[GiftEconomy] A few offbeat thoughts

[Robin Upton]

I thought I'd contribute a few more angles. I was very encouraged to
read that article in a UK national newspaper. The other day I saw a
colour supplement here with a cover story entitled "A World Without
Money?" which was pretty much a hit piece, but still reflective of the
fact that such thoughts are in the air.

I've got mixed feelings about the land tax. On the one hand, I admire
Henry George's application of basic Christian principles to challenge
the injustice around him and denounce the rich. On the other, I
understand Vic's idea that taxing land is a way to pry the forces of the
state in between people and their means of subsistence and to insert -
guess what - money. I guess since I don't believe that it is possible to
'own' land, and that I don't believe that having the money to pay for
something gives you the right to have it (or that the lack of money to
buy something denies you that right) a simple 'for or against' position
is not really to be expected.

I once looked into getting 'fair trade' certification for hand made
goods here, to sell abroad. You may not be surprised to hear that fair
tradeworthiness is ensured by a bureaucratic system of certification
(what else?) which of course works in the money system. Give what we
know about money, and the traits of those who create trillions of
dollars out of thin air, I don't expect much from it. So I've filed it
next to C.S.R. (well, OK, maybe not quite that low) as not a great
source of hope. Money in general tends to make people selfish and
psychotic and sometimes even psychopathic - c.f.
http://www.unwelcomeguests.net/543
Whilst bargaining and trade is one step better than making money out of
money, I think that humanity will ditch them all before we're through,
and be much the better for it. I expect to see a return to the gift
economy, which will be smoother in parts of the world already on this
vibe (could be very smooth and beautiful, if enough of us can get the
habit early enough) and maybe unpleasant and rocky to the extent it
conflicts with strongly ingrained notions of what people 'deserve'.

Robin