[GiftEconomy] How to Expand the Gift Economy?

[frank bowman]

Hi russel. Well done. Your writings good. 1, is reality its good. 2.
Is very interesting i presume its a points rating for ones integrity.
Its a brilliant idea i think and one which i would contribute energy
for. 4. Is interesting but needs a good facilitating mechanism i
think. 3. Is the ONE. Our give and take group has been doing it since
92, and the diggers of california.since haight ashbury in 61' and we
have networked and spread this so that now it is happening uk and
europe. I shall write more later. The only thing to add now is that
with free stalls,free shops, free sharimg spaces, is that it is very
important to let the moochers do there mooching. Dont worry about it.
That is said with 18 years experience of doing completely free stalls.
O frank

On 27/01/2010, Russell Jelter <noiztank at gmail.com> wrote:
> How can we expand and popularize altruism as the mechanism for providing
> everyone with the goods and services they need?
>
> I've had a few ideas. I'm not sure how possible or probable these ideas may
> be, but maybe they'll get people thinking, and maybe some real action can
> start taking place.
>
> 1. Websites that provide a framework for giving without expecting
> reciprocation. This includes things like the "Free" section on craigslist,
> or Freecycle yahoo groups. This method shines simply because of how easy it
> is to come across and use. Almost everyone knows how to use a website. Just
> a couple clicks of the mouse and before you know it someone is on the way to
> your house to pick up your old couch, and you're feeling good about
> yourself.
>
> 2. A program like the F2F Altruistic Economics project that altruists.org is
> involved in. One big reason that this is better than a website is because it
> is in everyone's hands rather than entrusted to some authority that promises
> to take care of the new economy on their server. Also, most websites don't
> hold anyone responsible for being a complete drain or freeloader at everyone
> elses expense. This type of program can keep track of people's history and
> generosity so everyone can get a clearer picture of who they should help
> first. And like websites, it isn't limited geographically. It could spread
> across the planet in very little time, unlike my next idea.
>
> 3. Really Really Free Markets.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Really_Really_Free_Market . Basically, it's a
> block party where people are encouraged to provide whatever goods and
> services they can to their community - entirely for free. It's very similar
> to a potluck, except not limited to food. This is limited because it is
> local, so it can't rapidly spread around the world like a website or a
> program could. However, one unique aspect of this idea is that it encourages
> and depends on the evolutionary software we're all born with because we'll
> be interacting with each other face to face rather than computer screen to
> computer screen. This means there is a built-in anti-moocher system, because
> people can get to know each other and be sure not to give anything to
> moochers. Another benefit is that, just by passing the 'free market and
> seeing the smiles, people will be reminded of what life is really all about
> - each other. And the idea is incredibly accessible. You don't even need a
> computer to participate, so even homeless people can benefit. And the idea
> can spread to the farthest corners of the Earth, whereever there are people,
> regardless of the equipment the people have.
>
> It is also remarkably disconnected from any certain political beliefs or
> particular worldview. Well-to-do people will be excited to get rid of their
> extra couch or old flat-screen TV without having to wait for bulk-trash day
> or paying to discard it, and they'll feel good about helping someone out!
> And just the act of helping will probably remind them about other people and
> make them feel that much more charitable in general. Meanwhile, the poorest
> of the poor can come benefit even if they have nothing to give away. Or they
> can offer to tell stories or something and for the first time since they
> lost their last job they won't feel worthless. And the best part is that all
> these people from all walks of life are just participating because its
> better for themselves and everyone else. They don't even need to realize
> they're slowly replacing money and corporations as our method of fulfilling
> our "needs". But they will realize that they feel better about themselves
> when they do something for free, and they'll start to realize the abundance
> we really have if we all help each other fulfill our needs.
>
> 4. Grow the gift economy from the ground up. This idea might start with
> writing up a list of the minimum of skills you would need to have a working
> society. Lets say you want 100 people, from farmers to doctors. Hopefully
> there would be no need for people like police or lawyers in this society, so
> you're saved the trouble of convincing people like that to live without
> money. Perhaps each person you come across that could fill a position, you
> ask if they would participate in this gift economy once you fill all the
> slots (or this part could be handled by a website or something).  Then once
> you have the 100 people of varying skills, you tell them all that you have
> all 100 people and that they are free to stop using money starting now.
> They'll all either move to a central location, or just keep in contact
> somehow, and they'll all do their very best to not make or spend any money
> and to rely on each other's gifting rather than on the toxic market economy.
> There may be some folds to iron out, but eventually these 100 people should
> be pretty comfortable with the situation. And now that there is a stable
> gift economy, it would be very easy for people to join in. People would
> simply have to tell the 100 people that "they're in", and stop going to work
> and start altruisticallly helping out the rest of the community. It would be
> hard to start up, I know, but it doesn't seem so impossible. At first there
> could even be an official organization behind the project that helps pick up
> the slack with donations until the first 100 people get themselves fully
> self-sustainable. The real sweet deal of this idea is that now people have
> an example and an alternative. Now instead of the gift economy being a crazy
> impossibility, people could just drop what they're doing and join in any
> day. If it worked as well as I hope it would I think this would start
> growing rapidly as soon as the seed community was stable.
>
> Anyways, thats all my ideas for now. Please let me know what you think of
> the ideas - what you have to add or what I got wrong or left out - and
> please keep new ideas coming in! And if any of these types of projects look
> like something you would like to actively pursue, feel free to bring it up!
> This is probably a good place to find people to help.
>
> And don't forget it's really easy to participate in the gift economy, even
> without all these. Here are some ways to participate:
> http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/money-print-your-own/37-ways-to-join-the-gift-economy(That
> might spark some more ideas, too.)
>
> --
> http://www.onelovee.org - A more wholesome way to give and receive goods and
> services fairly, without exchanging money.
>

-- 
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  It's a revolution. But it's the sort of revolution that no one will
notice. It might get a little shadier, or brighter. Buildings might
function better. You might have less money to earn because your food
is all around you and you don't have any energy costs.  and more
people will be fed, as more land and resources, kept scarce for the
dollar, for the  abundance called glut,  will be shared.