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Re. Matthew Harbowy:<br>
<br>
Digressive assertions about implied monogamy, plus ad hominems, do
not equal a coherent arguement. <br>
<br>
Sure, undergrads are remarkably inventive at finding places to fuck,
and at getting five people into a twin bed for that purpose, with
the floor as a convenient overflow buffer. Whatever. <br>
<br>
It wasn't long ago that they also looked forward to graduating with
the prospect of a decent job and an apartment with at least enough
room in it for a _table_ where they could have dinner with a few
friends. It wasn't long ago that a high school dropout could look
forward to much the same.<br>
<br>
And when my immigrant grandparents got off the boat, it was in the
era of "No (name of ethnicity) need apply," but they were able to
find family-sustaining work, back in the day when a job in a factory
or laying brick on a construction site was a ticket into the middle
class. <br>
<br>
An apartment the size of a prison cell beats 8 square feet of wet
cardboard, and a mealworm sandwich beats going to bed hungry, but
the fact that those are presented as "the choices" for working
people in 21st century America, means something. <br>
<br>
What it doesn't mean is that I'm some kind of repressive prude for
using the example of a monogamous couple that can't even stretch out
in bed. <br>
<br>
"There's so many fucked up ways that our society and government puts
us at a disadvantage: sexism, classism, racism, and the ugly specter
of lowered expectations." Exactly, and speaking of lowered
expectations, what do you call chronic underemployment and life in
tiny boxes? But then you turn right around and contradict
yourself: "But making up new ways the "oligarchy" are "fucking us"
isn't helpful."<br>
<br>
"Making up" new ways...? Apartments the size of prison cells and
obligatory wormburgers are a figment of my imagination? Go read the
news. The links were provided. Those were "mainstream" news
sources, and I haven't even started quoting the dissident blogs
yet. More to the point, those types of items, rather than the
resurgent KKK or "life begins at conception" laws, are the kinds of
things we're going to face right here in the Bay Area. <br>
<br>
But instead you went off on "your personal biases and hang-ups..."
and "...this model you invoke of monogamous sleeping arrangements is
far from my personal nirvana..." as a "...made up world with your
rules." That qualifies for a "not even wrong" award, in the "shoot
the messenger" category. <br>
<br>
And as far as "troll posts" are concerned, ad-hom attacks are a
classic tactic for shouting people down. Argue the actual
arguement, or ignore it if you're "tired" of it, or promote polygamy
if that's what's important to you, but ad-homs and shout-down
tactics lose.<br>
<br>
-G.<br>
<br>
<br>
=====<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 13-05-21-Tue 1:02 AM, Matthew
Harbowy wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CA+RBL9n1nHEWeiWRheFUxsSYQEWB5Cppk3v5KU3PL4cR8EASVQ@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">G.,
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Your personal biases and hang ups are more of a prison than
anyone in the so called oligarchy could construct. I'm tired of
these troll posts.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>At Rutgers, every undergrad on campus had a twin bed. Almost
anyone who wanted a sexually active relationship, who was
capable of social graces, had one. For two people who want to
fuck, you'll fuck anywhere. Don't like a twin bed? Sleep on a
futon or blanket on the floor. I've personally witnessed five
person orgies on a twin bed and on a dorm floor. Expand your
mind. For me, this model you invoke of monogamous sleeping
arrangements is far from my personal nirvana. Being able to
sleep two to a bed and having a good sex life have never been
correlated for me. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Furthermore, look how my grandparents immigrant<span></span> generation
lived. They'd squeeze families with children into rooms not much
bigger, and yet had no problems making more kids. </div>
<div>
<br>
</div>
<div>There's so many fucked up ways that our society and
government puts us at a disadvantage: sexism, classism, racism,
and the ugly specter of lowered expectations. Moral mores and
prudery. On and on. But making up new ways the "oligarchy" are
"fucking us" isn't helpful. If you don't want to live in 200 sq
ft, fine, but I would think its a hell of a lot better than
living on 8 sq ft of wet cardboard. If you don't want to eat
bugs, fine, but don't ignore thousands of years of grasshopper
consumption by Jews (locusts and grasshoppers are specifically
enumerated as Kosher!) and Mesoamericans. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>If you don't like the oligarchy, fine, but this made up world
with your rules is just your own oligarchy or dictatorship, and
I don't want to live in that world either. These modest
proposals are not helping me find how to better participate at
sudoroom. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Matt (the other one, hbergeronx)</div>
<div><br>
On Monday, May 20, 2013, GtwoG PublicOhOne wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<br>
<br>
No-Sex Apartments.<br>
<br>
(Creative commons, with attribution to "G.")<br>
<br>
In cities across the USA, a new "solution" to affordable
housing is<br>
being promoted: micro-apartments of less than 200 square feet.
