I hear a lot of complaints about capitalism and the world at work. Nobody ever seems to make the connection between the things they are complaining about and how they perpetuate them. People give out about hierarchical management and outrageous wealth differences in the same breath as they praise macdonalds’ ingenuity in conquering the fast food market. They complain about being on the bottom and dream about being on the top. They can never see that if they’re on the top, there will still have to be somebody struggling away on the bottom. They never see that they are contributing to their own and others exploitation by coveting expensive clothes, and cars, and food.Maybe I should drop a few hints, but I’ve never been very good at convincing people of the validity of my point of view, as you can probably tell by the absolute shite I’m talking now. In any case, anything outside capitalism is generally dismissed out of hand as crazy, crusty, or overly idealistic. It really doesn’t take much to take that first step out of the system. Just stop buying useless things. Use free or cheap, non-brand alternatives to things. Stop watching television, or cut down. Read indymedia. You don’t have to live on the street and eat out of dumpsters, or join a commune and grow your own food and make your own clothes (although those are also options, if you’re so inclined). Me, I do ok, non buying wise. I almost never buy clothes. I make them last. Seriously. I’ve been wearing pretty much the same clothes since I was 15. Most of the “new” clothes I’ve gotten since then I’ve either found, inherited, or been given by friends and relatives. I buy the odd CD, and watch the occasional movie, but these days I’ve been stealing a lot of music. Don’t tell me it’s wrong to steal from corporations that make millions every year while most of the world wallows in poverty, because you’re not going to convince me. When/if I become a published writer, I really hope people will publish my stuff illegally on the net, because I just want to be read, I don’t care about money. Is there a lot of money in writing? I don’t even know. Everyone always assumes that I want to do computer science because of the money, but that’s one of the things that put me off it for a while. I had a computer teacher before who was a pure snobby bastard who didn’t give a fuck about anybody but himself and his money, and I don’t want to turn out like that. Getting back to the commune thing, I actually wanted to drop out completely for a while there, but I realise now that it really doesn’t achieve anything but turn people against you. Which is wrong, but there you go. I wanted to to go live in a hut in a forest and grow my own food and drugs, and just forget about the world outside my head. Go a little mad. Whatever.
Ah fuckit. So many problems, so few solutions.