Happy valentines day I guess? It’s kinda of a shit holiday as an adult when you aren’t a kid. As a kid it was great: class parties, passing out candy and cards, sometimes less homework. As you get older it’s all marketing and whatnot. The best way to celebrate the people you love is to do so often when you can, call, text, write, send a gift, visit, whatever. Don’t wait for a yearly “holiday” to let people know you love them. Sweetest day is worse, but I’m not going to go there.
So today’s blog is from some VICE debates/conversations. There will be a few blogs that share the intertwined themes brought up by the series, as many of the ideas are relevant to the struggles we deal with today globally. So let’s jump right in.
What is a community? Not the television show I have never seen, but when you think of communities what do you think of? Your block? Neighborhoods? Groups of people? None of those are wrong those are all types of communities based on the Oxford definition which defines community as:
a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
“the scientific community”
a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
“the sense of community that organized religion can provide”
Now of course we all have different characteristics, attitudes, goals etc. which is why there are so many microcosmic communities. The biggest and most damaged community on this planet is this planet. Well, the inhabitants of the planet, humans specifically. We are one of the biggest communities on this planet and when it all comes down to it we share a lot of similar goals right? We all want/need food, shelter, basically that first level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. We want to survive and thrive. Yet we can’t agree on basics like people should be paid fair wages, people shouldn’t be shunned from a neighborhood because they are different, healthy options should be available in all neighborhoods, the quality of education should not depend on your area, medical care should be easily accessible, housing should be affordable.
Community has always been important, but unfortunately in most, if not all societies, success or failure is dependent on top down economics. I’m sure In some places the rich are taxed accordingly and those places thrive. In America, not so much. Our wealthiest people are like the dragon hoarding is’t treasure. They don’t know what to do with it, but it’s theirs and they aren’t okay sharing it. They explain how they pulled themselves up by the bootstraps and are self made and blah blah blah. Bullshit usually, not always but usually when you are talking about “old money”. Those that are more new money billionaires luck out, not by being the smartest in the room, but by surrounding themselves with the right people, and like a rocket, once they get good momentum they discard their boosters and are gone.
These people could fund various revitalization projects and help lift our communities and still make money, but greed is a powerful mistress. So instead of writing on and on about how the 1% are trash, I’m going to approach this another way. The rest of this is a plan on how communities can be rebuilt, for a better tomorrow and if anybody wants to steal any of these ideas fucking go for it, heal the world.
Now the ideas are based on the USA’s standing but could be translated, morphed, or redesigned to fit other local communities around the world.
First things first, tax the rich, heavily. Their profits come from the bottom up, it’s time for them to do their part and funds need to go from the top down. No sneaky private investors that just want a piece of the pie, if you invest in community building your return is basically more people in a better financial place to continue to buy goods, services, and keep commerce going. Tax the rich. Tax these big corporations, stop giving government subsidies to shit companies. Invest better. Bring down the cost of living prices since the billionaires will be taxed more which allow the working class to afford basic life essentials..
Second, a local community clean up. If the people in the community don’t care about the area, why should anyone else? Everyone needs to be involved, however they can. Cleaning up the street, alleys, parks, common areas we all share, abandoned/ empty lots; let people see each other and see that everyone has a stake in this. It doesn’t matter what color we are, what religion we practice, or how we identify, hating each other doesn’t build community. Inclusivity not exclusivity right? Get shit cleaned, keep shit cleaned, grow and thrive.
Next, building and repair. People need jobs, right? Send willing participants to learn a trade. Are you homeless? Would you like a home? Great, we are going to have you learn a trade if you don’t have those skills. Get people literate, healthy, and educated. As people are learning the trades, they can practice those trades rebuilding dilapidated buildings and bringing them back to code (liveable, functional, up to legal standards). As these abandoned builds get new life more housing can be utilized to combat homelessness. Continuing with rehabbing buildings, those that are more suited for commercial or just non-residential use can be used for your “mom and pop” shops, food co-ops, while larger older buildings can be converted to shelters/center for mental health, temporary housing, rehabilitation services, whatever is needed in that area. Those abandon lots? I didn’t forget about them, those could be used for urban farming, there are some nice startups making small scale farming accessible which could be utilized by the locals. (I like fast food sometimes too, but people need healthy local options as well)
That’s the easier bit, in comparison to the next step, as the next steps are more systemic. First thing is bringing up the quality of our schools from daycare to college. That means quality teaching, quality well paid/cared for teachers, and lifting the restrictions on “banned/taboo subjects, obviously some things should be taught at certain age levels, and some information shouldn’t be in the hands of any one {anarchist cookbook, looking at you}. But people need to learn the true history of the world, and some of that history will be uncomfortable, but the future should be educated. After school programs should include STEM learning, trade skills, and life basics. I know adults that can’t /don’t cook, that don’t know how to budget, and these are adults that can read, write, have jobs etc. Education, let’s make it better, low cost and accessible.
Along with education in schools, professionals need to be properly trained in the fields they are going to join. Obviously college helps in some aspects, but let’s look at the police. If you are going to use a gun, you should know exactly how to use it, care for it, and be frequently tested on accuracy. They should also learn deescalation techniques, negotiation, critical thinking, and do heavy sensitivity training as well. When bad cops arise they are removed from duty and no longer allowed to own a gun in addition to whatever trials they may face in the legal system. Professionals need to know what cultural biases they have and work on that shit.
The macro government system definitely needs an overhaul as well, but that would be an ongoing thing, and kind goes into educating professionals. But start by getting rid of electoral colleges. Let people vote directly for who they want in power.
This is not perfect and leaves out A LOT, but it’s a start in the right direction. Let education help stamp out ignorance, and both good education and medical services should be low cost and easily accessible, community viability is dependent upon all of us whether or not we are a part of the community. We are a global community and we need to start treating each other better.
I love you all and wish for you, a better tomorrow
~Owl
The World Through My Eyes 