Re. Matthew Harbowy:

Digressive assertions about implied monogamy, plus ad hominems, do not equal a coherent arguement.

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.   

"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."

"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. 

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. 

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.

-G.


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On 13-05-21-Tue 1:02 AM, Matthew Harbowy wrote:
G.,

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.

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. 

Furthermore, look how my grandparents immigrant generation lived. They'd squeeze families with children into rooms not much bigger, and yet had no problems making more kids. 

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. 

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. 

Matt (the other one, hbergeronx)

On Monday, May 20, 2013, GtwoG PublicOhOne wrote:


No-Sex Apartments.

(Creative commons, with attribution to "G.")

In cities across the USA, a new "solution" to affordable housing is
being promoted: micro-apartments of less than 200 square feet.  New
York's conrol-freak in chief, Mayor Bloomberg, is promoting them (New
Yorkers call them "Bloom Boxes").  A developer in San Francisco is
promoting them.  And developers in Seattle WA are building them by the
hundreds.

The Seattle apartments were recently covered in a CBS News article, here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57582327/tiny-apartments-are-creating-a-big-backlash-in-seattle/

If you look at the picture, something immediately stands out: a TWIN BED.

As the article says, "...(the) apartment comes with a small private
bathroom, a microwave and a mini-refrigerator. There's just enough room
for a twin bed, a neatly hung rack of clothes and shelves."  (There's
not even room for a desk, so forget about working from home: it's back
to the plantation for you, worker-bee.)

And therein lies the catch, or more accurately the "nudge," to use the
Newspeak word for "manipulation."

A twin bed is sufficient for sleeping, but not sufficient for a regular
sex life with others, much less a stable relationship.

Sure, you can manage it occasionally, but for the long term it's right
out.  Squeezing two people into a bed meant for one is miserable,
particularly in the hot summer.

This is one form of "birth control" that won't be controversial with the
Vatican or other right-wing religious denominations.  I suppose that
also qualifies as a "feature."  (We won't mention the fact that you can
carry on a satisfactory solo sex life in a twin bed, lest the twin beds
be replaced with "stand-up beds" consisting of straps on the wall.)

There's no need for the Oligarchy to make an explicit No Sex rule.  They
don't have to, when they can just "nudge" the architecture to enforce
that outcome by "nudging" people who might think to disobey.

Best of all (from the Oligarchy's perspective), there's nothing to
revolt against.  A revolt against a type of architecture is like a
revolt against traffic jams or weather: there's no obvious evil-doer to
hurl ballots and tomatoes at.

The Oligarchy likes micro-apartments because they are more profitable
per square foot of building, compared to apartments that let you have a
bed big enough for two people, and a fridge big enough to let you keep
enough food that you don't have to go shopping every day.

The working masses (that would be us) who are being lined up to live in
these boxes would do well to recognize that they are also about the same
size as prison cells.

The only difference is that you have the key to your cell, just like
inmates in "honor system prisons" for white collar criminals.  That, and
there isn't a guard staring at you whilst you poop, though I'd be
careful about the tiny apartments that come with internet and TV service
included (no choice of carriers either), as the "smart sensors" won't be
far behind.

Smaller houses and apartments are of course part of a viable approach to
sustainability: primarily through lower energy consumption and proximity
to public transport.  Some years ago, a close friend and I came up with
various designs for micro-houses, from about 160 square feet, up to
about 400 - 500 square feet.  A building with a 500 square foot
"building footprint" was sufficient for a family of four.  We were
designing for the sake of sustainability, and for the ability of
individuals and communities to build these houses for themselves at low
cost.

But as with eating bugs, it's one thing to do it by the choice of your
own free will, quite another to do it by way of getting mercilessly
milked by the Oligarchy.  Especially when the Oligarchs continue to live
in 12,000 square foot (and larger) mansions with sprawling lawns on all
sides.

What the world can't afford, is the Oligarchy.  Darwin, take note!

-G.






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