Freeing the Market

If someone is able control what is on the Market, that someone can control many things downstream: consumer habits and behavior, social acceptability of items/practices, development of tastes and preferences in the culture--both macro and micro. And other things as well.

Over here I opined that I don't think that the United States' clothing market is what you would call "free." I also think the status of American healthcare, food, and housing are so controlled that we do not have a "free market" here in any meaningful sense of that term, not to mention the historical sense of it.

As I see it, the freedom of the Free Market means choices. I can't buy/own/have/live in ______ because of "safety" or "security" reasons (side note: these are buzzwords repeated in Western history in interesting scenarios these last 300 years), and because of that, I can't say that I live in a free country with a Free Market system in 2024.

But, since I am a Localist, I believe that independent producers in each small area can create important change. People like me can offer out-of-the-Big-Box options to the local citizenry and thereby shape preferences, habits, and thinking in our regions. And this matters: person by person, brick by brick, is the way the good stuff always happens.

Freedom vs. Security/Safety has been an ongoing topic in the U.S. for a long time.

In the market, there are so many regulations based on what you can sell/buy it boggles the mind.

If there is nothing taxable in the transaction, you're pretty much free to give away or trade for what you want. The giver and recipient decide on what is fair. Classical bartering.

I loved the scenes in Down the Carrot Hole where David traded pumpkins for sawdust, haircuts, and honey. "How many pumpkins do you want?"

Can we replace the Almighty Dollar with pumpkins or acorns?

Please!

With bartering, you can. But bartering requires people willing to barter. A wide range of items. Enough to make it worthwhile, to be sustainable.

There is no money involved. Want fresh pressed cider? Pumpkins. Want raw milk? Pumpkins.

I long for the day when more people wake up and see the possibilities.

j

Rachel Lindsay wrote:If someone is able control what is on the Market, that someone can control many things downstream: consumer habits and behavior, social acceptability of items/practices, development of tastes and preferences in the culture--both macro and micro. And other things as well.

Over here I opined that I don't think that the United States' clothing market is what you would call "free." I also think the status of American healthcare, food, and housing are so controlled that we do not have a "free market" here in any meaningful sense of that term, not to mention the historical sense of it.

As I see it, the freedom of the Free Market means choices. I can't buy/own/have/live in ______ because of "safety" or "security" reasons (side note: these are buzzwords repeated in Western history in interesting scenarios these last 300 years), and because of that, I can't say that I live in a free country with a Free Market system in 2024.

But, since I am a Localist, I believe that independent producers in each small area can create important change. People like me can offer out-of-the-Big-Box options to the local citizenry and thereby shape preferences, habits, and thinking in our regions. And this matters: person by person, brick by brick, is the way the good stuff always happens.

We idealize a free market but what we have in the United States is an amalgamation of rules/regulations/policy because of people controlling different markets in the past. It is an odd paradox of "letting business thrive" and regulating the market to prevent issues such as bubble formation.

I like to think that this is something that is created from large coast to coast formal markets trying to function everywhere at once but communication is something that lags. When the communication isn't properly understood, gaps form. Maybe a good gap that provides business opportunity but perhaps bad gaps that lead to harsh corrections could come from this. Corrections can lead to panic and panic leads to worse lasting markets. In smaller, local, markets it becomes much more personal. It isn't the difference in price of bread from L.A. to N.Y.C. but now it is how the Baker's Wife is doing after she had a slip last week. It becomes more human and relies on relationships instead of board of directors. Prices become more fluid with bartering and favors flowing freely. Smaller in my mind also entices craftmanship over piece work. Pride in a product or service increases because the personal doing it tends to care beyond just performing a job.

I am learning more and more about this as I drop off packages of eggs to friends and family and suddenly their abundance or talents are shared. These gifts then become conversations of how much we may of enjoyed what each other have and setting up a semi-formal arrangement to continue as long as we both are pleased to have it. Today was enjoyable as my neighbors two young sons came over and helped me move mulch after gifting their parents a dozen eggs. The kids had a blast, their parents got a break, and I got more paths filled in (perhaps started infecting minds while I was at it).

Local actions become community, community becomes state and so on. I think you are on the right path Rachel.