New<br>
York's conrol-freak in chief, Mayor Bloomberg, is promoting
them (New<br>
Yorkers call them "Bloom Boxes"). A developer in San
Francisco is<br>
promoting them. And developers in Seattle WA are building
them by the<br>
hundreds.<br>
<br>
The Seattle apartments were recently covered in a CBS News
article, here:<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57582327/tiny-apartments-are-creating-a-big-backlash-in-seattle/"
target="_blank">http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57582327/tiny-apartments-are-creating-a-big-backlash-in-seattle/</a><br>
<br>
If you look at the picture, something immediately stands out:
a TWIN BED.<br>
<br>
As the article says, "...(the) apartment comes with a small
private<br>
bathroom, a microwave and a mini-refrigerator. There's just
enough room<br>
for a twin bed, a neatly hung rack of clothes and shelves."
(There's<br>
not even room for a desk, so forget about working from home:
it's back<br>
to the plantation for you, worker-bee.)<br>
<br>
And therein lies the catch, or more accurately the "nudge," to
use the<br>
Newspeak word for "manipulation."<br>
<br>
A twin bed is sufficient for sleeping, but not sufficient for
a regular<br>
sex life with others, much less a stable relationship.<br>
<br>
Sure, you can manage it occasionally, but for the long term
it's right<br>
out. Squeezing two people into a bed meant for one is
miserable,<br>
particularly in the hot summer.<br>
<br>
This is one form of "birth control" that won't be
controversial with the<br>
Vatican or other right-wing religious denominations. I
suppose that<br>
also qualifies as a "feature." (We won't mention the fact
that you can<br>
carry on a satisfactory solo sex life in a twin bed, lest the
twin beds<br>
be replaced with "stand-up beds" consisting of straps on the
wall.)<br>
<br>
There's no need for the Oligarchy to make an explicit No Sex
rule. They<br>
don't have to, when they can just "nudge" the architecture to
enforce<br>
that outcome by "nudging" people who might think to disobey.<br>
<br>
Best of all (from the Oligarchy's perspective), there's
nothing to<br>
revolt against. A revolt against a type of architecture is
like a<br>
revolt against traffic jams or weather: there's no obvious
evil-doer to<br>
hurl ballots and tomatoes at.<br>
<br>
The Oligarchy likes micro-apartments because they are more
profitable<br>
per square foot of building, compared to apartments that let
you have a<br>
bed big enough for two people, and a fridge big enough to let
you keep<br>
enough food that you don't have to go shopping every day.<br>
<br>
The working masses (that would be us) who are being lined up
to live in<br>
these boxes would do well to recognize that they are also
about the same<br>
size as prison cells.<br>
<br>
The only difference is that you have the key to your cell,
just like<br>
inmates in "honor system prisons" for white collar criminals.
That, and<br>
there isn't a guard staring at you whilst you poop, though I'd
be<br>
careful about the tiny apartments that come with internet and
TV service<br>
included (no choice of carriers either), as the "smart
sensors" won't be<br>
far behind.<br>
<br>
Smaller houses and apartments are of course part of a viable
approach to<br>
sustainability: primarily through lower energy consumption and
proximity<br>
to public transport. Some years ago, a close friend and I
came up with<br>
various designs for micro-houses, from about 160 square feet,
up to<br>
about 400 - 500 square feet. A building with a 500 square
foot<br>
"building footprint" was sufficient for a family of four. We
were<br>
designing for the sake of sustainability, and for the ability
of<br>
individuals and communities to build these houses for
themselves at low<br>
cost.<br>
<br>
But as with eating bugs, it's one thing to do it by the choice
of your<br>
own free will, quite another to do it by way of getting
mercilessly<br>
milked by the Oligarchy. Especially when the Oligarchs
continue to live<br>
in 12,000 square foot (and larger) mansions with sprawling
lawns on all<br>
sides.<br>
<br>
What the world can't afford, is the Oligarchy. Darwin, take
note!<br>
<br>
-G.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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