Book Club Questions: The Value of Nothing by Raj Patel

To get our conversation going:

Introductions/ Answer the question: "What's the most expensive object you own, and what's the most valuable object you own?"

Patel uses many international groups/communities as case studies in this book. Did any resonate particularly strongly with you?

Do you agree with the statement: "There's nothing natural about ownership-- it's the result of a negotiation, and modern social change has always questioned the boundaries of public and private ownership." (p. 155)

Are money and GDP poor indicators of happiness? (p. 37)

What’s the opposite of consumption? Is it thrift or generosity? [Think about the story of white and Native American boys being given two lollipops, and what they chose to do with them (p.29)].

Patel calls corporations “artificial people” throughout the book. Are corporations psychopathic? (p. 41-42)

What do you think about his estimate that a Big Mac "really" costs ~$200

Should higher-priced organic/sustainably-grown products be an optional “ethical consumer” choice as they are now? [Patel: "If prices really reflected environmental and social costs, then prices really could telegraph the relative abundance and scarcity of things" (p. 49)].

What do you think about the free software movement? (p. 154) How has free software (Wikipedia, Twitter, etc.) affected democratic process in your own life or work?

Patel suggests that in place of our current market system of valuation, "...we can train ourselves to use our other senses, to know the world in different ways" (p. 192). How do you think we can do that, either as individuals or as a society?

Local Natives can do their thing just about anywhere

One of my new favorite bands, Local Natives, has an impressive capacity for playing their songs in almost any environment...and catching it on video. Here they are covering Simon and Garfunkel's 'Cecilia' outside the home they share in LA:



Here they are serenading the people who helped them tow their truck out of the mud while on tour in Vermont:



Oh look! Now they're playing outside an elementary school (?) in Canada...



...and in a barn in Wisconsin...



...don't forget that time they played the 7th floor of an abandoned building in New York...



...and this may be my favorite, because it comes with a really cute story about how an underage fan drove 14 hours to see their show, only to be refused entry to the club. These upstanding lads came out after the concert and played a song for her in the alley behind the club (and she subsequently freaks out):



Would you believe me if I told you there's more? Because there is. I'll save that for a future post, though.

Who Wants To Be My Pen Pal?

I love Twitter. It exposes me to dozens of new things each day, either through the 140-character-or-less tidbits or linkage to other sites. However, I often shy away from serious and/or controversial discussions because (a) I don't always want just anyone responding to my ideas, (b) it's easy to misrepresent your position, or misunderstand someone else's, when the thoughts are short and responses rapid, and (c) it can feel a bit pointless at times. I'm sure much real world, actual change has come out of Twitter conversions, but in my experience it takes more extended discussion to get anywhere.

And so I'd like to exchange letters with some of you. No, I don't mean email. I mean the good old-fashioned letters you have to put a stamp on and wait a couple days for it to reach the recipient. "How is this better than email?" would be a very reasonable question for you to ask right now. It's my hypothesis that sitting down with a piece of paper allows for a kind of thinking that's hard to replicate when you're in front of a screen. It requires more forethought when copy/cut/paste isn't an option. There's less of an urge to skim and get distracted. Hopefully this allows for a more thoughtful and fruitful exchange of ideas. And it's fun to get real mail, right? I think it's a hypothesis worth testing.

I'm imagining the letters to be focused on a single topic, though I don't want to impose too many rules, especially at the beginning. Here are some topics I've been thinking about lately and would like to exchange letters on, but I'm open to all sorts of subjects:

1) Is health care a human right? Do people have a moral obligation to maintain their own health?
2) Is style/aesthetics indulgent? How much good does it add to the world? Are things better if they're homemade, or produced by more efficient, industrial systems?
3) Is there a suitable framework outside of organized religion and academic philosophy to structure a personal system of morality? (Inspiration = current situation in Haiti, global poverty).
4) What's the best way to effect lifestyle changes in other people? (Or: How do you get other people to do what you want them to do? I'd really like to exchange letters with Oprah on this one.)

So...who's in?

