Comments on: The Gift Economy http://lizseymour.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/the-gift-economy/ Life in a five-adult, one-child, five-chicken, one-dog, two-cat, innumerable-bicycle anarchist collective house. Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:32:16 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Alex http://lizseymour.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/the-gift-economy/#comment-137 Alex Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:46:29 +0000 http://lizseymour.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/the-gift-economy/#comment-137 I've been working backwards through your posts so this comment comes a little late, but I just thought I'd caution against idealizing the past "gift economies" too much. Steven Pinker has an interesting TED talk (http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/163) on how violence has been steadily decreasing over the years, decades, centuries, and millenniums, starting from at least as far back as those hunter-gatherer societies. Capitalism certainly has its own dangers, bit gift economies aren't necessarily utopias either. I’ve been working backwards through your posts so this comment comes a little late, but I just thought I’d caution against idealizing the past “gift economies” too much. Steven Pinker has an interesting TED talk (http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/163) on how violence has been steadily decreasing over the years, decades, centuries, and millenniums, starting from at least as far back as those hunter-gatherer societies.

Capitalism certainly has its own dangers, bit gift economies aren’t necessarily utopias either.

]]> By: dave http://lizseymour.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/the-gift-economy/#comment-112 dave Sun, 21 Oct 2007 15:55:20 +0000 http://lizseymour.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/the-gift-economy/#comment-112 I agree with this line so much: <blockquote>I’m not waiting on a revolution, I’m living one every day as best I can, and trying to use the time and energy I save to open up that revolution to anyone else who cares to participate.</blockquote> I agree with this line so much:

I’m not waiting on a revolution, I’m living one every day as best I can, and trying to use the time and energy I save to open up that revolution to anyone else who cares to participate.

]]> By: nego http://lizseymour.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/the-gift-economy/#comment-110 nego Fri, 19 Oct 2007 01:35:32 +0000 http://lizseymour.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/the-gift-economy/#comment-110 thanks for all the props! i'm glad the benefit went well last weekend! thanks for all the props! i’m glad the benefit went well last weekend!

]]> By: Kathryn Walker http://lizseymour.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/the-gift-economy/#comment-108 Kathryn Walker Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:23:03 +0000 http://lizseymour.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/the-gift-economy/#comment-108 hey there, Liz -- this is kathryn walker & i know you from around town, various things (i went with you to your house for supper one night when Tracey Brown was leaving for Seattle). i just wanted to say how moved i am by this site, your words, how you lay them down. hey there, Liz — this is kathryn walker & i know you from around town, various things (i went with you to your house for supper one night when Tracey Brown was leaving for Seattle). i just wanted to say how moved i am by this site, your words, how you lay them down.

]]> By: Anna http://lizseymour.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/the-gift-economy/#comment-107 Anna Thu, 18 Oct 2007 15:58:43 +0000 http://lizseymour.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/the-gift-economy/#comment-107 Thank you for sharing about your Really Really Free Market! It was an encouragement for me this morning, as I sit in my apartment listening (and feeling) bombs going off about 10 miles from here. The windows rattle sometimes, if the explosions are strong enough. I live in an "abandoned edge of the empire" next to the largest munitions depot in the U.S. They test artillery within less than a few miles of city limits. Helicopters and jets fly over daily. We can even hear, on a clear day, the rat-tat-tat of smaller arms firing. Any day of the week. If there is any place that needs some of the beauty to which you all aspire, it is here. ~Anna Thank you for sharing about your Really Really Free Market! It was an encouragement for me this morning, as I sit in my apartment listening (and feeling) bombs going off about 10 miles from here. The windows rattle sometimes, if the explosions are strong enough. I live in an “abandoned edge of the empire” next to the largest munitions depot in the U.S. They test artillery within less than a few miles of city limits. Helicopters and jets fly over daily. We can even hear, on a clear day, the rat-tat-tat of smaller arms firing. Any day of the week.

If there is any place that needs some of the beauty to which you all aspire, it is here.

~Anna

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