socialism – My Fellow Travelers

A Community Concept

My wife is having guests over, so I decided to head to the coffee shop to get some writing done.

It got me to thinking.

The shop in question is comfortable. There are places to sit and read, write, or whatever. It’s got a comfortable living room type atmosphere, with nooks where various types of people tend to gravitate to do their thing (whatever that thing is).

The coffee is not bad and costs about half as much as a certain other well known chain.

It also reminds me a lot of the Manga/Internet cafes that are common in Japan. I’ll go into more detail shortly.

It’s comfortable, but it’s not free. There is the expectation that you will be spending money while you are there.

Now, how this ties into Manga/Internet Cafes:

All over Japan, and especially in larger cities, there are places that are variably called Internet Cafes, Manga Cafes, Net Clubs, and various other names.

The details and level of comfort vary but the default pattern is like this.

You have a place, often a membership club but non-members are ok for a few hundred yen extra. You are basically paying by the hour to use the facility, and most places have an overnight pack for as little as 900 to 1400 yen a night. You just have to check in after 2000 or so.

You have a booth with a computer that will generally have a comfortable chair, a sofa, or just tatami or foam mats. The booth is usually the size of an office cubicle.

While you are there, you have access to the internet, restrooms, and an extensive library of manga and sometimes other more useful books.

It’s kept at a comfortable temperature, and the lighting is kept low in the area with the cubicles.

It is entirely understood that those using the overnight pack will likely be sleeping at least six of their eight to twelve-hour stay.

And on top of all that, these places usually have diner type food available, WiFi, and for 100 yen, you can use the showers.

Needless to say, if I am traveling alone in Japan, I have no need for a hotel. If I’m with my family, of course, it’s a different story.

In addition to what is described above, many also have common areas where you are allowed to talk more and make more noise. This is often where you will find a handful of higher-end computers specifically made for gaming.

So, as all this information was rolling around in my head, a thought occurred to me.

Why could we not do something like this in the US?

A group of people or an organization could come together to buy a building in the city and build just such an establishment. The establishment can then be used to help homeless and at-risk people in its community.

Membership cards can be used as a tool to help eliminate the stigma associated with seeking help. After all, if you tie payment options to a single card (i.e. the account could have a credit/ debit card or PayPal account on file) then no one has to know if the guy who just swiped their card and left had to pay or not.

The addition of a mail room could also allow designated members to have a mailing address for all the purposes or society makes them necessary.

Homelessness is a major issue in our cities. This is not because of some inherent problem with cities, but rather its easier for most people to survive there than in rural environments. Especially come wintertime.

Imagine the impact that would be made if a place was available where people could have access to a community, education (the library), and a hot shower. Imagine being able to list an address on a job application, or knowing that if you can’t scrounge enough for a decent meal you’ll have access to something at least better than microwave ramen.

I like what Japan has done with their Manga Cafes, but I think that if you weren’t worried about making a profit, and wanted to build a community, it could be taken further.

The basic blueprint is already there. We just have to build on that.

The main concerns people are likely to present are funding, security, and privacy.

I’m not going to say these are actually easy hurdles, but I’m going to at least address each of them here.

I list funding first because, in any endeavor, that is the elephant in the room.

Even if what we are discussing helps to subvert the Capitalist system, we are still stuck working in that framework.

Incorporation is going to be a must. Non-profit status may be desirable. Either way, we need to keep its funding separate from our own, except as far as salaries are concerned. An organization also provides continuity.

Funding would have to rely heavily on paying members, donations, and other profitable endeavors that the organization may undertake.

I know this is an incomplete answer, but I think this deserves a conversation of its own rather than just one person saying “this is how it will/should work.”

Security is, perhaps, a little easier to address. We on the left have had a few hundred years at least to think on that one.

First of all, if a facility is operational twenty-four hours a day, it should also be continually staffed.

The people we bring into the fold as staff should all be trained in how to deal with most likely security situations. Flat up, we should police our own. The most important security concern is simply a matter of being present. Being present will minimize theft as well as preventing most other issues from escalating.

For things beyond that, training.

I don’t want to create a place of safety and comfort for societies most abused just to invite their most likely abusers in the moment things get stressful.

While we should not be antagonistic to law enforcement, we should not invite them in for any situation that the law does not specifically require it.

