=== ANCHOR POEM === ════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────── ┌──────────────────────┐ │ CW: re: violence │ └──────────────────────┘ @user-898 true, but building a house will never cost 100$. Maybe 100,000$, and at that point you could build but a few. Meanwhile, they're throwing around millions of dollars. we're not measured on the same scale as they are, and if we ever dip our toes into their end they will bite them off. If supply and demand were real laws that guided our economy, then wages would have gone up after COVID, because so many people died. Housing would have gotten cheaper, because fewer people were living in them. Food would have gotten less expensive, because people were growing their own vegetables and baking their own bread while they spent months isolating themselves. But alas. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────┘ === SIMILARITY RANKED === --- #1 fediverse/1489 --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────── ┌──────────────────────┐ │ CW: politics-I-guess │ └──────────────────────┘ If supply and demand were real laws that guided the invisible hand of our economy, then housing would have gotten cheaper after COVID. And yet, time and again, that hand is shown to be nothing more than greed. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────┘ --- #2 fediverse/3711 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────── ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ CW: food-mentioned-politics-capitalism-mentioned │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ what if instead of spending most of our paycheck on rent we spent most of it on food so that our food could be higher quality "but then people will starve because they can't afford food" okay how about we make food free and tax it "but then people will be fed by MY tax dollars and what if I don't want to use the services that the tax dollars are paying for" oh you don't want to eat, do you? or do you just not want THEM to eat? I hope leopards eat your face ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────┘ --- #3 fediverse/3713 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────── ┌──────────────────────────────────┐ │ CW: politics-economics-mentioned │ └──────────────────────────────────┘ @user-1268 Ah but then inflation wouldn't increase, and don't you know inflation is just a (loose) measurement of how much wealth the ruling class extracts from the populace each year? When the total amount of wealth increases more than inflation, it's okay. When it doesn't... They tighten our chains. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────┘ --- #4 messages/364 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────── Capitalism isn't perfect but if it's capitalism or cyberpunk North Korean style dystopia, I'll pick capitalism. Can we at least make it so that the rich aren't safe financially though? Like, if you own a billion dollars it should be because you make a billion dollars per year. Anything you don't spend should be taxed away, to be used for public services and the defence of our nation. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────┘ --- #5 messages/845 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────── What if landlords acted like banks instead of subscription services? "sure I'll hold onto your money and invest it wisely and sparingly, according to the direction of the collectively desired expression of all of the tenants and their expressions during the expressing hour, which is every Tuesday at noon when we all get together (everyone who wants to come) and talk about what projects we want to fund and which ones would be best for the community. If there's any prophets giving profit on any of your stocks or saving bonds that we hold in your honor dear tenant then it will be reinvested into the same projects you told us to care about. If you start being a dick though and we want you gone, we can short-sell all your options and say "hey find a new part of town" that way you have a bit of a dowry to offer the housing payment people when you show up with your tail between your legs. What's that? You don't get how this would bring income to the property, whatever that means, and you worry that it wouldn't be implemented because what does it even do? Well my dear citizen i will explain it to you. When the post-office holds your funds for you and invests according to your general and vague directions, it builds up wealth in the local economy. They can use those dollars for productive ends like replacing the windows or the gutters or clearing the snow paths in the springfallautumn. This will be drawn from the collective pool and everyone is affected equitably. How much income do you make? Okay that determines your rent percentage. High income means you pay for the local ecology more, and low means that you need more time to build up wealth, which will enable it to benefit those around the place more readily." ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────┘ --- #6 fediverse/5165 --- ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────┐ ║ if the settlers of catan could claim land they don't deserve, then I claim my │ ║ home │ ║ │ ║ can you imagine... some people would actually rather live in a corporation │ ║ than a mobile home. maybe we can do better? │ ║ │ ║ "hey we're going to ask for a % of your wage in rent and in return we'll │ ║ deliver groceries to you and grow roses instead of lawns (except for some to │ ║ run and play in) and also we'll show up if you need a hand with anything" │ ║ │ ║ "also this apartment block was renovated after all the liberals moved out │ ║ because we made it totally trash to live here and now that they're gone we can │ ║ make it nice again" │ ║ │ ║ what if we had punk-house-streets instead of punk-houses which are islands and │ ║ which slowly drown │ ║ │ ║ just... pool resources and buy things one-at-a-time. Try out organization │ ║ methods. Watch out for controversy creators and reactionary infiltrators. │ ║ Build your most important projects with your most trusted friends, and offer │ ║ your clinical, professional, or creative talent to those who dont need you as │ ║ much. │ ║ │ ║ or w/e works │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────┴──────────┘ --- #7 fediverse/4692 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────── what's that? a bunch of houses burnt down in california? what if we built a couple warehouses and stored all our trans girls in bunkbeds there, with rooms for LAN parties and snuggle parties in rooms full of stuffed buddies plushies with massive kitchens and sad ballpits