Left Facebook in 2021, Twitter in 2022, and just Monday I closed my instagram. It's difficult to extricate yourself but I really am putting an emphasis back on phone calls (gasp) and face-to-face.
I prefer growing my own to endlessly scrolling bullshit anyway.
I think we need to have a general strike also. It would be good if we could pick a date and for everyone on that day to cancel direct debits/ take trains without paying/ close social media accounts/ keep their kids of school/ call in sick. All of these (apart from the fare dodging) are legal and achievable but would send a shockwave.
I've been working on leaving big tech for years. No longer use Amazon, Microsoft (Linux is so much better!), Apple, Instagram, Twitter or Google. Still got a way to go for others. In fact, I am fighting a battle with Shopify - they won't give me the money I have earned from book sales unless I give them a mobile phone number, even though I hate mobile phones and don't use one.
The best written article I've read on all things considered.
Libertarians assume that people have brains which they use and morals and ethics. Not much of those going around that I can see.
I've been calling for a national boycott on consumer goods for months now and haven't had one single person think it would do any good. While they all complain that it is the Corp elite causing the problem and that money is the issue no one will give up the slightest in their right to give more money to the elite. My point is that it shows how deeply entrenched everyone is in the "matrix".
They complain about oil companies and ecocide yet waste 4 gal. of gas for a couple of hours at the beach. Throw another 100 dollar bill at Walmart for something completely unnecessary that will get used once. It's their right to help destroy the planet because they can blame it on the evil empire. People programming has become easier and more effective than computer programming.
Huxley in Brave New World pointed all of this out and in Brave New World Revisited made it even more explicit. Brave New World was a utopia compared to today. Today we have a merger of 1984 and Brave New World. Endless war, a surveillance state, mass mind programming, out of control consumption and a feudalistic class society. A complete dystopia where people can't conceive of something better because this has become the norm. If you want to get really terrified read all of them. Brave New World focused on sex, drugs and happiness by consumption with a society and humans created by technology. Sound familiar? 1984 was a society based on mass surviallance, endless war and new speak, propaganda with a police state. Sound familiar?
And today, May 10th, 2023 the earth will experience a major coronal mass ejection which if severe enough could end it all for us. So we can set the date for tomorrow for a national boycott. At least we'll get to see some spectacular aurora as a parting gift.
Thank you Aya for a wonderful essay. I'll share it as widely as I can.
I grew up punk and hardcore in the 1990s so these words feel like home to me. I'm 100% down with this. I know substack will change soon as well, so I will stay here until that happens but this is the only way to regain power. Also learn to grow food. Because once the realise we know, they are going to control the food. They already weaponise it against Gazans.
Nice. I'm with you.
Left Facebook in 2021, Twitter in 2022, and just Monday I closed my instagram. It's difficult to extricate yourself but I really am putting an emphasis back on phone calls (gasp) and face-to-face.
I prefer growing my own to endlessly scrolling bullshit anyway.
I think we need to have a general strike also. It would be good if we could pick a date and for everyone on that day to cancel direct debits/ take trains without paying/ close social media accounts/ keep their kids of school/ call in sick. All of these (apart from the fare dodging) are legal and achievable but would send a shockwave.
Who's in?
I think there is one today.
Been there for over 20 years trying to convince others with no success. Keep at it.
I've been working on leaving big tech for years. No longer use Amazon, Microsoft (Linux is so much better!), Apple, Instagram, Twitter or Google. Still got a way to go for others. In fact, I am fighting a battle with Shopify - they won't give me the money I have earned from book sales unless I give them a mobile phone number, even though I hate mobile phones and don't use one.
Tell it like it is!
The best written article I've read on all things considered.
Libertarians assume that people have brains which they use and morals and ethics. Not much of those going around that I can see.
I've been calling for a national boycott on consumer goods for months now and haven't had one single person think it would do any good. While they all complain that it is the Corp elite causing the problem and that money is the issue no one will give up the slightest in their right to give more money to the elite. My point is that it shows how deeply entrenched everyone is in the "matrix".
They complain about oil companies and ecocide yet waste 4 gal. of gas for a couple of hours at the beach. Throw another 100 dollar bill at Walmart for something completely unnecessary that will get used once. It's their right to help destroy the planet because they can blame it on the evil empire. People programming has become easier and more effective than computer programming.
Huxley in Brave New World pointed all of this out and in Brave New World Revisited made it even more explicit. Brave New World was a utopia compared to today. Today we have a merger of 1984 and Brave New World. Endless war, a surveillance state, mass mind programming, out of control consumption and a feudalistic class society. A complete dystopia where people can't conceive of something better because this has become the norm. If you want to get really terrified read all of them. Brave New World focused on sex, drugs and happiness by consumption with a society and humans created by technology. Sound familiar? 1984 was a society based on mass surviallance, endless war and new speak, propaganda with a police state. Sound familiar?
And today, May 10th, 2023 the earth will experience a major coronal mass ejection which if severe enough could end it all for us. So we can set the date for tomorrow for a national boycott. At least we'll get to see some spectacular aurora as a parting gift.
Thank you Aya for a wonderful essay. I'll share it as widely as I can.
I grew up punk and hardcore in the 1990s so these words feel like home to me. I'm 100% down with this. I know substack will change soon as well, so I will stay here until that happens but this is the only way to regain power. Also learn to grow food. Because once the realise we know, they are going to control the food. They already weaponise it against Gazans.