HabitableZone

Flame » in reply to Point taken

Interesting, and supports the idea that capitalism is alienating

You argue persuasively that human social patterns of long tradition often threaten the interests of capitalism. That's because capitalism as a machine is by its nature shaped like a pyramid. Capitalism is an economic system whose understood purpose is to concentrate wealth in piles big enough to be called "investment-grade". Wealth flows from the many to the few in capitalism. It has to.

Whereas people have, as you say, naturally come together in mutual aid societies. Of course we do, we're social primates. We know how to form tribes on the spot. Capitalism forces us out of our natural communities and slots us into rigid hierarchies that facilitate command and control.

Would it at all surprise you to learn that most medical cannabis dispensaries in California are organized as cooperatives? It seems to be the intersection of human nature and the 1995 law that enabled medical cannabis. It wanted to set up a non-profit system of people passing around marijuana they grow themselves. Acknowledging that some will grow a lot and others won't want to grow at all, there are legally-licensed "providers" who grow large quantities (e.g. 99 plants in Santa Cruz County), and put it into a pool in a coop. When patients go to a dispensary for the first time, in addition to showing the physician's referral, they sign a contract joining the cannabis cooperative.

And the coda to the story is that the most "business-friendly" cities, like San Jose, are harassing the coops and those they don't put out of "business", they force into a more covert model--home delivery--that's a lot less transparent coop and lot more modern "gig economy". Think Uber drivers delivering pot. Seems stupid from the outside, until you see it as a manifestation of formal capitalism versus adhoc social economies.

Libertarians are just Anarchists who cannot imagine any social life without a hobnail capitalist boot on their neck providing them with the paternalistic authority they crave. I guess RWA is as good a term as any.


Interesting observation, and one that Libertarians would vehemently protest, I'm sure. To no avail, of course, because when you point out to a Libertarian that their model leads within milliseconds to a feudal power structure based on strength, they say "So?". Every one claims that he (always he) will get to be the warlord, but really, what are the odds? You're right, a Libertarian is an RWA looking for a master.

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