26th Nov 2006
Beyond Capitalism
Since when did the American people decide to send their manufacturing sector south to exploit people in El Salvador or the Dominican Republic?
We didn’t and nobody ever asked.
That’s a quote from Help Wanted: Independence from the Corporate Global Economy, which redefines economy, not as a market system, but as the diverse activities by which humans generate livelihoods in relation to each other and the Earth.
Consider these economies that are rarely mentioned:
Household economies — how we raise children and teach life skills
Gift economies — how many communities share generosity with volunteer fire departments, food banks, and sharing food
Barter economies — how we trade services with friends and neighbors
Gathering economies — how we fish and forage for food, but also how we recycle and dumpster dive (one of my favorite expressions)
Cooperative economies — how we control resources cooperatively, such as worker-run and owned businesses or intentional communities
Community market economies — how small businesses provide support
We’re often taught that capitalism and the “market economy” is the end all be all of economic existence. It’s not. It doesn’t work that well for most people, particularly those on the bottom. For thousands of years, economies, such as the ones above, existed, which provided services and goods. Consider supporting them.
