The new Graeber, Dawn of Everything
Completely tears apart recent trendy anthro books like Sapiens for ignoring both old and very new research and tries to set a new framework for understanding humanity’s potential
Completely tears apart recent trendy anthro books like Sapiens for ignoring both old and very new research and tries to set a new framework for understanding humanity’s potential
I recommend “Against the Grain” and also “Pre Industrial Societies.” They give a really good perspective on human life and the structures we create. One of my favourite quotes is: the hallmarks of a state: appropriation, inequality and hierarchy.
Grains are the only agricultural product that can grow an early state, because it can be easily taxed, it’s fungible so you can pay with it, and people can’t run off with their field and canals to somewhere else.
It’s kind of a wonderful point that without the taxman there would be no civilisation.
https://srslywrong.com/podcast/242-the-dawn-of-the-dawn-of-e...
It made me reflect on our current state of affairs.
Covid was and still is a test of the value systems of the so called "Western" or "first world" societies.
We have failed this test through and through.
On a local level, many people didn't care about their communities enough to mask and vaxx and in turn the communities had no way to pressure them. Many, many people have mental health problems -- and I only mean the pandemic induced ones -- and are suffering alone because we do not help each other. Parents were forced to navigate this modern life with kids suddenly at home trying to distance learn. And, again, there was no help.
On a global level, these richer countries didn't supply the poorer countries with vaccines and help to distribute them. More than 80% of the population of Africa is not vaccinated. As humanity, we didn't help each other.
Complete failure.
> As humanity, we didn't help each other.
This was one of the aspects that has stuck with me. Where an indigenous leader visiting Europe comments on affairs of the French society. He says how can you (French) completely ignore the destitute sleeping on your city streets and call yourself a civilized society?
If I introspect, it’s clear that, at least in the cities, helping other humans has completely vanished. It’s literally every human for themselves. Community support has completely vanished.
1. The Suburban Experiment in America [0]
2. The decrease of church membership throughout America [1]
I can speak to my second point a bit more in depth. Churches historically were centers of communities and social places. And as time moves on we as a society are (rightly so) becoming very suspicious of religion and churches in our lives (I grew up _very_ religious but I no longer am).
In my eyes, modern 21st century Christianity is very very different than it was even before the 1960s. It seems the cultural ideologies have shifted from service oriented to worship oriented. In my evangelical church the focus was on putting Jesus (the symbol) higher than literally everything else in your life in order to achieve "eternal salvation" in heaven. The main focus was just believing that Jesus came back to life after being crucified was the only way to get to heaven. There was less focus on service, empathy, and equality. People are leaving in droves because of this. I can go on about more changes that I've noticed, but I'll spare details.
We need to build new in-person social centers that are not built on mythologies and symbolism but instead more focused on society itself like the churches of old were.
[0] https://www.strongtowns.org/curbside-chat-1/2015/12/14/ameri...
[1] https://news.gallup.com/poll/248837/church-membership-down-s...