Abolishing money would make us happy

[herbie]

 

[cougar]

14 hours ago, bcsapper said:

What would you use instead of money?

I am not tasked with solving the world's problems

I can only see the obvious - money, or the medium of exchange, allows the masses to be exploited while those who can take advantage of money are given land and wealth disproportionate to their worth.

Nature has it working well for all other species with no money needed.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, cougar said:

I am not tasked with solving the world's problems

I can only see the obvious - money, or the medium of exchange, allows the masses to be exploited while those who can take advantage of money are given land and wealth disproportionate to their worth.

Nature has it working well for all other species with no money needed.

Actually, a lot of them are extinct now.

Still, until the day comes that I can chase down a tin of beans on the savannah I'm going to stick to giving someone a buck fifty for one at Save On.

[OftenWrong]

10 hours ago, cougar said:

I am not tasked with solving the world's problems

I can only see the obvious - money, or the medium of exchange, allows the masses to be exploited

Money does not create exploitation, people do.

Just like guns, do not kill...

[cougar]

12 hours ago, bcsapper said:

Actually, a lot of them are extinct now.

Still, until the day comes that I can chase down a tin of beans on the savannah I'm going to stick to giving someone a buck fifty for one at Save On.

Yes, extinct because they had no money to buy their land from our governments and then start paying taxes, I guess.

You do not need to go to SaveOn for beans.  You can grow your own food.  No bananas and oranges , of course.

 

[cougar]

12 hours ago, OftenWrong said:

Money does not create exploitation, people do.

Just like guns, do not kill...

Is this a point of some sorts?

Take away the guns from people and see if anyone will be shot.  Take away money and see if exploitation can continue.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, cougar said:

Yes, extinct because they had no money to buy their land from our governments and then start paying taxes, I guess.

You do not need to go to SaveOn for beans.  You can grow your own food.  No bananas and oranges , of course.

 

What about a 30" range hood?  I just bought one of those.  I didn't see any seeds for them. 

[OftenWrong]

8 hours ago, cougar said:

Take away the guns from people and see if anyone will be shot.  Take away money and see if exploitation can continue.

That must be true then. As soon as there is a gun around, it makes me want to kill.

[Michael Hardner]

22 minutes ago, OftenWrong said:

That must be true then. As soon as there is a gun around, it makes me want to kill.  

Luckily... The world doesn't use you as a model for all human behavior.

[OftenWrong]

27 minutes ago, Michael Hardner said:

Luckily... The world doesn't use you as a model for all human behavior.

Thanks. I am also unreliable to have around pointed sticks.

[Michael Hardner]

39 minutes ago, OftenWrong said:

Thanks. I am also unreliable to have around pointed sticks.

No doubt.   I'm hoping that your loved ones, if any, apply masking tape to pointy edges and remove sharp things in your grasp.

[OftenWrong]

26 minutes ago, Michael Hardner said:

I'm hoping that your loved ones, if any, apply masking tape to pointy edges and remove sharp things in your grasp.

How would that make any real difference, Michael Hardener? is the real "point" I am making.

Yes you missed the point again, but that's alright. We expect that from you now and even still like you.

But if you think that removing money will stop exploitation and greed,

well then you really are a liberal.

[Michael Hardner]

7 minutes ago, OftenWrong said:

How would that make any real difference, Michael Hardener? is the real "point" I am making.

Yes you missed the point again, but that's alright. We expect that from you now and even still like you.

But if you think that removing money will stop exploitation and greed,

well then you really are a liberal.

What the hell? We were just in the middle of joshing and you bring it back to be real.

 

If you don't think a medium, or a technology affects how they are used then you need to read McLuhan.

 

 

[OftenWrong]

10 minutes ago, Michael Hardner said:

If you don't think a medium, or a technology affects how they are used then you need to read McLuhan.

But I do know how they are used.

The first question is generally,

1. How can it be used to kill.

2. How can it be used to commit adultery?

3. How can it be used to steal...

....

Now you may think that's not always true, but I say it usually is. How does new technology get developed, how is it first made, for what reason. Reading history especially modern, you'll see there is no question the driving force behind "technological development and progress" is to make better weaponry to fight in war. The will to military supremacy is what motivated the development of technology especially in WW1 and 2.

So I am saying, this is innate in the human being. Technology is just another one of your blessed media we use... to kill.

[Michael Hardner]

25 minutes ago, OftenWrong said:

Technology is just another one of your blessed media we use... to kill.

What are the unintended effects now?

