At the end of this episode Lee Camp and [Michael Prysner] from The Empire Files discuss using a GI Hotline to get American soldiers legally out of the military.
We need a massive, coordinated civil disobedience, not endless rioting/protesting/pleading bullshit year after year all year around.
Hi @aristefans, thanks for posting and welcome to the forum!
It’s indeed important to point out how it could be better. I often see people blaming the 1% for all kind of issues. But we, the 99%, are buying and using their services. Without business, they wouldn’t have the influence and power we seem to disagree with. In the end we’re all playing the same game, but some are just better at it.
Of course we cannot simply choose alternatives for everything. Because the market mechanism has pushed out competition and suppresses it with patent wars and such. Or the market leaders uphold low fees which the competition can’t match without facing bankruptcy, which is the goal of that tactic of course. Bleed out the competition and then raise the prices again.
A good example is this forum. We can complain about the 1% on Facebook/Reddit/Whatsapp/Instagram/Telegram/Discord/etc. and thus feeding the 1% money and power, or we become the change and move to something that runs on renewable power, respects privacy and uses open-source software.
Anyway, long story short 
You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.
On our @chapter_netherlands website we have a list of things we as individuals may do to use the market system and steer it towards long lasting change. By that I don’t mean we should work within the system. I try to explain that we cannot blame companies for what they are if we are their consumers while there are better alternatives available.
The suggestions can be found here, it’s the bullet list at the bottom. And of course, it’s fine tailored to nl
For the record, I’m not saying we shouldn’t do civil disobedience like Extinction Rebellion. I’m saying that before we find an outlet for the frustration, we can do some meaningful changes now already in our personal lives which are non-violent and persistent.
I say we start communities and become the change, but you already know that.
As for the blame. Well… I like to blame them, because they like to blame us. Yet funny thing in the end it’s just pointing fingers at each other while the only thing to blame is the set of rules as we know from the TZM train of thought. Recent studies show that this thinking is in fact right. No one is in charge, and to the alien observer we would be a mindless amoeba-like super-organism feeding on everything it can find to its death. It’s terrifying to see the hand of the free market do its thing…
I agree with the text in that study when I searched for “blame”.
No one is to blame for this trap but we are all complicit.
So blaming each other doesn’t do anything. It’s just releasing frustration and creating frustration on the other side, and that side most probably just returns the favor.
We can blame someone for having a job at a certain company. And blame that company for providing societies need for oil. But everyone is just playing the game and does what the system rewards and promotes.
A more productive thing to do is to focus on solutions, not name and shame. Such as changing our behavior and support companies that go into a different direction, sustainable solutions. It does work. In just a few years people in nl have moved more towards meat substitutes. That market is now growing and the prices are expected to go down, allowing more people to choose that. Because sustainability is more expensive. This of course has a positive effect on the environment and probably also health.
Name and shame only takes you far enough to perhaps frustrate someone else into change. But most likely you’ll just trigger a defense and people might think more about defending the behavior rather a new, better way
If starting self sufficient communities is your thing, then please give it your full attention and energy. It would be cool if it works. But it’s not the only and ultimate solution. Different approaches are needed, because not everyone is susceptible for the same approach. And not all problems can be fixed by a single solution.
Honestly I don’t really believe there is amy viable solution at this point. I just do what I feel is right and encourage others to try their thing for the sake of adventure. I agree shaming takes you only halfway there, and even nnowhere if you have nothing to offer as an alternative. At this point I’d just love to see some real change and not yet another clever way to repack consumerism. I’m not even sure communes can do that. I took it upon myself because I could and it looks like it’s worth a shot. 