Observations. I think many people would benefit from meditating over the tremendous significance of map #26: Asia is ridiculously important.
About the money stuff: this is all extremely misleading chiefly because a lot of people grow and/or catch their own food and build their own houses on community owned land with no debt, thus have minimal expenses and no interest in having or raising this number. The global capitalist system seeks to change this, often by stealing their land at gunpoint or children with the lure of materialism, but while increasing material 'wealth' (ie. shiny trinkets and nominally convenient tech) ultimately results in bad things happening to health (sometimes; this can go both ways), community, security, and the environment.
In map #35, Open defecation in India, look at the difference between the hard-line Hindu state of Tamil Nadu (southeast) versus the long-time communist state of Kerala (southwest coast). Incidentally, you see open defecation in southeast Asia and China as well.
In map #37, in 13 years I've never seen anyone appearing to be obviously malnourished and/or starving in China (and my time tends towards mountainous/poor areas), so I'm not sure where they get their statistics from. The throwaway remark about them 'getting better at feeding their people' is frankly bullshit: China is a leader in agricultural science, they are very good at extracting vast productivity from small areas of land and producing protein-rich foods such as tofu in harsh climates.
Similarly, map #38 is complete bullshit. China is absolutely covered in extremely high quality infrastructure such as highways.
I don't know if its the world or me that changed in the last year or so, but I've reached some kind of point with this evangelical sounding language, especially (but not exclusively) when it was a hard left bent. It hits me like listening to a 5 year old talk about surrendering themselves to Jesus.
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global capitalist system seeks to change this, often by stealing their land at gunpoint or children with the lure of materialism"
You couldn't talk this way among people I know, especially the more intelligent and opinionated among them. They would either roll their eyes and look for an exit like they would when confronted by a door knocking cult member or get sucked in inevitably resulting in cross "don't encourage them" looks from their girlfriend.
Where do people find enough other people to talk to where they can even develop this way of speaking. With cults you need to be around only other members of the cult to sound like this.
I think I'm starting to buy into this internet feedback bubble. I think it might be where new cults get made.
I agree that the statement is general and grating and may come across as questionable. In fact, I travel extensively and live in the developing world and my perspective is based on my own observations across many continents and two decades, plus media consumption, meetings with extensive NGO workers, diplomats, journalists and so on. You are of course more than entitled to an alternative perspective, I'd simply wager it's not as well founded.
The global capitalist system seeks to change this, often by stealing their land at gunpoint..
What a bizarre notion. The global capitalist system has goals? It owns guns, and steals land and children?
Let's ignore this fuzzy notion for now and address what you seem to be claiming.
Yes, there is a global capitalist system, and yes, guns are sometimes used to steal land, but no, it is not a defining characteristic of capitalism to steal land at gunpoint. You just weaken your case by this overreach. Reasonable people tune out when you start making shit up like this.
Why stoop to raw interpretation of metaphorical illustration?
Sure, capitalism, as a philosophy doesn't have goal. Yet, the clash between a capitalistic society where land-ownership exist and societies where land is shared does and has ended up in conflict, with the capitalistic ones taking away the lands from the native. At gun-point. It happened in Canada, USA, the whole of Americas. It happened in Australia. Rolling eyes and acting smug does not further the conversation. It does lead credence to the meme that people ignore their own history.
Comments
Observations. I think many people would benefit from meditating over the tremendous significance of map #26: Asia is ridiculously important.
About the money stuff: this is all extremely misleading chiefly because a lot of people grow and/or catch their own food and build their own houses on community owned land with no debt, thus have minimal expenses and no interest in having or raising this number. The global capitalist system seeks to change this, often by stealing their land at gunpoint or children with the lure of materialism, but while increasing material 'wealth' (ie. shiny trinkets and nominally convenient tech) ultimately results in bad things happening to health (sometimes; this can go both ways), community, security, and the environment.
In map #35, Open defecation in India, look at the difference between the hard-line Hindu state of Tamil Nadu (southeast) versus the long-time communist state of Kerala (southwest coast). Incidentally, you see open defecation in southeast Asia and China as well.
In map #37, in 13 years I've never seen anyone appearing to be obviously malnourished and/or starving in China (and my time tends towards mountainous/poor areas), so I'm not sure where they get their statistics from. The throwaway remark about them 'getting better at feeding their people' is frankly bullshit: China is a leader in agricultural science, they are very good at extracting vast productivity from small areas of land and producing protein-rich foods such as tofu in harsh climates.
Similarly, map #38 is complete bullshit. China is absolutely covered in extremely high quality infrastructure such as highways.
I don't know if its the world or me that changed in the last year or so, but I've reached some kind of point with this evangelical sounding language, especially (but not exclusively) when it was a hard left bent. It hits me like listening to a 5 year old talk about surrendering themselves to Jesus. " global capitalist system seeks to change this, often by stealing their land at gunpoint or children with the lure of materialism"
You couldn't talk this way among people I know, especially the more intelligent and opinionated among them. They would either roll their eyes and look for an exit like they would when confronted by a door knocking cult member or get sucked in inevitably resulting in cross "don't encourage them" looks from their girlfriend.
Where do people find enough other people to talk to where they can even develop this way of speaking. With cults you need to be around only other members of the cult to sound like this.
I think I'm starting to buy into this internet feedback bubble. I think it might be where new cults get made.
I agree that the statement is general and grating and may come across as questionable. In fact, I travel extensively and live in the developing world and my perspective is based on my own observations across many continents and two decades, plus media consumption, meetings with extensive NGO workers, diplomats, journalists and so on. You are of course more than entitled to an alternative perspective, I'd simply wager it's not as well founded.
Thank you. I will consider forming one.
What a bizarre notion. The global capitalist system has goals? It owns guns, and steals land and children?
Let's ignore this fuzzy notion for now and address what you seem to be claiming.
Yes, there is a global capitalist system, and yes, guns are sometimes used to steal land, but no, it is not a defining characteristic of capitalism to steal land at gunpoint. You just weaken your case by this overreach. Reasonable people tune out when you start making shit up like this.
Why stoop to raw interpretation of metaphorical illustration?
Sure, capitalism, as a philosophy doesn't have goal. Yet, the clash between a capitalistic society where land-ownership exist and societies where land is shared does and has ended up in conflict, with the capitalistic ones taking away the lands from the native. At gun-point. It happened in Canada, USA, the whole of Americas. It happened in Australia. Rolling eyes and acting smug does not further the conversation. It does lead credence to the meme that people ignore their own history.