where you can go to vent your feelings by writing on a ball with a sharpie and then when someone else is feeling sad they can come and read the balls and maybe feel something ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────┘ --- #8 fediverse/2821 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────────── ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │ CW: re: politics-violence-mentioned │ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ the neat thing about tech is that it scales really well. The price of TVs is through the floor, everyone has a smartphone, and raspberry pi's are less than 100$ solar panels will be next. Trust. we should still dismantle coal and oil, obviously we should, but at a certain point it will be inevitable. They're just too expensive for too little gain. the neat thing about tech is that it scales in a way that is just impossible for infrastructural projects like housing and hospitals. building a home is hard to do, especially when you make them out of sticks and glue. think like a dwarf - stone never fades. sunlight, moss, underground, endless in the shade have I mentioned that the most difficult problem facing mechanical engineers at the moment is universal recycling? I want to work on those kind of problems, not resolving tickets. nobody even gave me a chance to do them, instead demanding... labor. great. the one thing I suck at. [you suck at a lot of things, actually] ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────┘ --- #9 fediverse/4349 --- ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┐ ║ ┌──────────────────────┐ │ ║ │ CW: re: uspol │ │ ║ └──────────────────────┘ │ ║ │ ║ │ ║ @user-883 │ ║ │ ║ best case scenario, we elect a lawyer working for capitalism, the kind of │ ║ society we live under. │ ║ │ ║ having money is the same as having resources. And resources allow you to apply │ ║ yourself to a goal. The more you have, the better, but they each bear a heavy │ ║ load. │ ║ │ ║ Do you sacrifice your labor? your dignity, your honor? what do you burn on the │ ║ fire of wasteful expenditures, just for the power to rent? │ ║ │ ║ I'm saying that if you don't have money, you need to think about what you can │ ║ do with what you got, because that's how you pay for things, at least until we │ ║ decide that we'd rather help each other than work on capital's games. │ ║ │ ║ you have a house though, right? a place to live until it gets hot? that's good │ ║ enough for right now. Stay where you're at, do what you can to help. Get in │ ║ the habit of it. Think about how someone will complete their task, and then │ ║ think about stuff two or three steps down the road - what tools will they │ ║ need? what are they working on next? Can make any of those availble? │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────┴──────────┘ --- #10 messages/1347 --- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─ look, I just want to live in a world where people can sell a hand-knit sweater for thousands of dollars to someone who bought it for 50$. Is it so odd that "supply and demand" can be measured differently on the "supply" and "demand" side? ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════┘ --- #11 fediverse/4073 --- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────── post until you can't anymore capitalism wants to drown your voice do not let it speak until you cannot speak then go do some pushups then find some friends then pitch a tent in the park then explain to the cops that you're not actually homeless and living there you're just trying to do this as a social statement because someone on the internet told you to then use your phone call to call your representative and complain about how much funding the police get then study law for 30 years because that's how long the government decided your life was worth by then you'll probably have figured out a better plan moving forward, so, use that one instead ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧════════════════════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┘ --- #12 fediverse/4694 --- ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────┐ ║ what if we pooled our money and bought an apartment building and put 10 people │ ║ in each two bedroom apartment but reserved like, 20% of the apartments for │ ║ common spaces and designed each one around a theme and shared chores and │ ║ shared our SNAP budgets and each paid like, 200$ for rent and gave away all of │ ║ the stuff we made with our hobbies and handled conflict with radical empathy │ ║ and had movie nights where we watched movies about socialism and trains and │ ║ bugs and stars │ ║ │ ║ what if we went into the forest and LARPed as french resistance fighters under │ ║ nazi occupation and practiced peeing on trees and starting fires and moving as │ ║ a team and firing rifles without hitting our friends and staying oriented as │ ║ we changed directions and dug trenches and built treehouses that were nearly │ ║ invisible from the ground and didn't radiate heat because they were covered in │ ║ mylar or whatever │ ║ │ ║ what if we made decentralized, encrypted, anonymous communications and │ ║ practiced speaking in code and dropping letters and writing "poetry" │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧═══════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────┴──────────┘ --- #13 messages/1151 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─── capital C communism is easy. Just pay everyone the same amount, and they can swim in the market economy waters as easily as any capitalistic fish, and suddenly their incentives are aligned - when one of us selfishly improves our lives, we improve the collective as well. When one selflessly improves the collective, all of our personal lives are improved. Then, optimize for radical abundance, the ability to have whatever you want as soon as ideal, and suddenly everything starts working out. P.S. the route to abundance is through recycling perfectly. Design your goods to be functional in that way, and you have infinite resources that can be used for infinitely many things (until they literally wear away to dust) ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──┘ --- #14 fediverse/937 --- ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────┐ ║ @user-646 │ ║ │ ║ there are plastics that are (nearly) infinitely recyclable into the same (or a │ ║ similar) form │ ║ │ ║ there are plastics that are durable and built to last │ ║ │ ║ then there are cheap plastics, the kind that are useful for some kind of │ ║ industrial purpose but to make a little you kinda have to make a lot, and yeah │ ║ they