If that makes me sound a bit like a mob boss, fuck it. Another thing my time in Japan helped me to learn was an odd degree of respect for properly organized organized crime.

Now, privacy:

Our society attaches stigma to fucking everything, especially anything related to poverty.

Once established, we should make our presence known and facilitate those who need our services. We should also take measures to eliminate the separation between those who are paying customers and those who are not.

Membership cards make this sort of thing a lot easier than may have been in the past. No one has to know what status is associated with a card. No one has to know if the person in line ahead of them is a regular customer, or if they basically live there.

And for those approaching us for the first time, again, that is where training comes in.

Those who such an organization employs must share the organization’s values as much as possible. They need to understand discretion and compassion. They need to be the sort that is willing to say “fuck it,” and write off a meal as a loss in the ledger rather than let someone go hungry. And those in charge have to give them the authority to do so.

So, in summary:

I would love to see something similar in structure to the Manga/Internet cafe in Japan taken to another level and leveraged towards fighting poverty.

I think it could work, but it would have to be an intentional effort, and the initial resources would be a heavy lift.

I’ve been trying to find a way to express these ideas for a while. I’m surprised I didn’t think of this sooner.

Feel free to comment on this post. Going forward we have to communicate and share ideas.

Going forward, we need to work together to find solutions to local and global problems.

Preparing for Direct Action

So, this rolled across my screen in the memories section. I wrote the bottom half but not the top, but it is still all good information to remember if you are preparing to attend a protest or any kind of direct action.

When I saw this today, my first thought was that it was good timing. People have been in the streets all along over the last decade or two, but it is starting to get attention again. When these things get attention, they tend to grow, and tend to get more police attention as well. So, I am cleaning this post up a bit and reposting it.

So, here is a list of pointers for attending protests and direct actions. The original list (items 1 – 10) was distributed with the request that everyone distribute it as a copy and paste (as opposed to a share) without attribution. Feel free to do that now with this version.

The significance of copy and pasting rather than just hitting share (or your platforms equivalent) is twofold. First, it potentially helps to mask the source. Second, and perhaps more importantly, if an account gets taken down or a post gets deleted, and you hit the share button, then on most platforms that means your share of it disappears as well. By copying it to a new post, it makes it harder to erase the data. This is important, pass it on.

Water makes pepper spray worse. Use milk or liquid antacid and water. Don’t wear contacts.
If you get tear gassed, when you get home, put the contaminated clothes in a plastic bag for later decontamination and shower with cold water to avoid opening your pores.
Come with friends and don’t get separated. Avoid leaving the crowd and watch out for police snatch squads.
Beware undercovers, but beware snitchjacketing and collaborator ‘peace police’ even more.
The far right is very good at combing through pictures and doxxing people. Mask up.
Write any necessary phone numbers you may need directly on your skin in sharpie.
Have an offsite plan for emergencies if you have not been heard from by X time coordinated with someone offsite.
Make sure all mobile devices are charged!!
If you plan on going to jail, plan it: bail, lawyer, time off from work, witnesses i.e.: a cadre. Don’t just go to jail without training.
Beware folks inciting violence. Most of them are police/ feds. Watch out for hook ups for the same reason. Get to know the crowd. They will set you up.

Please don’t share this status. Copy paste it without attribution.

My personal addendum (feel free to copy this as well)

If you’ve got friends that are ex-military or have done security work, or have just been sprayed a time or two before, stay close. They will respond differently than someone being sprayed for the first time.

Also, to reiterate item 1: DON’T WEAR CONTACTS.

DO NOT WEAR CONTACTS.

Pepper spray has a chance of getting in your eyes.

CS gas, if they use grenades WILL get in you’re eyes.

If you are wearing contacts, there is no guarantee doctors can save your eye. There is no guarantee that you will be allowed near a doctor before it’s too late.

Get some good springy glasses that will cling to your face and not break easy. If you can afford a gas mask, try to get some that will fit in the mask.

It’s better though to go without than to wear contacts.

This goes for journalists too. CS doesn’t discriminate, and these days neither do the police.

Neurons and Synapses

The brain (be it human, or that of another creature) is made up of millions and billions of tiny cells called neurons. These neurons are separate from one another, but also connected.

