In light of the Joe Stack IRS plane flying tomfoolery, I wound up stumbling across information on agorism. Now, to me, it seems like a bunch of over-intellectualized jargon that boils down to a very basic concept:
Buy less shit out of stores.
Maybe I’ve oversimplified it, but there is something in that concept that really resonates with me. I love the punk rock. I love the music, the message, and the DIY ethos behind it, and that’s what I like about agorism. I might be a registered libertarian, but I’m not down with the messages of “buy more shit, support big business, for it can do no wrong” that – unfortunately – permeate too much of the dialogue surrounding libertarianism. Rather, I’d prefer to not freely hand over as much of my money and hard-earned effort supporting businesses that will then funnel money back into abhorrent tax expenditures. (i.e., the drug war, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, homophobic policies, etc.) I’d also prefer to not encourage businesses to support the same slimy governmental policies I normally decry.
How can I achieve that goal when I live in the Philly suburbs, surrounding by nothing but big box retailers? Well, aside from moving completely off the grid, a lot of it comes down to better choosing how our money is spent. Grow whatever produce and fresh herbs we can. Spend more money with private sellers (i.e., eBay, Etsy, or ideally, Craigslist). Barter when we can or just keep an eye out on our local Freecycle list. Cook. Customize or make clothing. Break the soda addiction. Spend less money at big box retailers.
In essence, if we just tried a little bit, we’d be better off in more ways than we might realize. When I was a vegan and had slightly different politics, I did just these things. (Except broke the soda addiction. That will come about angrily.) It often comes down to making an effort and an honest attempt to live life as ethically as you can.
Plus, I gotta admit, I’m a fan of sticking it to the man whenever I can.
I promise to not litter this blog too heavily with various political rants (that’s what my personal blog is for), but it’s my politics that have shaped my behavior. The personal is the political, and it’s about time we start acting it and making the small changes we can.
Domestication driven by insomnia 