17 Comments
User's avatar
Steve  Bull's avatar

Such a movement is unlikely to prevent our complex societies from their inevitable simplification (referred to as ‘collapse’ by some), but it might help to prepare many for the contraction of our economies that will accompany this simplification. Aside from reducing mass consumption (hopefully significantly), I would encourage communities to pursue rapid relocalisation of as much as possible but especially with regard to food production, potable water procurement, and regional shelter needs. Good luck to everyone during these crazy times.

Expand full comment
Geoffrey Deihl's avatar

Thank you for alerting us to the Shutdown 315 movement, Matt. I would encourage anyone who can to participate in this. We are on an economic crash course anyhow, with oil on the verge of shrinking the economy and the new "administration" stealing our wealth and trashing or social safety net. Taking this risk now gives us a chance. Taking a "ride it out" altitude can only end in tears.

Expand full comment
chet leigh's avatar

join us ! links in the 315 substack. help spread the word !

Expand full comment
cushla paice's avatar

yes. we need to figure out how to house and feed people locally before we can become independent of the oligarchy. Figue out how to create the societies we want around us despite what governments are doing.

Expand full comment
Nigel Southway's avatar

I would say that this initiative is misplaced… they should be supporting MAGA as it is trying to recover what they are concerned about.

Expand full comment
chet leigh's avatar

um.......no

Expand full comment
Nigel Southway's avatar

why?

Expand full comment
Jack Horner's avatar

Because handing limitless power to the uncontrolled and predictable whims of the richest, as Maga has foolishly done, is anything but in the interests of 'we, the people'. 0.001% is not 'we, the people'.

Want to take back manufacturing, or as others term it, 'the means of production'? Maga isn't helping and is an astroturf org with no democratic control over their Kings.

Make America American again, not ruled by kings, elected by the enthralled.

Expand full comment
Nigel Southway's avatar

follow and agree with policy not the messenger..

Expand full comment
Jack Horner's avatar

?

Are you a bot?

Expand full comment
Nigel Southway's avatar

But don’t you think the new policies are better than the ones by the previous administration? Or are you just concerned about image more than results?

Expand full comment
Jack Horner's avatar

No. They are reckless, juvenile, selfish, illegal policies, and merely different from the murderous, destructive, divisive policies of the previous administration.

I'm not caught in a false political dichotomy that seems to ensnare and enthrall so many folk... particularly in the USA.

Expand full comment
Nigel Southway's avatar

So what policies would you suggest?

Expand full comment
Jan Steinman's avatar

I went to the site you linked, and immediately saw two things that seem contradictory to their stated goals.

1) Non-inclusive. You can't fill out the form if you don't have a "Zip Code", which excludes some 70% of the world's population. (It appeared to accept "99999", but it won't accept my Canada Postal Code.)

There is no apparent way to proceed without going through the form.

2) After filling in the form, they only present a link to Instagram, part of the Meta monopoly empire, which has refused to comply with Canadian law, choosing instead to block all Canadian news content.

In my own independent mini-shutdown movement, I've deleted my FacePlant, Instagram, and WhatsApp accounts. (GMail is more challenging, but at least Google agreed to comply with Canadian law and don't block Canadian content.)

I was hoping for something set up on some open-source federated web presence, rather than sending eyes to the Fückérbérg empire.

Expand full comment
Corvidawe's avatar

their substack is gone, I had saved it to check it out later

Expand full comment
Bob Goldberg's avatar

The methods of this movement as you stated them seem contradictory— there’s a bullet point to stop shopping, then another bullet point to shop local. There’s getting off of one social media app and getting on others — both of them still use the internet, which is largely controlled by the very oligarchs they are trying to free themselves from. One bullet point says they wi stop working, then another to unionize the workplace. And nothing about withholding their taxes.

And the obvious problem that the oligarchs no longer need either the common man’s (or woman’s) labor or money — they already have enough power and money and keep getting more based on the financial system they installed. They control the government AND all other means of production and information and are not likely to give it up willingly.

However, many of the points made by this movement are a positive way to go forward — work on making your community as self-sufficient and effective in keeping people and the environment well as possible. Basically, as much as possible, ignore the oligarchs. They won’t go away, but you won’t care.

Expand full comment
Jack Horner's avatar

Hi @mattorsagh and fellow readers. Interested in how Francesca Albanese, UN Rapporteur, thinks about degrowth?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YVxvrGVxuis at 54:00 though it's all worth a listen as Germany lurches (or is lurched?) to the right.

Expand full comment