pollute and are bad for the environment but we have a whole lot of them │ ║ made, so wouldn't it be cheaper to just use it for consumer products? │ ║ │ ║ hmmmm. why can't we just like... store it? and then scale down on production, │ ║ and focus on things that make less money but last longer. │ ║ │ ║ like, if you break shit, you shouldn't have more things. If everything's │ ║ expensive (and durable) then people spend less because their stuff doesn't │ ║ break. Or maybe they do break it, and then they're constantly broke! (out of │ ║ cash) │ ║ │ ║ [doesn't know what she's talking about from professional experience, just │ ║ basing her words on things she's read] │ ║ │ ║ problem is the economy is "healthier" if everyone's spending. thus, creating │ ║ infla │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧═══════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────┴──────────┘ --- #15 fediverse/1726 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────── tell me again why goods and services are priced according to how easy they are to make, and not by how many more of them we could make considering the current estimated amount of resources on earth? even wood runs out, when the phosphorous is gone. but take heart, for human ingenuity brings with it ever-increasing capabilities for accessing new resources. when the sun goes silent, it will not be because it burnt out, but rather because we surrounded it with parts of our home. and yes, it is more complicated. "how easy they are to make compared to how much people want them while utilizing the cheapest and worst resources and craftsmanship that can be passed of as quality by shiny marketing that appeals to our vapid human senses" is a bit closer, but still not comprehensive. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────┘ --- #16 messages/1180 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─── if you give me a quintuple digit salary, I could fix all the problems of the world. One by one... A BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET for solving one problem forever... until needs chagne of course. "yeah but it's not about money it's about throughput and demand" some guy in arkansas probably idk I've never been ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════──┘ --- #17 messages/404 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────── They don't build toll roads to abstract taxes. They build them to keep track of where you're going. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────┘ --- #18 fediverse/434 --- ═════════════════════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────── @user-324 @user-325 @user-326 thus enters the promise of technology: that we might solve the problems of bureaucracy once and for all by ever more effiency-aligning mechanical processes that produce effects which we desire - such as efficient allocation of medical resources such that all of humanity is protected from the ravages of pain and the incongruencies of our nature. Alas, that we should only conceive of success through the lens of profit. Perhaps another design is in order? (oh yeah also people who are in control are worried that we, like all other examples of natural entities, might immediately proceed to breed beyond the capability to cater to the needs of said entity (such as "to feed" and medical resources) and therefore might overburden (and therefore destroy) said system which allows for their sustenance and initial creation. To this I say... Yeah probs, what should we do about it?) ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧══════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────┘ --- #19 messages/408 --- ════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────── If our government was of the people, by the people, and for the people, then it would aim to make all of its citizens as rich as it could. A good place to start would be by encouraging deflation, so people could buy more high quality goods on the international markets, and by regulating the power that select few individuals may use to extract wealth and labor from the "lesser" citizens. I don't know about you but I believe that all men are created equal, and it is unconscionable that some may bend others to their will. Liberty, liberty, freedom for me but not for thee, for I am a despot you see, of my own little fiefdom, this palace of renown - I built my playground from the blood and bones of your kin, and I stand here on the high ground. Come at me! See what my army of drones can do. I built them overseas, with an army of slaves that I'm not accountable for. Come at me! See who the police of this nation will protect. I paid for them, after all, with my endless coffers and vaults of inherited wealth. Come at me! See who will believe ye, the media is at my beck and call. Propaganda works on everyone, and everything you see on your phone or TV was written for me. So take care, little one, lest I kill you with a thought. Less than a thought, for you are just a number to me. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╘═════════╧╧═════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────┘ --- #20 fediverse/3870 --- ╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════─────────────────────────┐ ║ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ║ │ CW: politics-renewable-infrastrutre │ │ ║ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │ ║ │ ║ │ ║ "something something trump wants to faucet the PNW's water to the desert" │ ║ │ ║ oh, so you're saying that he wants to invest in a massive infrastructural │ ║ project which will help millions of people? And, uh, how does he want to pay │ ║ for that? │ ║ │ ║ Surely the best approach would be to make the people who use the most water │ ║ pay for it, right? I mean, it's ironic, and related, and it gives them their │ ║ just deserts, right? │ ║ │ ║ So make a tax (that's how you make people pay for things) and levy it against │ ║ Nestle, who bottles up all of the water in the desert and sells it for pennies │ ║ to brown people who can't afford to build water infrastructure because they │ ║ keep spending all their pennies on useless things like bottled water. │ ║ │ ║ And make it a big tax, please, so that they're forced to re-evaluate their │ ║ business model and divert wealth from their least contributionary workers │ ║ (aka, those at the top making millions) and spend it on something useful like │ ║ desalination plants or water turbines or whatever. │ ╟─────────┐ ┌───────────┤ ║ similar │ chronological │ different │ ╚═════════╧══════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────┴──────────┘ |