure that completely wipes out my bank account, and leaves me in a desperate position that I can't get out of.
BUT I suppose that is sometimes the risk you need to take to live out your dreams. And really, as long as you hold onto the people who care about you, then I think they will always be there to catch you when you fall.
Well, maybe.
Odo
Banned
There's nothing quite like waking up in the morning hearing your parents talk shit about you with your aunt and her new husband that you barely even know.
I got really depressed last night after watching the news-- the WHO has said that antibiotic-resistant diseases are becoming more and more common, so a lot of formerly curable/easily treatable diseases are going to become much more difficult or impossible to treat.
Taking climate change into account, it seems like the beginning of a 'perfect storm'... considering clean water is going to be less available, especially true because of all the mining and weaker regulations.
I really have to stop watching the news. I really have to leave this house. I really have to do something I feel is worthwhile. I really have to do something about all of this guilt I feel.
More than finding a job, more than feeling like a success-- I need to do that.
I got really depressed last night after watching the news-- the WHO has said that antibiotic-resistant diseases are becoming more and more common, so a lot of formerly curable/easily treatable diseases are going to become much more difficult or impossible to treat.
Taking climate change into account, it seems like the beginning of a 'perfect storm'... considering clean water is going to be less available, especially true because of all the mining and weaker regulations.
I really have to stop watching the news. I really have to leave this house. I really have to do something I feel is worthwhile. I really have to do something about all of this guilt I feel.
More than finding a job, more than feeling like a success-- I need to do that.
Odo
Banned
Well it's the climax of Grey's Anatomy and cue soft piano ballad.
Annnnnnd it's a ****ing slow piano version of LIKE A VIRGIN!!!
And it's a GUY singing it.
He's singing it in a tender voice that is slightly raspy and masculine but of course tortured. And he has a really boring voice, repeating his vowels and making two notes where originally there were one. Yep, way to innovate and push the boundaries of contemporary music, Mr. Junior Mozart.
And for crying out loud he sounds TIRED. I don't know about anyone else, but when I was having sex for the first time I wasn't lethargically laying there thrusting in slow motion. Surprisingly, I was rather excited, much like Madonna's original-- which is why it worked and why it was such a hit. This version is more 'Like A Chainsmoker' or 'Like A Grandpa In The Cemetery' or 'Like A Skeleton with AIDS'.
And seriously-- how many guys out there actively brag about being virgins? Or even feeling like virgins? Does he mean that he is in serious danger of prematurely ejaculating on her leg? That he's having trouble finding the right spot? That he's shaking like a leaf and afterwards he's going to spend long night laying awake, hoping to god he didn't get her pregnant because his dad would kill him?
I guess they needed an extra special slow 80s cover on piano for their extra special (ie: long) episode. I think there were about 12 different cathartic moments with people explaining their feelings to each other tonight... all of them scored by exceptionally lame FM radio-friendly songs that belong on a boring mixtape made by the most boring, predictable, ordinary person in the world.
So yeah, basically I want to behead the singer, dissolve his head in strong acid, buff his skull to a high sheen, sell it on ebay for $1500, and use that money to make 3 professional hardcore punk albums that will score a video in which I cathartically release my on-the-nose opinions about how Grey's Anatomy is the epitome of crappy entertainment.
Annnnnnd it's a ****ing slow piano version of LIKE A VIRGIN!!!
And it's a GUY singing it.
He's singing it in a tender voice that is slightly raspy and masculine but of course tortured. And he has a really boring voice, repeating his vowels and making two notes where originally there were one. Yep, way to innovate and push the boundaries of contemporary music, Mr. Junior Mozart.
And for crying out loud he sounds TIRED. I don't know about anyone else, but when I was having sex for the first time I wasn't lethargically laying there thrusting in slow motion. Surprisingly, I was rather excited, much like Madonna's original-- which is why it worked and why it was such a hit. This version is more 'Like A Chainsmoker' or 'Like A Grandpa In The Cemetery' or 'Like A Skeleton with AIDS'.
And seriously-- how many guys out there actively brag about being virgins? Or even feeling like virgins? Does he mean that he is in serious danger of prematurely ejaculating on her leg? That he's having trouble finding the right spot? That he's shaking like a leaf and afterwards he's going to spend long night laying awake, hoping to god he didn't get her pregnant because his dad would kill him?
