Such a fan of sharing the messy work. It’s so satisfying to look back on, have a big cringe, and then feel satisfied at how far you’ve come (and how far you will go). Got to start somewhere...
Alicia, there are so many things I love about you. I love how you dismantle the bright shiny personas and bullshit language fronts that seem to be obligatory (weirdly) for people who want to be seen as credibly successful these days.
And yet. This paywall stuff. This exclusive club of privileged subscribers. It's everything I hate. Not just because I find myself yet again in the precariat, where I'm vulnerable and dependant on state support for survival, so any discretionary spending is a weekly toss-up (flea treatment for the dog or bottle of vitamins for me?). I haven't always lived here in Precariatland, but I'm a regular visitor. Even when I'm in Comfortableland, though, I have to say that I'm acutely aware of my privilege. I hate the way money divides us. I hate that whole chunks of society are shut out of the conversation, so some feel like peasants poundng on the city gates. I hate it when it's me shut out, and I hate it when it's me invited in. So I'm wondering. I know that there's this perception that, you know, you need to get something back that looks like money or value. I'm wondering if in the subscription process there's room for someone to share their bounty, like a plus one. So someone subscribes for themself-plus-one ...just a random pay-it-forward so that someone else can join in.
Of course, this is a high-trust situation. Someone cynical could argue that a non-precariat person could take this subsidy up and make a mockery of the whole thing. But is that really important enough to stop the sharing? Perhaps there's a way to encourage integrity.
Outside my house I have a sharing table - free produce and plants that anyone can bring or take, no questions asked. It changes the conversation we have locally about value, and money, and ideas of trade. I think money is really really overrated (even though I don't have much right now). It's something we need to look at more.
Such a fan of sharing the messy work. It’s so satisfying to look back on, have a big cringe, and then feel satisfied at how far you’ve come (and how far you will go). Got to start somewhere...
Alicia, there are so many things I love about you. I love how you dismantle the bright shiny personas and bullshit language fronts that seem to be obligatory (weirdly) for people who want to be seen as credibly successful these days.
And yet. This paywall stuff. This exclusive club of privileged subscribers. It's everything I hate. Not just because I find myself yet again in the precariat, where I'm vulnerable and dependant on state support for survival, so any discretionary spending is a weekly toss-up (flea treatment for the dog or bottle of vitamins for me?). I haven't always lived here in Precariatland, but I'm a regular visitor. Even when I'm in Comfortableland, though, I have to say that I'm acutely aware of my privilege. I hate the way money divides us. I hate that whole chunks of society are shut out of the conversation, so some feel like peasants poundng on the city gates. I hate it when it's me shut out, and I hate it when it's me invited in. So I'm wondering. I know that there's this perception that, you know, you need to get something back that looks like money or value. I'm wondering if in the subscription process there's room for someone to share their bounty, like a plus one. So someone subscribes for themself-plus-one ...just a random pay-it-forward so that someone else can join in.
Of course, this is a high-trust situation. Someone cynical could argue that a non-precariat person could take this subsidy up and make a mockery of the whole thing. But is that really important enough to stop the sharing? Perhaps there's a way to encourage integrity.
Outside my house I have a sharing table - free produce and plants that anyone can bring or take, no questions asked. It changes the conversation we have locally about value, and money, and ideas of trade. I think money is really really overrated (even though I don't have much right now). It's something we need to look at more.