I love your writing Matt. Thank you for saying your piece. I'm retired but still have the energy to get out on the streets to blame the Republicans as they take our economy and democracy down. We just need to get the younger people involved for a 1960s-like counter cultural degrowth revolution.
Yes - "...a more egalitarian system..." to whatever extent this is possible, this will offer some resilience to the forces of fascist creep that inevitably result from decline and, as Ophuls put it, "The Politics of Scarcity". Ultimately, however, as correctly identified in this writing, "...unless the laws of physics are repealed, things will get appreciably worse....". Yes - and as much as it may pain us to acknowledge, no political, nor any other kind of 'solution', to our predicament of extreme human ecological overshoot exists. The process of accelerating decline and collapse is already well underway, and cannot, and will not, be halted.
Understanding the influence of accelerating collapse upon the socio-political sphere, we can come to grips with our inevitable trajectory, recognise the limits of establishment modes of politics and action, and consider what new politics and action is useful which align with the laws of physics we cannot change. JustCollapse proposes a 'collapse-politics' of solidarity and mutual-aid to organise and act for socio-ecological justice and build socio-ecological resilience to the process of accelerating decline, and as a buffer to increasing fascist creep.
I don't want to be mean, (sincerely I don't, I'm totally not a fight-picker)'but I was very struck by this sentence, because it feels so odd to me. I'd love to hear your reflection on it. *"I’m an American. I’m not a Democrat or Republican"*. I'm wondering how many people might be able to transcend the (absolutely manufactured) identity of American and begin to think of themselves as globally connected humans, I'm fearing that it seems to be not many, and I'm interested in how some kinds of tribal belongings can be seen through and rejected while others are clung to and feel like meaningful spaces from which to base a sense of being and belonging. It might very well be simply me who stopped at that sentence and went - *"wait, what?"* I feel I need to reiterate - not here to be snarky, critical, pick a fight. Genuinely curious about how that *American* sense of self identifying and belonging is so deeply sticky, and not something that's getting unpacked in the same way that another level of political affiliation is being deconstructed. This could well me my morning brain finding strangeness where none exists. Or my social anthropologist's "take nothing for granted" frame rubbing up against a more widespread frame?
Caroline, I don’t think you’re being mean at all. I do think of myself as just a human being first. I’ve been lucky enough to travel around the world a bit, and when one does that, I think it reaffirms how we are all generally have the same hopes and dreams, wants and needs, etc. But I don’t think being American is manufactured, just as someone from Brazil’s Brazillianness isn’t manufactured. It’s just where I am from and have lived for half a century. Of course it defines me somewhat but not fully. I know a lot of people around the world, and some of them reached out to me in the previous day asking what happened. So that is where I was coming from. Thank you for reading.
Thank you so much for your graciousness. I reflected afterwards and realised that of course, you were acknowledging that we have ascribed identities via passports and citizenship and that we are culturally situated; and that you weren't in any way claiming your American-ness as any kind of natural or chosen identity. Sorry for morning brain obtuseness and glad to be here with you.
Thank you Mark. I am not from US, I dont live in US, but I have always admire US. The election of Trump was heartbreaking. It is the ratification of the 4rd crisis of the Planetary Crisis... the crisis of Values. Read you today was good.
Brilliantly said. The 'it's a beautiful day' sentiment is already kicking in beyond the US's shores. After a day of anguish, already I hear the tonal shift to 'it'll all be OK ... nothing wrong here'.
From what I hear, in some places that was an issue, like in Dearborn Michigan, but overall, not much.
I love your writing Matt. Thank you for saying your piece. I'm retired but still have the energy to get out on the streets to blame the Republicans as they take our economy and democracy down. We just need to get the younger people involved for a 1960s-like counter cultural degrowth revolution.
Thank you James. The younger people are the ones who will change this. Send them here or to other degrowth spaces to get them educated. Take care.
Yes - "...a more egalitarian system..." to whatever extent this is possible, this will offer some resilience to the forces of fascist creep that inevitably result from decline and, as Ophuls put it, "The Politics of Scarcity". Ultimately, however, as correctly identified in this writing, "...unless the laws of physics are repealed, things will get appreciably worse....". Yes - and as much as it may pain us to acknowledge, no political, nor any other kind of 'solution', to our predicament of extreme human ecological overshoot exists. The process of accelerating decline and collapse is already well underway, and cannot, and will not, be halted.
Understanding the influence of accelerating collapse upon the socio-political sphere, we can come to grips with our inevitable trajectory, recognise the limits of establishment modes of politics and action, and consider what new politics and action is useful which align with the laws of physics we cannot change. JustCollapse proposes a 'collapse-politics' of solidarity and mutual-aid to organise and act for socio-ecological justice and build socio-ecological resilience to the process of accelerating decline, and as a buffer to increasing fascist creep.
I don't want to be mean, (sincerely I don't, I'm totally not a fight-picker)'but I was very struck by this sentence, because it feels so odd to me. I'd love to hear your reflection on it. *"I’m an American. I’m not a Democrat or Republican"*. I'm wondering how many people might be able to transcend the (absolutely manufactured) identity of American and begin to think of themselves as globally connected humans, I'm fearing that it seems to be not many, and I'm interested in how some kinds of tribal belongings can be seen through and rejected while others are clung to and feel like meaningful spaces from which to base a sense of being and belonging. It might very well be simply me who stopped at that sentence and went - *"wait, what?"* I feel I need to reiterate - not here to be snarky, critical, pick a fight. Genuinely curious about how that *American* sense of self identifying and belonging is so deeply sticky, and not something that's getting unpacked in the same way that another level of political affiliation is being deconstructed. This could well me my morning brain finding strangeness where none exists. Or my social anthropologist's "take nothing for granted" frame rubbing up against a more widespread frame?
Caroline, I don’t think you’re being mean at all. I do think of myself as just a human being first. I’ve been lucky enough to travel around the world a bit, and when one does that, I think it reaffirms how we are all generally have the same hopes and dreams, wants and needs, etc. But I don’t think being American is manufactured, just as someone from Brazil’s Brazillianness isn’t manufactured. It’s just where I am from and have lived for half a century. Of course it defines me somewhat but not fully. I know a lot of people around the world, and some of them reached out to me in the previous day asking what happened. So that is where I was coming from. Thank you for reading.
Thank you so much for your graciousness. I reflected afterwards and realised that of course, you were acknowledging that we have ascribed identities via passports and citizenship and that we are culturally situated; and that you weren't in any way claiming your American-ness as any kind of natural or chosen identity. Sorry for morning brain obtuseness and glad to be here with you.
What role do you think the genocide in Gaza played in people not voting for Harris?
Thank you Mark. I am not from US, I dont live in US, but I have always admire US. The election of Trump was heartbreaking. It is the ratification of the 4rd crisis of the Planetary Crisis... the crisis of Values. Read you today was good.
Brilliantly said. The 'it's a beautiful day' sentiment is already kicking in beyond the US's shores. After a day of anguish, already I hear the tonal shift to 'it'll all be OK ... nothing wrong here'.
Suffice it to say: thank you Matt !
Cheers!
Matt, this is WONDERFUL!!!! I'll put it in my next newspaper. Thank you for allowing me to do that while promoting Degrowth is the Answer.