I’m curious how the inevitable bad players are prevented from using/abusing/destroying such idealist constructs,
i gotta point out a nomenclature difference here. you’re using ‘idealist’ colloquially to mean unrealistic/naive, however it has a philosophical meaning too and what i’m doing is manifestly not idealist. mutual aid isn’t a utopian vision, it’s a description of something that already exists and has always existed. working class and marginalized communities have always built these networks because the alternative is not surviving. mutual aid as a concept predates the theory, the theory just names what people were already doing.
mutual aid networks deal with bad actors through community accountability rather than hierarchical enforcement, which is actually more resilient than it sounds because the relationships built through the work create real social fabric.
That’s more than little too vague to help. I guess I’m looking for something concrete & just detailed enough to be able to picture it in action.
are you familiar with the black panther breakfast program or food not bombs? here’s a short article on the subject of mutual aid in general if that’s more helpful, or a pamphlet if you prefer
you may well be right in that there is no return from the dark side.
for me i just try to be realistic about my limitations. i’ve seen enough electoral cycles to find them draining with no payoff. even if you ‘win’ there’s going to be a deal cut and you don’t have any way to really punish the politicians once they’re in office. directing that energy to helping people in my surroundings year-round means i can build something that feeds my neighbors and attracts others to continue the work. it’s not charity, you don’t answer to a board or people with money, you just get together with your friends and work together, everyone takes from it what they need.
i ended up going to sleep as well.
i gotta point out a nomenclature difference here. you’re using ‘idealist’ colloquially to mean unrealistic/naive, however it has a philosophical meaning too and what i’m doing is manifestly not idealist. mutual aid isn’t a utopian vision, it’s a description of something that already exists and has always existed. working class and marginalized communities have always built these networks because the alternative is not surviving. mutual aid as a concept predates the theory, the theory just names what people were already doing.
mutual aid networks deal with bad actors through community accountability rather than hierarchical enforcement, which is actually more resilient than it sounds because the relationships built through the work create real social fabric.
are you familiar with the black panther breakfast program or food not bombs? here’s a short article on the subject of mutual aid in general if that’s more helpful, or a pamphlet if you prefer
for me i just try to be realistic about my limitations. i’ve seen enough electoral cycles to find them draining with no payoff. even if you ‘win’ there’s going to be a deal cut and you don’t have any way to really punish the politicians once they’re in office. directing that energy to helping people in my surroundings year-round means i can build something that feeds my neighbors and attracts others to continue the work. it’s not charity, you don’t answer to a board or people with money, you just get together with your friends and work together, everyone takes from it what they need.