I guess they needed an extra special slow 80s cover on piano for their extra special (ie: long) episode. I think there were about 12 different cathartic moments with people explaining their feelings to each other tonight... all of them scored by exceptionally lame FM radio-friendly songs that belong on a boring mixtape made by the most boring, predictable, ordinary person in the world.
So yeah, basically I want to behead the singer, dissolve his head in strong acid, buff his skull to a high sheen, sell it on ebay for $1500, and use that money to make 3 professional hardcore punk albums that will score a video in which I cathartically release my on-the-nose opinions about how Grey's Anatomy is the epitome of crappy entertainment.
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Odo
Banned
Liked it that much huh?
It was a masterpiece of suckage.
Odo
Banned
I'm having yet another day of existential dread.
I suppose its somewhat preferable to a day of personal self-pity because at least it applies to everyone equally and I can feel like I'm at least a little selfless.
But yes, I cannot shake the sense of doom at the moment... and of course, I keep looking at remote properties and places where I might be able to survive.
Today I saw a documentary that said homeless people are having a harder time living in cities because of climate change... but of course nobody notices because they can escape to air conditioned buildings. If not their houses, then movie theaters or coffee shops or whatever. It's like the system is arranged so as to accommodate everyone's denial.
The people who can't live in denial don't even have the non-voice that the subjects at the heart of the global neo-feudal empire have.
I suppose its somewhat preferable to a day of personal self-pity because at least it applies to everyone equally and I can feel like I'm at least a little selfless.
But yes, I cannot shake the sense of doom at the moment... and of course, I keep looking at remote properties and places where I might be able to survive.
Today I saw a documentary that said homeless people are having a harder time living in cities because of climate change... but of course nobody notices because they can escape to air conditioned buildings. If not their houses, then movie theaters or coffee shops or whatever. It's like the system is arranged so as to accommodate everyone's denial.
The people who can't live in denial don't even have the non-voice that the subjects at the heart of the global neo-feudal empire have.
Opaline
1
We were just talking about a separate but related topic in class today - technology and how we monitor each other and are always being tracked in some way.
Some people say that the people who worry about being tracked are just paranoid, or conspiracy theorists. I do think these things can be taken to an extreme sometimes, but should we really just brush it off? I think that's what everyone does. They have this attitude of "I can't spend my life worrying," and while that's useful in some situations, I do think we need to be more critical of modern life and what things have become the norm. We're going to become more and more distracted, more disconnected from each other, we're going to continue to consume and eat crap food and pollute the environment and develop frankenfoods. I don't want to be paranoid, but at the same time, no one can deny technology and politics are absolutely crazy right now, and that the Western way of life is detrimental in nearly every way.
I heard a classmate today make a comment about wanting to move off the grid and live in a hut. He said it in a joking way, but I'm sure he probably thinks about it all the time. He doesn't have Facebook, and neither does another of my classmates. Two of the others I talked to said they barely use theirs. I think there are lots of people out there who feel the way we do, Odo, but it's hard to find them and even when you do... so what? And then there's the anxiety... *sigh*
Yeah, it's depressing, no doubt...
Odo
Banned
Hi Opaline,
Well I would definitely love to find some likeminded people to start up not a commune exactly, but like a settlement or something with aquaponics gardens and solar power and green living.
I think if we got enough people together and everyone had money, it would be pretty easy to set everyone up in their own simple dwelling with a garden for growing different things, and we could share vegetables and such.
But yeah, my big problem is I can never find anyone who wants to do that but also has enough money saved up to buy a decent piece of land together. I wouldn't want to do it with a stranger either.
But if there was a group of people who were really committed to making it work and enough money to get a good start, I would do it right away.
And yes, I think there is a massive amount of denial all around the world.
You see the same thing when people are warned about hurricanes and tornadoes and floods... people assume it 'won't be that bad'. Or that it's just 'media hype' or whatever... and then they stay in their homes and someone has to go in there and help them.
