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Confess your consumerist ways...

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by SurgeryXdisaster, Dec 10, 2009.

  1. Bakica

    Bakica Experienced Member Experienced member Forum Member


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    Feb 21, 2010
     
    :beer:
     
  2. DopeCamel

    DopeCamel Member New Member


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    Dec 14, 2013
     
    internet.
    pc.
    virtual art programs (Adobe and all that crap)
    video camera (Sony)
    bike (mongoose)
    shoes (dc)
    some of my clothes, mostly the warm ones (north pole coat etc)

    there are some things that i realy need, and its pitty that it workes that way, but i need them, makes me kind of hate myself everytime i start thinking about this topic.

    i make sure i use those to support our side though.. so that makes me feel a little better.
     
  3. NoGodsNoMasters38

    NoGodsNoMasters38 Experienced Member Experienced member Forum Member


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    Oct 17, 2013
     
    computer (Mac)
    food (vegan)
    water (sometimes Poland Spring, but usually no name brand)
    cell phone (T Mobile) (was still second hand from someone in my building who was selling it, still got to pay for the service)
    bike (Dyno)
    Toothpaste (Tom's) (Non animal Tested)

    Most of what I buy comes from Salvation Army, so I'm not very consumerist.
     
  4. janstand35

    janstand35 Member New Member


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    May 3, 2013
     
    Well, I use gas in my car, which sucks. I also try not buy anything, but every now and again I buy comics or a video game or a book. I love getting new records. Pretty soon I'll need new shoes, so ive been checking around at my local thrift shops to no avail. thinking about just buying some, hopefully made from synthetics made by union workers. I eat food, so I buy food. I don't have the space to grow a garden large enough to sustain myself, but I have a small one. I have an insatiable hunger for the vegan jerky I get at a food coop near where I live. It is soooo good. :ecouteurs:
     
  5. DeadChannel

    DeadChannel Experienced Member Experienced member


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    Sep 16, 2014
     
    Laptop
    Video Camera (bmpcc, which has made me broke. Although I'm trying to diy the stuff to go with it like stabilizers and whatnot.)
    Guitar (cheap Johnson acoustic)
    School (technically, I'm forced to go to school by law. I'm not against learning things or intellectualism, but the school system is so fucked)
    My family actually grows a lot of our own food, but not enough
    I live up in a pretty rural area and take a bus to skool. Honestly, if I were to not take that bus, it would probably go below the minimum number of students and stop coming up, thus saving gas.
    Constantly being screwed over by isp companies with monopolies(Again, rural canada), but still paying for internet

    Probably more, no way to escape :(
     
  6. RememberGlencoe

    RememberGlencoe Experienced Member Experienced member


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    May 12, 2014
     
    I sell cigarettes and gas for SUVs for a living.
    I live off of freezer pizza and Hostess snacks, can't really afford fresh produce.
    I trust expiration dates.
     
  7. nodogs_nomasters

    nodogs_nomasters Experienced Member Experienced member


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    I try not to, but every so often I cave in and buy a fancy coffee or some fast food. I've gotten better about it, but it's still absolutely terrible for me and terrible of me to support those types of businesses. I always hope that nobody sees me in the drive through, haha. Shame, shame. :ecouteurs:
    I also drive a car, and unfortunately I use quite a bit of gas since I live in a rural area that is very spread out. I think I'm going to start walking more.
    Of course there's the laptop I'm typing on right now, electricity, water, food, etc.
    Other than that I generally manage to buy from independent little businesses, DIY, buy second hand, or borrow from friends. I use baking soda and vinegar to wash my hair, so on and so forth.
    I used to have a job working in a casino kitchen :ecouteurs: I quit that because it was sucking my soul and using it for sandwich condiments. Now I work odd jobs and live off of college aid money. It's much better.
    I'm in the beginning stages of planning out a downsized, self sufficient lifestyle. All I need is a cheap little plot of land so I can build or fix up a place, raise some chickens, grow veggies, etc. That way I'll never have to worry about punching into some shitty time clock again. I'll have the basic necessities taken care of. It won't be the most comfy lifestyle, but that's just fine with me. I'll take freedom and self actualization over comfort any day. I'm pretty excited over the prospect :)
     
  8. DeadChannel

    DeadChannel Experienced Member Experienced member


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    Sep 16, 2014
     
    I just bought two cats to take care of the mice, I'll have to pay for food etc. now.
     
  9. 363

    363 Active Member Forum Member


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    Aug 23, 2014
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    I generally dislike the use of quotes, but like the one that says, "Every time you open your checkbook, you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want to live in." (I forget the author, sorry).
     
