HD: Tragedy of the Commons
September 1, 2010 | by Maxwell | 2 Comments
Garrett Hardin (pictured above) articulated an economic theory called “The Tragedy of the Commons” in 1968.
The tragedy is as follows: Herdsman grazes sheep on land that is solely in the hands of nature and is expected to maximize herd whenever possible. This may be of detriment to a neighboring herdsman. If encroaching sheep from an alien herd prevent neighboring herdsman from subsisting on what land is available, the neighboring herdsman will die.”
This may be how things mechanically happen, if culture were a machine. But we know it isn’t.
Why would a herdsman maximize his herd whenever possible if the herdsman has knowledge of his neighbor’s suffering, has adequate sustenance himself, and knows it would mean more time tending the animals? Hardin assumes the herdsmen have no empathy, no limit to labor and/or technology, and does not relate leisure time with a high quality of life.
Throw this theory out the window.
Manufacturing Consent
August 17, 2010 | by Maxwell | Comment
As one of our brightest suns, Noam Chomsky, begins to set, we should again take note, before his light has gone out, of his contribution to the unending discourse between deception and truth.
“Verily, the universe swims in light. Everything is alive and alight. Man too is the recipient of inexhaustible radiant energy. Strange, only in the mind of man is there darkness and paralysis.
A little too much light, a little too much energy (here on earth), and one is rendered unfit for human society. The reward of the visionary is the madhouse or the cross. A grey, neutral world is our natural habitat, it would seem. It has been for a long time now. But that world, that condition of things, is passing.”
-Henry Miller 1963
Tags: Henry Miller > media > mind fuck > Noam Chomsky
What Animals Do
May 3, 2010 | by Maxwell | Comment
“The oil’s creep toward the coastline comes awkwardly on the heels of a plan by President Barack Obama to increase domestic offshore drilling. The timing rather neatly recalls a 1969 spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., that thrust environmental concerns into the national consciousness.”
Our friend Steve is keeping the people of New Orleans aware of how the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will affect real people in real places.
Read his entire article here.
Prohibition in Pakistan
April 22, 2010 | by Dylan | Comment
Whiskey is the drink… the Taliban is pissed off about it and so are the police… but hey, Scotch is a good drink and its a lucrative business for 1920′s prohibition-style bootleggers in Pakistan. I wonder if there are any Pakistani speakeasys? read more about “Bootlegging, Pakistan-Style” here.
If its shiny, pick it up right?
November 24, 2009 | by Dylan | Comment
Volkswagen is behind a new online campaign called The Fun Theory that caught my attention. It’s a big social experiment “dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better.” Good thing it’s for the ‘better’ – If it weren’t it would sorta remind me of the movie WarGames where the innocent kid is playing a fun game but he’s actually starting WWIII – mind control via ‘fun’ – NICE!