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    • Mar

    4

    Dream Homes

    Filed Under capitalism, class, islam, questions | 3 Comments

    What is this strange phenomenon of endless upgrades and dream homes? I think of a former acquaintance who spent $50,000 remodeling her kitchen, although she never cooked anything more complicated than macaroni and cheese.

    Occasionally I’ll watch a show on HGTV (Home & Garden Television) called My House is Worth What?. The scenario is this: a person or couple wants to know the value of the upgrades they’ve made to their home so they can decide whether to put it on the market. Based on the shows I’ve seen, the occupants have typically lived in the house for one to six years, and have spent much of that time pouring tens of thousands (sometimes hundreds of thousands) of dollars into the house. Why? So they can “flip it” and move on up to their “dream house.” Sometimes the houses they’re looking to unload are 3,000 sq. ft. mini mansions with gourmet kitchens, and marble soaking tubs, professional landscaping, and media rooms. And I’m thinking - what the hell does their “dream house” look like? And will they really live in it “forever?”

    Years ago when I was much younger, I used to subscribe to Architectural Digest; I loved reading about the designs and locations, and imagining the spaces beyond what the photographs could show. This practice increased my yearning for impossibly beautiful abodes, much the same way that reading fashion magazines increases the lust for an impossibly perfect body. But then I traveled to Spain, and made my way to Andalucia, where the Moorish influence is still very evident. There I saw palaces and former mosques in which the Muslim elite were clearly trying to create Allah’s Paradise on earth. Nowhere was this more obvious for me than at the Alcazar Gardens in Sevilla, where one could easily imagine dwelling forever in bliss.

    Standing there, in front of a white pillar that read, in Arabic and Spanish, No hay mas dios que dios (la ilaaha illa Allah) - there is no God but God - I sensed the irony. They had this here even whilst they slaughtered their own siblings for riches. After returning home, I canceled my subscription to Architectural Digest.

    Maybe it’s the result of my Muslim upbringing, through which I was taught to believe no one could ever “deserve” Paradise  - because one couldn’t do enough good in a lifetime to earn it - but I do think there is a certain level of wealth and privilege which exceeds the amount of effort a human being can actually put forth. I certainly don’t believe that a billionaire worked a billion times harder than a person with a dollar in their pocket.

    All of which leads me to ask myself: are there (no) limits?

    Popularity: 24% [?]

    Jan

    30

    Is My Life Too Good?

    Filed Under class, from the heart, life changes, questions | 1 Comment

    The other day I was thinking about UUs, class and race, and all of the sudden I felt so trapped. Helplessly, hopelessly stuck in this world I’ve constructed for myself (or fallen into?) of people who are so. much. like. me. People I love, yes, people who teach me things, share my values, provide emotional support, challenge (some of) my assumptions, and make me feel grateful for humanity. But still, they are people very much like me.

    On the one hand I think of myself as one of “the people” (the masses, the hoi polloi, the common folk), and yet when I talk about politics, race, gender, or economics, it doesn’t feel as though I’m talking about myself or my friends half the time. There seems to be a growing distance between me and “the people,”which doesn’t seem sensible because I am still them - life is just really good for me right now.

    I feel more and more as though I’m being drawn away by some line of success - not personal, but circumstantial. I went from being a single, working woman living alone to being in a two income household; now I’m a student at a private university ($1000 per class!) and we can afford for me to not work at all. It’s very possible that I won’t have to get a “real job” for the next several years, even if we have children. That’s not normal, is it?

    How do I become less distanced from financial struggle? Do I have an obligation to do so? Because I co-lead anti oppression workshops, I need to be mindful of how I relate to the material I’m introducing people to. A lot of the folks who do workshops with me are organizers, and are involved in a lot of grassroots work. I’m not so much; the only thing I’m doing to that end right now is The Real Wealth of Portland stuff, and we are still figuring out what we want to do - we’ve been focusing for the last six months on understanding economics and alternative systems, and looking at the work others are doing in Portland.

    When I was working, I knew people who were single moms, heads of families struggling with four kids to make ends meet, people of diverse racial backgrounds. But now I’m at home, interacting mostly with the self-employed and active retirees. I’m turning into one of those people you see at church during coffee hour who amazingly has time to be on a crapload of committees! When I turn on the tv, I’m the target audience now for all of those HGTV, Travel channel, and Food Network shows. I have to veer away from displays of the Real Simple magazine - which once struck me as RIDICULOUS and indulgent, but now seems reasonable and even a tad helpful.

    I like who I am, but should I be different? Is it possible for me to be anything other than who I am, given my current situation? What kind of connections will I need to build in order to feel more grounded -  more invested - in the well-being of all? How do I make my way back to the margins? I’ve got to do some deep thinking about this.

    Popularity: 24% [?]

    Jan

    11

    More on Money as Debt (from the 18th C.)

    Filed Under books, capitalism, class, college studies, happiness, history, questions, quotes | 3 Comments

    Never say never, indeed. It’s nearly 4 in the morning, and I’m delighting over pamphlets from 1720 about an ill-managed public land bank experiment in Massachusetts. Having just watched Money as Debt sheds some light on the subject, as did the 1953 article The Land-Bank System in the American Colonies (courtesy of JSTOR).