  10. NoGodsNoMasters38

    NoGodsNoMasters38 Experienced Member Experienced member Forum Member


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    Oct 17, 2013
     
    "Saying that everyone who buys things from corporations is a capitalist is like saying everyone who drives a Volkswagen beetle is a nazi, or that every one who uses the metro is a stalinist. Thats fucking asinine"
    - Libertarian Socialist Rants
     
  11. psym0d

    psym0d Member New Member


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    Aug 21, 2014
     
    PC parts, video games, internet, lower-class housing, medication, food, cellphone.
     
  12. ElRonHoyabembe

    ElRonHoyabembe Member Forum Member


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    Dec 20, 2014
     
    liberating yourself as much as possible from things that keep you in capitalism's grip is a really interesting idea, and if you feel like it will improve your self image, by all means do it. but the fact is we cant be free to the degree espoused by anarchism in this society unless we get the fuck out, go to the woods, build a cabin, dig a well, and plant some crops. if you don't wanna do that shit than you need to pay private property owners for not actually doing anything, or property taxes to the state to help fund all the "services" they have. want shelter? gotta pay rent to the legal owner, or the state if you're the legal owner, want water? gotta pay the state, unless you live in the UK, then you get to pay a private company, want electricity? got to pay the power companies, want food? well if your in a privileged social class you can get organic food but anyone else has to buy cheap unhealthy GMO crap. and if you legally get all the money for that shit you gotta pay income tax to the state. it would be great if we could be free in this society, but we cant. that's the point of social change, the current social environment doesn't allow the attainment of certain interests so instead of changing your interests you try and change society. fuckin late to post this but whatever.
     
  13. 363

    363 Active Member Forum Member


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    Aug 23, 2014
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    Hey ElronHoyabembe,

    Thanks for your post. You are right; there is a quite an effective racket set up around the cost of living... It is very daunting and demoralizing to think about all of the intricacies of the system, so daunting that we forget to acknowledge our successes. Every little thing we do in opposition to the capitalist system adds up, and we need to keep our little mental ledgers close by to stay positive.

    Example:
    - I just looked up how many animals I potentially save per year by being vegetarian; 406 according to this website: http://www.countinganimals.com/how-many ... rian-save/
    - Christmas of 2013 I asked my family and some friends to sign contracts stating they will never shop at Walmart again for reasons A to Z. I got four signatures. How much money is that over a lifetime?
    - The last two years, I did my Christmas shopping at Seattle's biannual Punk Rock Flea Market. All local artists and vendors.
    - Flea markets, thrift stores, fruit stands, craigslist person-to-person deals, online DIY punk shops, DIY books and videos, etc.

    All this shit adds up and getting just one other person onboard with you doubles the impact. You can teach other people to do this as much as possible and to celebrate every dollar withheld from the man.

    Sorry if this comes off a little preachy; I had some good coffee and needed to share my mind.
     
  14. ElRonHoyabembe

    ElRonHoyabembe Member Forum Member


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    Dec 20, 2014
     
    there is a quite an effective racket set up around the cost of living... It is very daunting and demoralizing to think about all of the intricacies of the system, so daunting that we forget to acknowledge our successes. Every little thing we do in opposition to the capitalist system adds up, and we need to keep our little mental ledgers close by to stay positive.


    no problem, a good friend of mine gets very into his views on society when he has coffee and i quite enjoy hearing it. thank you very much for your post, iv been a little pessimistic about the movements chances lately and doubting anarchy could exist on a larger scale than some communes nobody knows about before the next millennium. i think the music is very important, and has a better chance of spreading the message thanks to the internet, and the creation of worker co-ops will be important for normalizing social ownership of the means of production and showing the public that socialism can give us all more power over ourselves than capitalism can.
     
  15. 363

    363 Active Member Forum Member


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    Ha! yeah coffee does the trick :)

    I also doubt that large-scale anarchism can work, although I would love to experience it. You can't impose an ideology onto others not willing or ready to accept it. To me, that is an authoritarian gesture. The best we can do is to stay awake and get as many people to wake up as possible. Unity, inclusion, cooperation, organization, standing up for what's right, exposing injustices, cultivating personal strength... It's all in the punk songs :)

    I guess I struggle with the decision to go out and live a beautiful life in one of those communes or stick around a fight for the greater good. That decision depends on what type of person you are. If you believe in anarchy and it's right for you, then you are entitled to find your own happiness. Maybe a commune is the way to go. I actually used to live in a place like that in Thailand. Ever seen "The Beach," starring Leonardo DiCaprio? It was filmed not too far from the beach where I lived. It was only accessible by boat and not one cop showed up in the four months I stayed. Things like that are easier in countries where the authorities have bigger problems than people living in the jungle and being free.

    The other side of that coin is the anarchist who forgoes his/her own liberation in an attempt to free others from suffering and tear down the systems of oppression, sort of the bodhisattva of anarchists. :) This is the buddhist guy who chooses, instead of entering nirvana, to enter the cycle of death and rebirth in order to free all sentient beings from suffering.

    I go back and forth with this shit till I'm crazy... because I want everything... What's your take?
     