The real power of the brain lies not in the neurons themselves, but within the connections.

We call these connections synapses. A synapse is the space between two neurons, where information is passed back and forth. Little bursts of energy go from one to the other. This allows billions of individuals, that independently can only do so much, to work together to do the massive work of making the Human brain function.

Humans are like this as well. We always have been, but modern technology makes the comparison even more apt.

The Human species functions like a massive brain. Each of us are independent neurons, going about our business and doing what we can on our own. It is, however, the connections that we make with other beings that really make the world go round.

It is our connection to other Human beings that allows us to be who and what we are.

It is our connection to other Human beings that allows us access to a vast pool of knowledge and resources that one person alone could never hope to amass.

It is also through these connections that we experience each other, and develop emotions, understanding, empathy, and compassion.

Compassion is perhaps the most important of these traits. It is compassion that leads us to do what is right for our species as a whole rather than just ourselves. It is compassion that helps us to understand that the path to true happiness and comfort for one, is the path to true happiness and comfort for all.

We as Humans are all interconnected.

As individuals, we can only do so much, know so much, experience so much. As an interconnected species, however, we have gathered the knowledge of the ages, and our collected experiences go well beyond what any of us could dream.

We should remember this in our dealings with other people. You cannot touch one, without touching the whole. Taking care of one, is taking care of the whole.

Word of the Day: Solidarity

noun: unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual support within a group.

Solidarity is one of the most important concepts when you are working for social change. It is a vital concept when you are working to build communities. It means finding your common ground, and supporting each other in those areas where you can agree. It does not always mean that you agree with each other one hundred percent, but that you agree sufficiently to work together and support each other.

Solidarity is standing together for a cause. Sometimes it is a common cause. Sometimes it is an ally’s cause. Sometimes it is your cause.

Sometimes it means opening your mouth when someone is abusive or oppressive.

Sometimes it means standing in the soaking rain outside some politician’s house because you want them to know what you think of their voting record.

Sometimes it means standing beside your allies, through thick or thin, even if you think their cause is insane. It might not be your cause, but it is theirs.

Sometimes it means being the only Liberal or leftist in the room, standing beside a Republican who is talking sense, when everyone else is turning him out because he is a Republican (or the other way around).

Sometimes it means ignoring faction lines all together and standing by your fellow man. When a house is being raised, or you have twelve hours to get the harvest in before a storm, who stops to ask if the person beside them is in the same political party?

Sometimes it just means setting your issues aside for a bit to see what someone else needs help getting done.

Labels, the Current System, and Third Party Votes

I have noticed that a lot of people are not educated on just what the words “socialist,” “socialism,” and “socialistic” mean.

You can talk about their views and political ideas. You can go item by item. Every response matches up with the concepts and ideals of socialism. Ask them if they are socialist though, and their reaction varies from simple denial, to violent rage.

It is no wonder the liberals of the country have trouble electing officials that represent what they believe. They don’t even know what the normal label is for their views.

All it takes is for a republican to scream socialist, and the candidate is suddenly outcast and a pariah.

And for those candidates that liberals do get into office, they are educated and do know what words mean. The message to them is loud and clear “be as liberal as you dare, but socialism will get you voted out or worse.”

The result is that the mainstream “left wing” of American politics is way to the right of most countries center line. It is to the right of most countries right wing.

People need to learn what words mean. They need to learn how to call what they believe. They need to learn how to speak up and voice their views to their politicians. They need to remember that their vote does have power, and they must act as a united people to insure that the politicians in charge remember this.

A European friend of mine recently said “You guys have the government you deserve,” and he is right. We voted them all in, Republican and Democrat. Worse than that, we show ever indication that as long as they maintain the status quo, we will continue to vote for them. I say that needs to change.

If you are a far right winger, vote libertarian not republican. If you are a far left winger, vote green party. If you are a constitutionalist, vote Constitutional Party. I say start now with the upcoming elections in September.

Voting for a third party candidate is NOT throwing your vote away. It sends a message to the election officials that these people are potentially electable in future elections. It also sends a message to whichever candidate wins. It tells them that if they do just maintain the status quo, it may not work out for them.

I see that what was intended to be a one or two paragraph comment turned into a full on rant. I will leave it here. Take it as you will.