Ecosocialism and ecofeminism might be new phrases to some people, but they are growing movements in the United States. The U.S. is a latecomer to these topics in many respects because Ecosocialism is already an established movement in Europe and Australia and elsewhere. But finally the U.S. is starting to catch up. The video below was recorded at the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit that was held at the end of June. It was a workshop titled Building  Ecosocialism and led by environmentalist Joel Kovel.  Described as,  “Meeting at USSF in which ecosocialist activists discussed commoning, ecofeminism, the destruction of capitalism, strategy, convergence.”  (I have to admit to lack of familiarity with “commoning”.)  Here is just one of many websites about ecosocialism.

Ecosocialism is a growing movement because many people are asking themselves the question “What kind of world do we want to live in?”

If you are born in the United States, it’s a given that you grow up with certain things drilled into your head.  One is that buying and selling, capitalism, and profits, having a job to make a lot of money, is the purpose of life on the path to the American Dream. We are told that capitalism equals freedom, and it’s the natural desire of every human being everywhere.   (This is how they sell wars to us too).

Then we are told that this system, which is built on pursuing money (a human invention) as a life goal, is the dream of people everywhere, so we must help them pursue it.  Think about how unnatural that all is.   The system is based on a cutthroat philosophy that some people get rich (those who are successful)  and some people don’t, (those who are failures) so you should try very hard to pursue this life goal of having a “good job”  (i.e., one that pays you a lot of money) is the dream of all people everywhere.   On the path to this “success” you must buy and discard and buy and discard many things, some of which are status symbols, like expensive cars and expensive clothes and jewelry, etc.

Of course a LOT of people don’t pursue jobs just for money, but those other jobs are simply not as valued in the U.S. as much because we are a super-capitalist country.  An investment banker in the U.S. is much more admired by many people than a scientist, who’s status is somewhere between garbage collector and public school teacher.  (Many right-wingers want to destroy public schools).  Look at the scorn heaped on James Hansen, NASA Scientist and climate change expert — if Americans have heard of him at all.  Look at the climate change deniers and who they hate — scientists. (Look at who they revere — religious leaders, even the most fake and perverted.)

This is all due to cultural brainwashing, in my opinion.  But eventually as people grow older they realize that other things matter a lot more than business, profits, denying science they don’t [...]