  16. ElRonHoyabembe

    ElRonHoyabembe Member Forum Member


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    Dec 20, 2014
     
    yeah, that's a hard one, we often have strong interests that cant be fulfilled together. on one hand its very interesting to try to create your ideal society with like minded individuals on a small scale, but on the other hand its really fucking hard to sit by while all this shit you hate goes on everywhere else. i have the privilege of being in college, and though the plan is to learn some shit that'll be helpful for being an activist, i don't quite know what im gonna do. maybe both, like i could do activism for a while, than if i get all jaded after a few decades and am driven to say fuck it, ill move to a commune. of course people who have gotten to that point in their lives say id probably quit all together and just do normal shit, so I'm dreading the coming of that day, and wonder if joining a commune earlier might prevent me from selling out completely. i really look up to those members of the 1960s counter culture who stayed with their ideals after the whole thing fell apart even into their old age, and am very hopeful that il end up the same way. im sorry if your not interested in helping me with this, but im early into my studies and still trying to figure out what would be a good class, and id be quite interested if you have any suggestions.
     
  17. nodogs_nomasters

    nodogs_nomasters Experienced Member Experienced member


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    Jul 15, 2014
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    That's a really interesting take on the matter, 363. I enjoyed your words.
    They were a thoughtful way to kick off the first 2 hours of the new year :)
     
  18. 363

    363 Active Member Forum Member


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    Aug 23, 2014
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    I'm glad you have the opportunity to attend college, and I hope you make the most of it. Get as many scholarships as you can and avoid debt. There is nothing more likely to cause a person to burnout/sellout than a mind full of big ideas hindered by soul-crushing debt. Upon your exit from college, you need to have your knowledge and skills ready to be put to work when your heart is still full of passion. Let them out free into the world and chase after your desires. Debt is prison.

    As for communes, AKA "intentional communities," do it. The idea isn't new, and there is plenty of literature available which discusses the great successes and failures. If you read up and get in contact with some of them around the world, you'll know what community traits to look for and which to avoid. You might stay at one for a few months and see if the life can work for you. Having done something similar a few years back, I can tell you a few things I noticed: the freedom sets everyone at ease and people show their true selves; there is very little conflict being that everyone is at ease; things slow down and your relationship with time changes; sometimes you feel isolated/disconnected from the outside world, like you live in a bubble. Overall, it was one of the coolest things I have ever done, and I would do it again, although maybe not forever. It is a great way to balance out the bodhisattva thing we talked about in previous posts.

    If you are looking to pursue activism, I would suggest law, sociology/gender studies/ethnic studies/international affairs, political science, philosophy, rhetoric, and some forms of art. It is beneficial to have a good grasp of law, as it is a tool that can be used as leverage. Knowing your rights can allow you to come out on top in many situations (work, demonstrations, interactions with police, etc.). The sociology can help you with a deeper understanding of our culture effects different groups of people, so you don't come off like, "Down with corporations! because... all they want is money... they hurt people... fuck capitalism!," and instead be all like, "This corporation has an annual lobbying budget of X-million, which it uses to influence the following levels of government who have already been making changes x,y,z in your community. Those changes effect the lives of the following people in this gender, race, class, socio-economic status... Here's what you can do to mitigate the effects! Get to work bitches!" Something like that... The philosophy is more of a personal thing which can help you rationalize the morality of your decisions. The art will of course help with self expression, but as an activist it will definitely give you the tools to accomplish your desired effect in the best medium (visual, performance, 3D, digital, audio, all that shit!).

    Best of luck Elron! I'm curious to know how your events progress and what you decide.
     
  19. 363

    363 Active Member Forum Member


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    Aug 23, 2014
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    Hey nodogs,

    Glad to hear you're interested in my thoughts. I'll try to keep them coming :)
     
  20. ArisetoTRASH

    ArisetoTRASH Member New Member


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    Sep 2, 2014
     
    That conversation above me^ is so good.
    I'm glad to have read it. I'm also going to school soon. I want to get into environmental activism/education. I've studied lots of philosophy, media studies and feminism but know very little about true legalities and politics. I've been using my art as motivation so far, but everything you say is true.

    you vote with your money. The most important thing to remember when living in this society.


    As for my confessions.....
    I'm saving for a MacBook pro.
    That's my biggest confession. I'm ashamed that I going to support crApple, but all my pcs have died on me.
    I also share a car. We bought it used off an older guy who needed the money , and we made sure it was fuel efficient. I don't feel too guilty about that.

    Otherwise I think I"m pretty good. I've had my blackberry (support canada!) for 3 years, drink tap water, grow my own veggies when I can and I hardly ever buy new clothes... except I recently got this garter belt and I am ashamed about the store it's from.

    I throw very few things away. I usually make new things out of them. I make food-based cleaning products when I need to clean, feed my turtle real food (and not the shitty stuff at pet stores) and yeah.
     
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