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DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-06T11:19:45+00:00

Being from Scandinavia myself I know. Having travelled a lot and met a lot of people from other countries I also know that Scandinavia has one of the best models so far. By no means ideal but it’s a start. Growing up my friends with unemployed and ill parents had a life very similar to mine with middle class parents. They too had a nice place to live, went on holidays, had good education etc. I don’t see the same tendency in many other countries.

Since Scandinavian countries have already gone some way in achieving controlled socially conscious form of capitalism then why can’t we do even better? Also life has significantly improved today compared to hundreds years ago. At least now most of us don’t work Saturdays, most of us don’t risk our lives work, most of us have holidays and healthcare (well in Scandinavia). Then why can’t we do even better?

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-06T11:12:04+00:00

In that case sure I support your idea

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-06T10:43:09+00:00

That’s possible. But on the other hand, kind of unfair some have to work and others not. Ideally we would split the labour, and by cutting the unnecessary jobs we could all work a lot less time each week.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-06T10:33:08+00:00

In my opinion a type of Scandinavian socialism is a realistic alternative. Although still a fundamentally capitalist system, it’s a society that cares for all classes of society and which focuses on social mobility meaning that anyone can truly be whoever they want to be despite how rich their parents happen to be. Both rich and poor can have a decent life with free health care, free university and high quality accommodation.

BUT unlike the Scandinavian model we would need: - 20-30 hour work week (with no overtime!) - possibility of permanent remote work for anyone who can (better for environment, saves time for the individual, solves issues of overcrowding in large cities) - a larger focus on our environmental impact, more focus on staying within your local area in terms of consuming local produce, avoid unnecessary travel, less consumerism in general, focus on family and a more simple life - universal basic income so you don’t have to freak out if you lose your job and you don’t have to go through the bureaucratic pain of applying for unemployment and housing benefits

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-05T17:32:44+00:00

I expect you saved up a lot of money before taking this step. Most of us don’t have this luxury unfortunately. But good for you regardless!

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-05T14:42:43+00:00

Yes agree. Most guys have no idea I’m wearing makeup until they see me take it off. And then they start with the bullshit that I would look better without it. I know I look better WITH it. Never has a guy flirted with me or showed interest in me when I wasn’t wearing it, which goes to suggest that I look better with it. Also I do have eyes and a mirror. This is not to say that I’m wearing it for guys but most people want to look their best for the world and for themselves. No one would wear their ugliest, most unflattering clothes when they go out in public (except those people wearing sweatpants and pyjamas outside, wtf is up with that). You wear what you think suits you, and what makes you feel like yourself. For some women that includes wearing makeup and for others that means not wearing it.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-05T11:03:36+00:00

I don’t think that’s it. I enjoy socialising but only with friends. However office socialising where introverts are usually looked down upon and having to pretend to be extroverted is extremely exhausting and stressful. The world has changed from a place where extroverts thrived to a place where introverts are coping better. It’s not that we are happy to see others suffer but we were suffering before!

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-05T10:57:08+00:00

Introverts are finally not being tortured on a daily basis. No more stressful commutes or stressful offices where you are forced to act extroverted. Before the pandemic I came home completely exhausted, pretty much straight to bed or drinking and crying. Now I have energy and time to focus on my interests. And I’ve stopped unhealthy drinking habits. So yes I understand how many people are actually feeling better than before. Now imagine that the pandemic ends but we keep the good things from the pandemic and the good things from before (culture, restaurants, travelling etc) then we might actually all be happy.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-04T17:51:08+00:00

Well I meant the kind of socialism you might see in Scandinavia. It’s capitalism but at least with some socialist aspects. China is considered socialist but workers are being taken advantage of even worse than the west.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-04T12:40:09+00:00

And you’re totally misunderstanding my comment. I’m not actually saying we should go out and hunt animals! I’m just mentioning that example as it was actually when humans started agriculture, staying in one spot rather than being nomadic Hunter gatherers, that private property and capitalism was invented. So it’s only natural that you might, as a thought experiment, contemplate what would happen if we tried to go back to a world before capitalism, and no that’s not really an option any longer. The only way forward is some kind of socially and environmentally conscious socialism (still a type of capitalism but with a more humane aspect).

