[MD] socialism

[plattholden at gmail.com]

On 4 Jun 2010 at 8:05, John Carl wrote:

Platt and Adrie,

I believe in community, which you might think puts me on the opposite side
of you on this debate, but I'm actually opposed to national social programs
of control.  The only appropriate socialism is local - people of the same
discrete biome taking care of themselves and their families and their
neighbors.  Why should people all across America pay taxes so Californians
can have the highest welfare benefits in the country?  The inherent
unfairness of liberalism actually promotes local individual autonomy.

What happens when some disaster strikes and the neighbors all have to pitch
in together?  Warm feelings of connection and community arise and they last
a long time.

Then the FEMA trucks arrive and people stop looking at their neighbors as
helpers in the face of adversity, and start looking at them as competitors
standing in line to get the goodies from the mommy-state.  Sibling rivalry
replaces communal cooperation.

My one criticism of you Platt is that you rail against liberalism and praise
individualism, but individualism IS a creation of liberalism.

What we need is a back-to-the-land neofeudalism, where the regulations are
lifted that keep landowners from creating wealth with the wise management of
their property.  As Bruce Mollison and Masanobu Fukuoka have discovered, the
main limit on productivity is people.  The land has much more carrying
capacity and wealth-producing potential than we realize.  With the arrival
of the ubiquitous information network, encouraging experimentation and
spread of good practice, we could have a nation of proud and independent
communities again.  Its high time for the dot communism revolution to take
hold.

When the Giant dies, butterflies arise.

John the micro-utopian dreamer


Hi John C,

I'm with you in spirit if not in practice as I cannot imagine anything worse 
than living in a hippie commune where everyone strives mightily to be one big 
happy family while tilling the community soil. Rather give me my little patch, 
you yours and the person over there hers and let us each strive to respond to 
DQ, keep the results of our work, trade freely and pursue happiness. 

As for individualism being a creation of liberalism, you're right if you're 
referring to the original meaning of "liberalism" -- a political and social 
philosophy advocating individual freedom and protection of civil liberties, 
free speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble, etc. Since it's 
beginning the word has come to mean "progressivism," i.e., socialism/communism. 


One of the best of Pirsig's metaphors is the "Giant" who represents the 
"system" that treats individuals like fodder for its own purposes. No need to 
elaborate here since the nature of the Giant is fully described in Lila. But, 
it's out-of-anyone's-control presence stands as a constant threat to all who 
value individual liberty. On that, I think we agree.

Platt