permaculture

["John Schinnerer" <john@eco-living.net>]

Aloha,

>> > This CO2 is there largely because of the
>> > actions of the US imperium and it's devotion to the so-called
>> > capitalist enterprise.
>>
>> This looks like a good example of how the habit of blaming and
>> finger-pointing
>> is of little use in designing alternatives.

> I don't get your point - my whole essay was 'fingerpointing' in that it was 
> a
> critique of
> economic systems that ignore the realities of reproductive economics - i.e.
> capitalism.

My point is, your critique is doing great IMO - until this point.  Last I
heard, Australia was a full and willing and enthusiastic participant in and
contributor to the capitalist global economy, and one of the more willing to
support the Bush regime's dirty nasty bit of work in the Middle East recently.
 "Newsflash!  Pot calls Kettle black!" is my point.

Now, I don't assume you go along with the Australian government on all this,
of course, and I assume you're "acting locally" on that.  Meanwhile  What does
blaming whatever problems you see on the USA as sole actor, instigator,
scoundrel, etc. accomplish for you?

All national governments have done and continue to do nasty underhanded as
well as nasty overhanded stuff internally and externally, alone or in
collaboration with others; we just happen to be the biggest and best at it in
the last couple of centuries. England's been there in her day, and France; so
has China, and Spain, and Japan, and countless other "empires" before the
dominance of nation-states.

> The value of this critique is that understanding the nature of reproductive
> economics points the way towards creating alternatives.

Right, and I'd like to hear some details of such alternatives.  I'd probably
agree with most of them.

> I have noticed that you are very defensive when it comes to any critical
> mention of the role of the USA in this list. Your patriotism does you proud
> I'm sure,

This is quite hilarious!  I've been called some interesting names by my fellow
USAmericans (paticularly while doing peace/no war/end the occupation/impeach
Bush vigils and rallies) - but never a patriot!

> but it surely begs the question -
> how can one discuss the sustainable and practical courses of action without
> understanding the impact of the most powerful government in the world

That's easy - sustainable and practical courses of action gain nothing from
blaming "the government" - mine, yours or anyone else's.  Blaming creates no
alternatives.  It does perpetuate an existing habit that goes nowhere.  People
will either agree or disagree with the charges, accept or deny the blame, and
continue on living that and their other existing habits.  The people who are
the governments will continue to do what they already do, because they "know"
(systemically if not consciously) that blame is no threat to their system -
handling it is built in, so to speak.

All that is necessary to take from observations of governments is to leave
these known pathologies out of our designing.

Our job is to create alternatives that people will prefer, and that "will
survive longer than those that don't survive so long" - to quote Bateson on
the nature of evolution.



John Schinnerer - MA, Whole Systems Design
------------------------------------------
- Eco-Living -
Cultural & Ecological Designing
People - Place - Learning - Integration
john@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net