What would you prefer?

[Dimentio]

What state of being would you prefer to find yourself in?

Would you rather live in a comfortable environment where you constantly are disempowered (for example have a guardian who look on how you clean, how you sleep, what you eat and so forth) or in a less comfortable environment with more power over your life?

This is not some anti-socialist rant. I actually believe that socialism is a prerequisite for empowerment, and that capitalism is terribly disempowering. What I want to know is what is worse, poverty or disempowerment?

[Tablo]

I'm more depressed by disempowerment, but I think it depends how poor I am. If I can't even feed myself and live in a cardboard box then I prefer disempowerment. If I am poor, but receive all my basic needs working 8 hours a day then I definately would prefer poor.

[Raúl Duke]

a less comfortable environment with more power over your life?

This

Although you're not being specific.

The first "comfortable" option is uncomfortable to me in a way.

[FreeFocus]

I'd rather have control, even if it makes things more difficult. I don't really like relying on others for basic needs.

[Quail]

I'd rather have control. The idea of someone (or something) that makes all my decisions for me, regardless of how benevolent they are, makes me uncomfortable. I suppose it depends how uncomfortable the uncomfortable situation is though.

I think that poverty and diesmpowerment are connected though. There are a lot of things I can't do because I don't have the money, so my lack of money is disempowering.

[Ele'ill]

or in a less comfortable environment with more power over your life?

Squat the planet.

[revolution inaction]

What state of being would you prefer to find yourself in?

Would you rather live in a comfortable environment where you constantly are disempowered (for example have a guardian who look on how you clean, how you sleep, what you eat and so forth) or in a less comfortable environment with more power over your life?

This is not some anti-socialist rant. I actually believe that socialism is a prerequisite for empowerment, and that capitalism is terribly disempowering. What I want to know is what is worse, poverty or disempowerment?


what do you mean by "less comfortable"? i mean are you talking about a prison, gulag or concentration camp, kind of uncomfortable or what? because "a guardian who look on how you clean, how you sleep, what you eat and so forth" sounds fucking awful, and i would seriously consider killing them.

[Dimentio]

what do you mean by "less comfortable"? i mean are you talking about a prison, gulag or concentration camp, kind of uncomfortable or what? because "a guardian who look on how you clean, how you sleep, what you eat and so forth" sounds fucking awful, and i would seriously consider killing them.

Not a G.U.Lag or concentration camp, just a situation where you are required to help the people in your community to for example raise goal posts in a new football field.

[Widerstand]

Obviously the second, though I'm sure some of the regulation happy "leftists" will gladly vote for the first and rejoice at the thought of comrade Kim or Stalin or Mao telling them how to fold their undies in a non-reactionary manner.

[Quail]

The first option made me think of CommunityBeliever's horrifying vision of a benevolent AI that makes all of the decisions in humanity's best interests for some reason.

[Jazzratt]

The way I understand the question is seems to be asking "would you rather be robbed of your choice by authority or unable to afford a choice." The difference, to me, is academic.

[revolution inaction]

Not a G.U.Lag or concentration camp, just a situation where you are required to help the people in your community to for example raise goal posts in a new football field.

i think for people to be part of a community they need to contribute something towards it.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Not a G.U.Lag or concentration camp, just a situation where you are required to help the people in your community to for example raise goal posts in a new football field.

If I'm living within a community and they make a reasonable request of me, why not? If by "comfortable" you mean I'm able to live without wage-slavery.

[TC]

It seems to me that a certain loss of control would always outweigh a certain loss of comfort, and a certain loss of comfort would always outweigh a certain loss of control - both comfort and control are matters of degree and each is unhelpful if the other is sufficiently compromised...

In any case part of why we want control is so we can make ourselves more comfortable within our own definition of comfort (or fun, satisfaction, fulfillment, excitement, happiness, etc)

...we could all have total control over our lives in exchange for comfort - just move into an uninhabited island, or the middle of the Canadian or Russian wilderness, or the middle of the Sahara or Amazon, where you wont meet anyone else to interfere with your freedom or control your life...

wont be comfortable enough to be worth it though.

[FreeFocus]

Not a G.U.Lag or concentration camp, just a situation where you are required to help the people in your community to for example raise goal posts in a new football field.

Why on Earth would this be a bad thing? I would expect able-bodied people to make positive contributions to help other people. I don't consider this to be a "loss of control." I guess if you didn't like your community it would be a problem, but something like this might be helping little kids, so I would say the person should just get over their dislike for at least a day or two.

[gorillafuck]

I'd rather have control over my life.

[Bad Grrrl Agro]

What state of being would you prefer to find yourself in?

Would you rather live in a comfortable environment where you constantly are disempowered (for example have a guardian who look on how you clean, how you sleep, what you eat and so forth) or in a less comfortable environment with more power over your life?

This is not some anti-socialist rant. I actually believe that socialism is a prerequisite for empowerment, and that capitalism is terribly disempowering. What I want to know is what is worse, poverty or disempowerment?
There was a time when I stood up for myself and tried to empower myself, that changed. Now the thought of self empowerment scares me.

[Niccolò Rossi]

Well I mean the question is completely abstract and you can't really provide an answer without giving it some context. The context at least that I put it in, I'd rather comfort. Although the contradiction is comfort as defined by me, which is a kind of control no?

Meh, these things shit me.

Nic.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Well I mean the question is completely abstract and you can't really provide an answer without giving it some context. The context at least that I put it in, I'd rather comfort. Although the contradiction is comfort as defined by me, which is a kind of control no?

lol I think he's got you there Dimentio.

[Il Medico]

Its mixed. I'd rather have more control over my life than have material comforts. However, when your constantly struggling to get by, you don't always have much choice in your life. You do what you have to, not what you want.

[TC]

There was a time when I stood up for myself and tried to empower myself, that changed. Now the thought of self empowerment scares me.

I hope it doesn't always

[Bad Grrrl Agro]

I hope it doesn't always
I don't know what to hope anymore.:crying: