Category Archives: How the World Really Works

Canada’s Election Non-Event

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Dave Pollard

cartoon by David Parkins in the Globe & Mail Monday was election day in Canada. Nothing changed. The results were essentially identical to those of the last election. If there were any significant changes in voting patterns, they were these: … Continue reading →

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The Future of Activism

Posted on September 19, 2021 by Dave Pollard

forms of activism, adapted from the book Deep Green Resistance We are learning, I think more and more, that most activism simply doesn’t work — it may change minds for a while, but it rarely seems to change anything in … Continue reading →

Posted in How the World Really Works, Our Culture / Ourselves, Preparing for Civilization's End | 6 Comments

Links for the Month: September 2021

Posted on September 18, 2021 by Dave Pollard

Photo by Steve Toombs, North Vancouver, young bobcat in the rain I can see the place where I came from I can hear those sounds right now I can find the paths I used to run And believe I still … Continue reading →

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No Animal is Meant to Live the Way We Have Lived for the Last Ten Thousand Years

Posted on September 14, 2021 by Dave Pollard

Photo credits, clockwise from upper left:  1. China pollution — Damir Sagoli for Reuters; 2. Trump stormtroopers in Portland — Noah Berger for AP: 3. Garbage-pickers in Lagos — Samantha Appleton, in The New Yorker;  4. Refugees in Greece — Daniel … Continue reading →

Posted in How the World Really Works, Our Culture / Ourselves, Preparing for Civilization's End | 9 Comments

Something Better Than Democracy

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Dave Pollard

(This is a thought piece. It’s far too late to reform our political or economic system, but it might be worth thinking about how and where we went wrong, and what a better system might look like.) Democracy index from … Continue reading →

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This Is No One’s Utopia

Posted on September 12, 2021 by Dave Pollard

photo by włodi on flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 PS Pirro recently riffed off a quote from Margaret Atwood that went: “Every dystopia is someone’s utopia. So whose utopia is this?” This was my reply: Margaret is a brilliant writer, but … Continue reading →

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Afraid to Love

Posted on September 5, 2021 by Dave Pollard

Maybe I’ve never really loved. I guess that is the truth — I’ve spent my whole life in clouds at icy altitudes    — Joni Mitchell It’s been a while since I’ve written about love. I enjoyed Laura Kipnis’ book … Continue reading →

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Too Dumb to Take Care of Ourselves

Posted on September 3, 2021 by Dave Pollard

The history of medicine, both within and across cultures, is fascinating. Many cultures have designated medicine men and medicine women, and a propensity for referring to many non-pharmacological substances as medicines. Other cultures entrust decisions on self-health largely to the … Continue reading →

Posted in How the World Really Works, Our Culture / Ourselves, Preparing for Civilization's End | 1 Comment

To What Extent Is There a Problem? (Guest Post by Paul Heft)

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Dave Pollard

Paul is one of my closest collapsnik friends, and like me has been active in movements to prepare us for civilization’s end. He lives in Palo Alto. Here’s his latest synthesis of the current state of things. Photo by Fred … Continue reading →

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No More Careers

Posted on August 28, 2021 by Dave Pollard

images by the Noun Project CCBY Gan Khoon Lay and Webtechops LLP It took me my entire working life to realize how unnatural “work” — ie wage slavery, in a relationship of voluntary servitude to others — actually is. Even … Continue reading →

Posted in How the World Really Works, Our Culture / Ourselves, Preparing for Civilization's End | 4 Comments