Over at the ZNet blogs, Mitchell Szczepanczyk has “an audacious proposal to advance a participatory economy“:
I had an idea for a tactic to proceed our economy. Why not just go ahead and start a participatory economy?
Some might react by saying “We already have projects like Z Magazine and South End Press which already are starting”. I know that, but that’s not what I had in mind. But start building and implementing a participatory economy, now.
This might sound nearly impossible to do in the world here and now, but this idea wouldn’t be in the world here, at least. But in another, possibly virtual, world. Or at least, could.
In his proposal, Szczepanczyk suggests that a website designated as a virtual Parecon world could allow users to list what they want, join workers councils, receive credits, and so on. The idea is that a social networking website centered on Parecon would attract more people to the Parecon cause.
I’m hooked, except for the part where it’s entirely virtual. I think users could definitely experiment with actually producing goods, etc. There are tons of websites and online trading communities in which people exchange skills or items they’ve made. This is especially true for hip scenester communities, where fashionable handbags, clothing, jewelry, and such are traded or sold, much of it hand-crafted by the fashionistas doing the exchanging. Maybe if the website were structured so that only certain items could be requested initially, so that available producers could make those requests a reality. I think many people are sufficiently fed up with corporatism that they’d give this sort of thing a try.
At the same time, if any sort of Parecon website were set up, it’d be nice to have one with practical advice. An era of consumers councils isn’t likely to happen soon. Instead, we’re stuck with small-scale models of Parecon in action, in particular workplaces. Why not set up a website (or better yet, a national organization) that gives workers’ collectives advice on topics such as incorporating, getting a business plan going, or other things that deal with the practical side of running a business? This website could also allow workers in actual Parecon work environments to share their experiences, give advice to newbies, arrange meet-ups and conferences, and so on. Sort of like a North American Parecon Federation, I guess.
It’d also be nice to have a short, accessible primer to Parecon to hand people. CrimethInc. has several dirt-cheap books and a zine that expose people to drop-out culture/primitivism. It’s pretty sick, but their strategy works. If, for instance, there were a well-made zine to distribute freely or cheaply to people expounding the virtues of participatory economics, that could do wonders. I know from my experience printing Turning the Tide that 2,000 copies of a 24-page newprint zine only costs 400-500 dollars or so to print. That’s about 25 cents per issue. If you sold a first run of these to infoshops for 50 cents a copy with the suggestion that they sell the zine for a dollar (a grid rate comparable to that of AK Press), it’s plausible they might go for it. And if that doesn’t work, you could find Parecon advocates who were willing to table at shows/events, perhaps even willing to pay for a bundle out of their pocket and distribute them freely. (This assumes that 50 copies would cost 20 bucks or so.) You could then use the proceeds to print more copies and distribute further. Rinse and repeat.