[OftenWrong]

12 minutes ago, Michael Hardner said:

What are the unintended effects now?

Well that is off-topic. Whether abolishing money, or technology makes things better or not is the point being discussed, not whether progress brought by technology is good or not.

Abolishing money is the topic, which makes a reference to Marxist ideas.

I think my point is pretty clear, we will exploit any situation that brings an advantage in terms of power.

That's why communism failed, was simply a ruse, a lie that could never be. In fact made things worse, as the final outcome was a crumbling USSR, culminating in nuclear detonation in Chernobyl. That is the road the OP puts us on.

Movin along...  

[Michael Hardner]

16 minutes ago, OftenWrong said:

Well that is off-topic. Whether abolishing money, or technology makes things better or not is the point being discussed, not whether progress brought by technology is good or not.

Abolishing money is the topic, which makes a reference to Marxist ideas.

I think my point is pretty clear, we will exploit any situation that brings an advantage in terms of power.

That's why communism failed, was simply a ruse, a lie that could never be. In fact made things worse, as the final outcome was a crumbling USSR, culminating in nuclear detonation in Chernobyl. That is the road the OP puts us on.

Movin along...  

So they didn't have money? ?

Technology being bad doesn't mean that it's not... good? ?

 

Yeah moving on is a good idea 

Edited November 19, 2023 by Michael Hardner

[Legato]

Funny how things work. I have/had an old lawnmower. A guy who collects old lawn equipment asked if he could have it. I said yes if he cut my lawn. Off he went but only did half, so I unbolted the blade and motor and gave him the lower half.

Is that how it's supposed to work?

[Aristides]

20 hours ago, cougar said:

Yes, extinct because they had no money to buy their land from our governments and then start paying taxes, I guess.

You do not need to go to SaveOn for beans.  You can grow your own food.  No bananas and oranges , of course.

 

Kind of difficult for your average city condo dweller.

[cougar]

On 11/19/2023 at 4:17 PM, Aristides said:

Kind of difficult for your average city condo dweller.

Yes, it is.  And that's because we have been sold an unhealthy model of existence.  Those condo dwellers don't even know where food comes from, or what it takes to produce it.

 

On 11/19/2023 at 4:28 AM, OftenWrong said:

That must be true then. As soon as there is a gun around, it makes me want to kill.

Don't know about you, but in 1 out of 1,000 gun owners this is exactly what happens. Then if 1 in 1,000,000 becomes crazy enough to disregard any legal repercussions they become the next mass killer.

[Aristides]

9 hours ago, cougar said:

Yes, it is.  And that's because we have been sold an unhealthy model of existence.  Those condo dwellers don't even know where food comes from, or what it takes to produce it.

 

 

 

Many of them don't but so what? There are a lot of things I need that I either don't know how or don't have the resources to make myself.

So do you think we should just destroy all our cities and put 40 million people into subsistence living with a barter economy just to avoid using money. How do we pay for all the stuff we need to import?

[cougar]

11 hours ago, Aristides said:

So do you think we should just destroy all our cities and put 40 million people into subsistence living with a barter economy just to avoid using money. How do we pay for all the stuff we need to import?

Simple.  We do not import, because in reality a human being does not need to import.

What I think is the cities will eventually get destroyed by nature (upset by us), as our society has been so brainwashed by the concept of money and growth for now many generations on end, that nobody knows how to transition to something else, or something that may be "sustainable".

 

 

Edited November 22, 2023 by cougar

[Aristides]

58 minutes ago, cougar said:

Simple.  We do not import, because in reality a human being does not need to import.

What I think is the cities will eventually get destroyed by nature (upset by us), as our society has been so brainwashed by the concept of money and growth for now many generations on end, that nobody knows how to transition to something else, or something that may be "sustainable".

 

 

You are posting this on some kind of device, phone, tablet, PC. Good luck with building one and all its parts yourself. Good luck building the infrastructure that allows you to post.

Edited November 22, 2023 by Aristides

[cougar]

4 hours ago, Aristides said:

You are posting this on some kind of device, phone, tablet, PC. Good luck with building one and all its parts yourself. Good luck building the infrastructure that allows you to post.

Why do you think my ability to post is one of my paramount needs?

I do not need to communicate with lost souls in a lost civilization over an internet.

All I want is for those lost souls to stop f-ing up my world.

 

[Michael Hardner]

8 hours ago, Aristides said:

You are posting this on some kind of device, phone, tablet, PC. Good luck with building one and all its parts yourself. Good luck building the infrastructure that allows you to post.

I think that sustainable society is a good idea, though.