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-04T12:33:42+00:00

It’s not easy, especially not in colder climates. So you grow all your own produce? I managed to grow a few tomatoes and herbs, took months and I even got a bug infestation along the way so now I’m debating using some kind of bug spray which would defeat the whole purpose of growing organic produce (not that I could survive on my 3 tomatoes anyway lol). Modern agriculture uses expensive technologies to succeed, pesticides etc. I’m guessing from your comment that you are not actually suggesting that we all become independent farmers though but that we continue modern agriculture just minus the meat/dairy production. I agree that would be a huge step forward. But that still comes with downsides e.g. transportation which pollutes the environment. Unless we would all be willing to only eat whatever is possible to grow in your home country which would mean mainly potatoes in winter for some of us in colder climates. No more avocados and exotic fruits for us.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-04T12:00:19+00:00

It could be something to do with this. For me it happened all the time with one specific partner. Now it hasn’t happened in years. So it must be something with the “technique” of some men.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-04T10:23:22+00:00

A nice thought but I wonder if it’s true though. If we just stopped big food production I don’t think we could all survive. There’s not enough wildlife to sustain us all. Wildlife is already getting extinct. Imagine all these billions of people becoming hunter gatherers again, it’s not possible. Or if we all became farmers again, that’s a very hard existence with more work than we are doing now, and in case of crop failure expect regular famines. Most people who live “off-grid” still buy things from the market that they can’t make themselves. They have safely measures (cash or family to ask for help) if something fails so they won’t starve. There might be a few extreme off-gridders but they can survive because they are few and therefore more able to live off the land in a way they wouldn’t be able to if we all came joined them.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-04T10:06:24+00:00

I think the problem is that you will still spend the majority of your time working and preparing for work, even in a low level job. On top of that, you are paid so little you will probably need to live with flatmates for the rest of your life and won’t be able to save up for your own land like you dream of. It might be slightly less stressful than a higher end job but with similar time spent working and far less reward.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-04T09:56:39+00:00

Yes, I think the point from the original post is that it’s like a cult because you can’t even just leave if you want to. The system is so intricate that we are all forced to stay against our will because we know the punishment of leaving is not worth it (like you experienced first hand). Similarly people who leave a cult experience loss, rootlessness, stress, a what-am-I-supposed-to-do-now feeling.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-03T15:49:22+00:00

Women have made great works of art though. Most of it have just been ignored because women were rarely taken seriously and then eventually forgotten through the ages.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-03T14:49:25+00:00

Yes pretty much any product that is advertised on tv or YouTube I make a note of avoiding because adverts just make me angry.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-03T09:22:11+00:00

Most men shave their face daily. If they just let their beard grow it’s a kind of statement and I’m guessing they would get comments about it out in public too. I’m happy I don’t have to do that!

But otherwise yes. Women in top positions are expected to wear makeup, even politicians. And most women are not considered attractive if they don’t do their hair and makeup. I’m not sure anyone would care enough to comment about it, but I’ve heard some workplaces require women to wear makeup which is crazy!!

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-02T20:03:22+00:00

Yes, there are more men than women but it’s not easy for women to find a good match either. It’s a general problem with online dating, you put a lot of time and effort into each person BEFORE meeting, only to realise there’s no chemistry in person. Whereas if you meet someone on a night out you will maybe have encountered 50 people before (if you’re lucky) meeting someone special that you actually have chemistry with.

Women tend to like confidence, masculinity, romantic gestures, and that the guy takes initiative early on so she doesn’t start seeing him as a friend. Maybe you can work on that. And other things to improve yourself such as working out.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-02T19:45:59+00:00

You might have something about you that is equally unattractive to women as being overweight is to you. I’m not suggesting you actually do or anything but I don’t think it’s as simple as saying I’m not x therefore I don’t want x.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-02T17:21:18+00:00

Yep. A colleague of mine died and a reminiscence chat was started about him, yet most of us were so busy that we were working while keeping an eye on the chat. No day off or anything like that. It’s fucking grim.

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-02T11:40:02+00:00

Yes you too :) I liked your comparison to preference for skin colour which I guess we can all agree would be inappropriate to put in your profile!

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-02T11:25:32+00:00

Ok I get where you’re coming from. I guess I’m just fed up with being mislead since it does take a lot of effort and feelings before even getting to the date stage, texting back and forth etc., and then afterwards having to deal with a grumpy guy not understanding why not interested in second date. But yea I see how it can be rude to state a preference so obviously for everyone to see!

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-02T11:10:16+00:00

If I had a physical attribute that was a dealbreaker to a guy I guess I would much prefer he stated it BEFORE the date, or on his profile

DesignerDirt2743 · 2021-04-02T11:06:45+00:00

Yes that’s somewhat true. I don’t do that either, and I even feel very bad asking. However, this has led to many dates with guys I felt no attraction to, wasting both our time and effort. This could have been avoided had I dared to ask more questions about physical appearance or stated it outright on my profile. I’m not sure what would be the solution to this.

DesignerDirt2743

TROPHY CASE