My Favorite Music of 2009

I presume no expertise on the "best" music released last year; here are the albums, songs & concerts I liked the most. In order, somewhat:

Top 8 Albums of 2009 (I couldn't make it to 10)

1. Grizzly Bear "Veckatimest"
2. Peter Wolf Crier "Inter-Be"
3. Megafaun "Gather, Form and Fly"
4. Volcano Choir "Unmap"
5. Dead Weather "Horehound"
6. Other Lives "Other Lives"
7. Laarks "An Exaltation of Laarks"
8. Dawes "North Hills"


Top 20 Songs of 2009 (excluding songs from the above albums)

1. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes "Home"
2. Elvis Perkins in Dearland "Shampoo"
3. Passion Pit "Sleepyhead"
4-5. Phoenix "1901" & "Lisztomania"
6. Grizzly Bear (with Victoria Legrand) "Slow Life"
7. Bon Iver & St. Vincent "Rosyln"
8. White Rabbits "Percussion Gun"
9. Bowerbirds "Northern Lights"
10. St. Vincent "Marrow"
11. Lady Gaga "Just Dance"
12-13. Bon Iver "Beach Baby" & "Blood Bank"
14-15. Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Dull Life" & "Heads Will Roll"
16. Wavves "So Bored"
17. The Big Pink "Velvet"
18. Bon Iver "Brackett, WI"
19. Junior Boys "Parallel Lines"
20. Manchester Orchestra "I've Got Friends"


Top 15 Concerts of 2009

1. Grizzly Bear/ Beach House @ First Ave (9/30)
2. Megafaun @ the Cedar (9/15)
3. Tallest Man on Earth @ the Turf (4/2 & 6/1)
4. Justin Vernon @ Eau Clair Memorial High School (4/19)
5. Peter Wolf Crier @ the Cedar (11/24)
6. The Kills @ First Ave (5/11)
7. Other Lives @ 7th Street Entry (6/19)
8. The Dead Weather/ Screaming Females @ First Ave (7/27)
9. Phoenix @ First Ave (9/22)
10. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros/Local Natives @ the Varsity (11/29)
11. Elvis Perkins/ Other Lives @ the 400 Bar (5/2)
12. Dirty Curls/ Peter O'Tooles @ Minneapolis Theater Garage (12/13)
13. Mogwai @ First Ave (5/10)
14. Laarks @ the Kitty Cat Klub (12/18)
15. Bowerbirds/ Megafaun @ 7th Street Entry (7/21)

Honorable Mentions: Those Darlins, Roma di Luna, Andrew Bird, and that band I saw at a house party in Minneapolis in the wee hours of New Year's Day 2009

New Year's Resolutions 2010

I've never been much for new year's resolutions. I've had a few self improvements in mind lately, however, so it seems appropriate (and timely) to formalize them. I'm posting this on the internet in the interest of accountability. I'm hoping you'll ask me about my progression towards these goals, or call me out when I'm not following through.

Change comes in small steps, so my resolutions are designed to be tangible and achievable within a year. Here they are, along with initial thoughts on how I'll achieve them:

1. Learn how to cook meat and make sauces. After 12 years of vegetarianism, I "popped my carrot" a few months ago. I've learned some about cooking meat in the meantime, but feel there's room for improvement. I also know nothing about making savory sauces, but believe eating more of them will significantly improve my quality of life. I have some cookbooks I could read, but would be very grateful for a lesson or two (anyone?). By the end of the year I'd like to be confident in the doneness of a chicken tender or steak without having to cut into it.

2. Be on time (or early!), especially when meeting other people. As 2009 progressed, so too did my propensity for tardiness. I always feel terrible because I know it's incredibly rude and selfish to make people wait for you. And it's almost always a result of my lack of planning. So I'm aiming to be at least five minutes early to everything, instead of just on time or 15 minutes late as I usually am. I just have to remind myself that all the last-minute things I want to get done are less important than showing respect for other people's time.

3. Write prompt thank yous when someone does something nice for me. In a further effort to show respect for others, I want to be more consistent about showing gratitude for gifts, time, and thoughtfulness. Verbal 'thank yous' are nice, but nothing beats a hand-written note to show appreciation. I sometimes only realize the gravity of my appreciation when I sit down to write a thank you. And appreciation feels surprisingly good!

4. Streamline my digital life. I have over 4000 unread emails in the gmail account, dozens of favorited/bookmarked articles I mean to go back and read, and a digital music collection fragmented across at least three hard drives. I've finally realized it's futile to keep my digital footprint in check, but a few hours of organizing information here and there would make my e-space feel less cluttered. Whether or not this will lead to tangible improvements in my life...I don't know. It may be better to just become comfortable watching the constant stream of information pass me by.

5. Be more comfortable with the inherent unfairness in life. I really don't know how to accomplish this, but it seems important enough to put on my list. If you have any ideas, please let me know!