I keep meaning to write about Making Money Make Change, which I’ve been massively processing since I returned from the Bay Area. There are a million things to say about this conference, and I’ve written a little about it here. One of our Enough correspondents who was in attendance is compiling notes from MMMC for us to post, so look for a more detailed description soon. But meanwhile, I wanted to share a little piece of what I’ve been thinking about.
Economic justice in the workplace
Jessica Hoffmann sent me this link to an interesting article about participatory economics in the workplace. I really enjoyed reading it particularly because this year I started working part-time at a collectively run consensus-based cooperative. Learning more about participatory economics and collectives and worker-owned co-ops feels pretty crucial to developing practices of economic justice and resistance to capitalism. Despite the slowness, constant meetings, and sometimes painful or challenging consensus process, the joy of working in a collective has not waned. It feels like a really human, experimental, resistant, trial-and-error process. I love that our dysfunctional workplace dynamics feel more likely to be about conflicting personalities than institutionalized exploitation. Dean probably has good stuff to say about workplace collectives too.
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Marriage is still the wrong goal
Craig and I recently posted a statement and some resources for further reading on Make (also on Facebook as a group called “I still think marriage is the wrong goal.”) I thought this might interest Enough readers who are as dissatisfied by the neoliberal gay agenda as we are.
Makezine move
Hi Friends,
I wanted to let you know that Craig and I unfortunately lost the domain name we’ve used for years for our zine/website Make, so we’ve moved the site to a new spot. In the process, I’ve learned a lot about the horribleness of how capitalism runs the internet, but I won’t trouble you with what is probably obvious about how webspace is owned.
Excitement and critique go well together
It’s been hard not to feel somewhat elated during the past few days. I’ve been soaking up the euphoria on the streets of West Philadelphia where I live, the joyful tears of civil rights leaders on the news, the energy and exhilaration everywhere I turn. Although I expect no more from Obama that from any other moderate liberal in the two-party system, it’s definitely been exciting to watch the election of our first president of color – a man who did not grow up owning class, who worked as a community organizer, who talks explicitly about race, who says thoughtful and intelligent things on a regular basis, who (despite his selective denunciation) has as a mentor a radical Black reverend who vocally critiques the racism and imperialism of the U.S.
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I also know that this victory by no means symbolizes an end to racism, let alone imperialism, injustice, and exploitation. And I know that Obama never could have been a serious candidate if he posed any opposition to corporate and imperial power.Â