Welcome, friends and comrades!
The Pinko’s Guide To Surviving Capitalism is a blog for those of us who feel mystified, put upon, run over, and otherwise abused by life in our consumerist, money-worshiping, all-work-no-play 21st Century culture. We are going to run through the fundamentals of understanding how money works and how we all ended up chasing it and all the consumer crap we buy with it. In the process, we will talk about strategies and plans for dealing with money and personal finance in healthy, proactive ways that will help us reduce our anxiety, clear up our confusion, and break down the constant societal drumbeat that “we are what we buy.”
There will be a concerted effort on our part here at Pinko HQ to help you throw off the golden handcuffs of consumerism, debt, convenience, status, and the pursuit of “luxury.” This means examining what society tells us we should want out of life and then asking what is it we do want?
While we will likely have guest posts, interviews, the occasional suggested reading, and anything else we think might be fun and useful, most of this blog will be penned by me, Comrade B. My goal will be to make you throw off your social blinders, make choices that help you live the life you want to live, and feel more empowered in your relationship to money. I have strong opinions and encourage you to question everything and think for yourself. If I haven’t convinced you of my case, call me on it. Better yet, show me how to get it right!
At the base of all this blather is this–to be an American now is to live in a society that has evolved to keep us:
- on the hamster wheel, spending beyond our means,
- scrabbling for basics like shelter and health care,
- thinking that we need to buy to be happy, and
- drowning in fear, insecurity and self-doubt.
Here at Pinko HQ, we only have one response: F@#% THAT!
We won’t bullshit you. We aren’t telling you to move to the desert, cut your ties to society, rely on barter and foraging for roots and berries. However if, like us, you have chosen to live rather than to mindlessly shop for the next thrill, we can help you come up with some freedom from fear and bullshit. Stay tuned in and get ready to drop out.