    The best thing is that my professor (the class is Muckraking: Activists’ Role in History) provided us with a format that links passages from the Colman pamphlet to another that refutes it (by a fellow named Wigglesworth).

    Colman is in despair about the middle class landowners who have taken out paper currency loans against their estates through the public land banks; they are now in dire straits because there isn’t enough paper money in circulation to pay off the debts with interest. While I sympathize with Colman (but disagree with his faith in the private bank), one of Wigglesworth’s responses is what I want to note here (emphasis is mine):

    For it is easie to see, that if we had never trusted one another, the worst Husbands of us all could not have spent more than we earnt ; for when we must pay ready Mony for every thing we buy, we can’t buy more than we earn Mony to pay for; unless we borrow Mony at Interest to support our Extravagance; a thing which but few would have been so foolish as to have done. Indeed when Debts are already contracted, Do but set up a Bank to borrow of, and we have found from sad experience already, that men will be ready enough to mortgage their Estates for mony to pay their Debts. But (I say again) where Debts were not before contracted, few men would have been so foolish, as to borrow Mony at Interest to provide needless Fineries and Gew-Gaws for their Families. The Folly of so few could not have affected the Country.

    Oh wow; does any of this sound familiar?

    I am fascinated by these papers, and also by the fact that in our society today - 290 years later - we are encouraged as a people to buy more in order to spur the economy, to take out more loans, to spend, and spend, and spend. That is our “role” as consumer-citizens.  And yet, as individuals, we are shamed and chastised if unable to pay on our debts; then we are irresponsible, foolish, and greedy.

    And while that may be the case (though, not necessarily), what then, is the vice? Is the vice to borrow money (at interest) in the first place, for things we can get by without? Or is the vice to fall into a situation where one cannot pay on the money borrowed?

    Popularity: 37% [?]

    Jan

    10

    Why Our Money Doesn’t Make Any Sense

    Filed Under capitalism, class, local, media, politics, questions | 2 Comments

    I recently learned where our money comes from. The fog is lifting. Observations of the way things work aren’t quite so puzzling anymore. For example, I now have some understanding of:

    I’m learning about economics as part of my participation in the The Real Wealth of Portland. One of the people involved, Alan, is a filmmaker who has been studying the Federal Reserve system for several years. Several months ago he told me about this 47 minute animated video (see below) by Paul Grignon, which gives a clear and concise overview of how money actually works in the world today. Most people - including very educated, intelligent, opinionated, and activist oriented people - have no idea. Do you?

    He’s working with others to start a community credit program here in Portland. After watching the video, I have to say it seems like one of the most rational things in the world to do. The “real wealth” is the resources of you and me - all of us! - not in the IOUs our banks hold. One of the questions the film had me asking myself was: if there were no money, what skills and services would I, Hafidha, be able to barter for the goods and services that I needed?

    What about you?

    *Note: The quote attributed to Woodrow Wilson at the end is not entirely accurate. While he did say some of the things in that quote, they were not necessarily all said in that order. The Legal Husband (LH) checked on that. I don’t think this detracts from the efficacy of the video’s overview of the monetary system.

    Popularity: 29% [?]

    Sep

    26

    Riane Eisler Comes to Portland - Real Wealth of Nations

    Filed Under books, capitalism, class, events, heteropatriarchy, local, people, workshops | Leave a Comment

    I agreed to serve as moderator at Riane Eisler’s presentation on her book, The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics. Dr. Eisler is best known for writing The Chalice and the Blade, and having been an influence on David Korten, author of The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community.

    Dr. Eisler’s talk will be followed by a panel discussion featuring four Portlanders who are working in areas related to children, sustainability, food, and local currency. We’ll be looking at how to create and support a “sharing and caring” economy in which meaningful work, families, health, and the environment are priorities - not afterthoughts.

    The event will be held at First Unitarian Church (SW 12th and Main) in downtown Portland at 7pm on Friday, October 26, 2007. Co-sponsors include KBOO community radio. Tickets will be sliding scale, $5-$20 - but no one will be turned away due to lack of funds. Seating is limited (to about 600), so purchase your ticket today!

    Click below for a link to pay using PayPal, your debit/credit card or checking account.

    A little background information: Real Wealth of Portland was organized by several local women, namely Marcia Meyers and Pat Osborn, who both attend First Unitarian Church. They started a small group, which expanded to include me (Hafidha), Andrea Drury, Celeste Howard, Kimberly Ford, and Judy Bennett. The group has been meeting weekly since the first week of August to strategize ways to organize book groups, and foment a caring and sharing revolution in Portland. Marcia’s been indispensable; she has helped to coordinate bringing both Dr. Korten and Dr. Eisler to General Assembly in the past.

    For more information, questions or comments, please visit realwealthpdx.com or email realwealthpdx@adrury.com

    Click here to buy tickets!


    Popularity: 39% [?]

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