I agree a lot of survivalists are labelled nutjobs and some of them are, but when legitimate scientists are telling you it's going to be bad and it's real and water is going to be scarce and it's definitely human activity that's causing it, the UN is holding conferences, multiple countries in the third world are experiencing the effects, wars are starting because of it, and most other countries in the world save the energy giants like Russia are worried about it... why wouldn't you listen?
I also feel this sense of urgency about it-- people are moving into the cities in record numbers now so land in the rural areas is still relatively cheap, which is good. I'm not sure if they will just tax the hell out of it when the cities become unlivable or not (I could see the oligarchs using taxes as an excuse to seize land that has access to drinkable water easy, especially if there's an emergency situation and they stop pretending to be a democracy)... but yeah, there are still places where the taxes are very low (under $100/year) and which have access to drinking water, fishing, and enough space for a self-sustaining homestead.
But then you never know if those formerly drinkable water sources will just become vectors for mosquitoes and malaria and other diseases when the temperature goes up... it's totally possible that diseases confined to the tropics will start making their way northward. Maybe the only solution is mindless hedonism until it gets too hot and too expensive and too difficult to exist.
So yes-- for anyone reading, I am completely serious about buying land and setting something up together, provided we like each other... I'm not about to be the sole landowner because it's not fair to me and it's not fair to you if you're going to build on it, but if we could go in together to buy something livable and then split it, that would be divine.
Well I would definitely love to find some likeminded people to start up not a commune exactly, but like a settlement or something with aquaponics gardens and solar power and green living.
I think if we got enough people together and everyone had money, it would be pretty easy to set everyone up in their own simple dwelling with a garden for growing different things, and we could share vegetables and such.
But yeah, my big problem is I can never find anyone who wants to do that but also has enough money saved up to buy a decent piece of land together. I wouldn't want to do it with a stranger either.
But if there was a group of people who were really committed to making it work and enough money to get a good start, I would do it right away.
And yes, I think there is a massive amount of denial all around the world.
You see the same thing when people are warned about hurricanes and tornadoes and floods... people assume it 'won't be that bad'. Or that it's just 'media hype' or whatever... and then they stay in their homes and someone has to go in there and help them.
I agree a lot of survivalists are labelled nutjobs and some of them are, but when legitimate scientists are telling you it's going to be bad and it's real and water is going to be scarce and it's definitely human activity that's causing it, the UN is holding conferences, multiple countries in the third world are experiencing the effects, wars are starting because of it, and most other countries in the world save the energy giants like Russia are worried about it... why wouldn't you listen?
I also feel this sense of urgency about it-- people are moving into the cities in record numbers now so land in the rural areas is still relatively cheap, which is good. I'm not sure if they will just tax the hell out of it when the cities become unlivable or not (I could see the oligarchs using taxes as an excuse to seize land that has access to drinkable water easy, especially if there's an emergency situation and they stop pretending to be a democracy)... but yeah, there are still places where the taxes are very low (under $100/year) and which have access to drinking water, fishing, and enough space for a self-sustaining homestead.
But then you never know if those formerly drinkable water sources will just become vectors for mosquitoes and malaria and other diseases when the temperature goes up... it's totally possible that diseases confined to the tropics will start making their way northward. Maybe the only solution is mindless hedonism until it gets too hot and too expensive and too difficult to exist.
So yes-- for anyone reading, I am completely serious about buying land and setting something up together, provided we like each other... I'm not about to be the sole landowner because it's not fair to me and it's not fair to you if you're going to build on it, but if we could go in together to buy something livable and then split it, that would be divine.
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Opaline
1
*raises hand*
I wish. Unfortunately, I don't have any money. And we have no idea if we'd get along. And... other things. But I really wish I could do this. I think someday I will actually try to find a group of like-minded people and try this. I just hope one of them doesn't turn out to be a serial killer or something.
Also, there are things like this: http://www.dancingrabbit.org/about-dancing-rabbit-ecovillage/
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BlueDays
1
^ I hate to burst your thought bubble about it sounding weird hearing a man sing Madonna's song "Like a Virgin", but.....that song was actually written by a man!!!
aaaaaaand interestingly enough, about an experience he had! :bigsmile:
"It was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and produced by Nile Rodgers; Steinberg said that the song was inspired by his personal experiences of romance."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like_a_Virgin_(song)