Amazon Sure is Convenient

What a world we live in. I can get something delivered from Amazon on the same day.

I ordered an item that’s composed of parts made by children laboring overseas in slave-like conditions. Then a company that squeezes every ounce of productivity from their employees sets off a network of pain and suffering that goes from their mistreated corporate staff to the people getting injured in the warehouse getting and packing the item, to the people getting injured delivering the package.

Our convenience is subsidized by the exploitation of the global working class. And yet we still do it. We still buy, buy, buy.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could break the cycle? We could, you know. We could demand better treatment for these people. We could hold our money back until they make a change. But we won’t. Because we like getting our toys delivered the same day.

Does anyone know any alternative economic systems we could try out? I have some thoughts. . . .

Yer an Asshole Harry

I came to a point in my past where I decided I wanted to be a better person today than I was yesterday. Sounds trite, sure, but I was serious. I wasn't a serial killer or anything, but let's say that I had a lot of room for improvement.

So what does that mean, exactly? Where to start? I figured that a good place to start was to try to be nicer to people. (I am autistic and this doesn't come naturally to me.)

Well, what does nice mean? Just a little thought and I concluded that "nice" meant different things to different people, and if I truly wanted to be nicer to those around me I had no choice but to try to see the world through their eyes.

Some observations: people want to be treated with respect. Some things can seem disrespectful to some but not others.

I could easily accommodate with just a little initial effort on my part.

I have a friend named Michael. He does not like to be called "Mike." He likes his full name used. Not a problem.

I know someone else that likes to go by her nickname because she's not fond of her given name. Done.

I have a friend who has had some tragedy in his life and doesn't like to be reminded of it, so I avoid certain subjects around him. Does not bother me in the least.

I have a trans friend who now wants to be called by a different name and set of pronouns. Can do.

And now we have a "problem."

Somehow, starting from a position of wanting to be a better person leads directly to "wokeness." Suddenly I'm "infected with the woke mind virus." (Which one must assume leads directly to Saturday night fever.)

When simply doing the right thing becomes a political bomb then something is horribly broken.

We are horribly broken.

How do we fix this? How do we make "being nice" not be divisive? What is wrong with us?

Experts Needed

Revolutions happen when people who think of themselves as "regular people" start crying out about injustice.

Intellectuals have theorized about revolutions and their causes, and even advocate for revolution. Yet they often dismiss "regular people's" opinions as being "uninformed."

Regular people are crying out. Now. Bad things are happening now, and worse things are going to happen soon if we don't make a change. I posted something on Reddit talking about how we need a general strike and got lambasted by an “expert” explaining how hard it is to do and blah blah. Revolutions are natural occurrences and are basically always going on, it’s just that they seldom boil over. We are at one of those boiling over moments. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we have a former president indicted for trying to overturn an election with a following that will do anything for him. At the same time we have ridiculous wealth inequality and all the instability that brings. And, most worringly, people are fleeing states to get away from opressive laws. I hope those dismissive revolutionary experts are prepared for all the attention they're about to get.

Edit: I really want to make sure I actually include questions and I already blew it. I’ll edit one in and cheat. I’ll try not to do that anymore. So, I made a claim that “revolutions are basically always going on” and I don’t have a source for that. Is that OK? Is that true? I honestly think they are. They kind of have to be — it’s all just an exchange of ideas until some critical mass is hit and then: BOOM. Revolution.

Which makes me think: are revolutions meme pandemics? A memedemic?

Coming up for air

I spent much of the last 20 years in a pretty deep depression. I might get into it in later posts, but for now I’ll skip the full details. It took some doing, but I finally managed to work out a chemical cocktail that allowed me to pull myself up to breathe. Once up, though, I started really noticing things I should have been noticing before.

I’m very concerned about the world I see around me, and I want to try to do something about it.

Unfortunately, I’m not exactly versed in the subjects that have started to interest me.

This blog (hello 2008! I’ve arrived!) is an attempt to gather my thoughts and potentially share them as I learn and try new things.

I chose the name “Questions for a Just World” because I know I don’t have answers. I have questions and ideas, but this kind of stuff really needs collaboration.

I don’t know if anyone will ever read this, but please comment if you have anything to say.

Expect to see posts on (but not limited to):

• capitalism

• communism

• books I’ve read

• books I want to read

• books I’m reading and am part way through but I just have to write about something I just read

• youtube videos

So, fair warning: I’ve been “liberal” my entire adult life, but I’m coming to understand that doesn’t mean what I thought it meant. I’m learning much more about the entire political compass and where I land on it. There will be thoughts on leftism, criticism of capitalism, drafts of new constitutions, and whatever else might come to mind. This is more for me than you, but you’re welcome to come along.

I have no idea what I’m doing. Enjoy the trainwreck!