In case you missed the previous entries, be sure to check out the whole series here.

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downtide

Downtide is 45 years old, and lives in the ‘wet bit’ of England along with his partner, their adult daughter, and one very lucky dog. His interesting username comes from an ancestor of his from about 100 years ago, who was a fisherman.

Favorite quote: “I never panic when I get lost. I just change wherever it is I want to go”. – Rita Rudner. I live by this in all things, not just travel-related. If I don’t get where I want to be in life I don’t worry about it, I just make new goals.

Pets: Xena, a black Labrador-cross, who I adopted as a rescue when she was four months old. Someone had tossed her out of a car on a busy road in the city. She’s now twelve years old, my grand old lady.

Education: The School of Hard Knocks and the University of Life. I have a degree in “Make-it-up-as-you-go-along”.

Hobbies/Interests: I do watercolor painting, mostly landscapes. I’m active in my local LGBT community, especially the transgender community and I’m on the committee for my local trans-men’s support group. I am also a big fan of the online virtual world of Second Life, and my Fluther avatar is a picture of my main avatar from there.

Day job: I work in the back-office of a major UK company, mainly dealing with customer queries and problems by letter and email. I’ve been there nearly ten years, but the first seven years were in sales. I’m rather glad to be not doing that any more in the current economic climate.

Dream job: To run my own art shop and studio, and just paint all day. I actually did do this for a couple of years but didn’t make enough money to support it.

Why do you volunteer your time to Fluther? I’ve been a Jelly for over two and a half years, and I think it’s an awesome community that we have here. I felt that it was about time I became more active in supporting the community and giving something back to it.

Is there anything else you’d like the community to know about you? Most of the community already knows this (because I never shut up about it!), but for the benefit of new Jellies, I am a trans-man and I’m part-way through sex transition from female to male. It’s a long and difficult process and I’ve waited a long time to start, but it’s wonderful to finally be who I should have been all along.

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PhiNotPi

Matthew is one of our most talented resident math whizzes, and you may be surprised to learn that he is only 15 years old. (I know we were!) He lives in South Carolina with his parents, a sibling, and many pets. His catchy username refers to his preference for abstract math.

Favorite quote: “People who eat dirt are smarter.” –My dad, as he explains how the immune response stimulates the nervous system.

Pets: My family has several pets, including a cat by the name of Bonnie and a bearded dragon by the name of Newton.

Education: I have not yet graduated from high school, but I plan to do so within a reasonable amount of time. I’ll then go to a university (but I haven’t decided which).

Hobbies/Interests: I play clarinet in my school’s concert and marching bands.

Day job: School. And Fluther. But almost always school.

Dream job: I haven’t decided yet, but surely something involving math and science. I might become an engineer or go into a medical field that involves technology.

Why do you volunteer your time to Fluther? I already spend a considerable amount of time on Fluther. I became a mod because I like to actively help fix this place. I could either complain about stuff or actually help with stuff. I choose the second option.

Is there anything else you’d like the community to know about you? My favorite areas of expertise are mathematics and science. If you ask a question about math, then I’ll be there, lurking in the background. I like to compose music (for the classical instruments only; I don’t write songs), although I have not yet written an entire piece. In my spare time, I do things that many might consider math, but which I view as a mental challenge assigned to myself, from myself.

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Thanks, mods, for helping us all get to know you better!

This is so exciting!

Drum roll, please.

And the winner is… WillWorkForChocolate!

Congratulations, WillWorkForChocolate! Please contact me so we can get your prize to you. Enjoy!

UPDATE

Our winner was gracious enough to provide photographic evidence that she looks great in her Fluther tee. See for yourself:

Thanks, WillWorkForChocolate!

To enter, simply ask 8 questions between now and midnight on Sunday, July 15, 2012, then post your username in the comments section below.

Winner will be selected  from qualified entrants in a random drawing, and will be announced on Tuesday, July 17, 2012.

Good luck to all of you!

And now for the not-so-fine print: All questions must meet our Quality Guidelines. Fluther employees, moderators and their families are not eligible to win.

Known in the Flutherverse as the go-to guy for luaus, it turns out Jake is much less interested in parties in real life. He’s got a lot of insight and experience in some interesting topics, and was gracious enough to let us pick his brain.

I hope you enjoy getting to know Jake just as much as I have!

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I think I speak for many of us when I say I’m envious of your beautiful surroundings. You live in Hawaii! Are you a native or a transplant? Is it as fabulous as I imagine?

Yes, Hawaii is as wonderful as everyone imagines, but there’s a price for living in paradise. It’s very expensive. I’ll give you two examples: milk is $4.70/gallon on sale and cheap bread is $4.00/loaf.

The varied geography of the islands is little understood by most people who have never been here. I live on the Island of Hawaii, which is also known as the Big Island due to its size. It is almost twice the size of the other major islands combined. The eastern side of each island is wetter than the western sides because of the prevailing trade winds. I live on the eastern side, and it’s a rainforest here. The average annual rainfall is over 120 inches or over 3 meters. We don’t let the rain slow us down. We play soccer in the rain. We swim and surf when it’s raining. The theater organization I’m a part of puts on an annual Shakespeare in the Park production, and we do not stop for rain. Our audiences are used to it, and they come prepared.

I moved here when I was 34 years old, and I’m now 48. I did move back to the mainland for 4 years in the middle of that time, but I consider this home and doubt that I’ll ever leave again.

Tell us a little about your family.

I am a gay man, who was married to a woman for 14 years. I am now happily divorced and get along much better with my ex-wife than I ever did when we were living together. I have three children. My son recently moved to the mainland for work, and I have two daughters still in school. One is in high school, and the other is in intermediate school.

I do not presently have a steady man in my life. It’s okay. It will happen when the time is right.

You’re known on Fluther for throwing a heck of a luau. Out of all the questions you’ve asked, which is your favorite?

I have asked How are you? Really., How are you? Really. [2], and How are you? Really. [3]. Those questions evoked some candid and heartening answers. I repeat the question about every six months and will do so again in the future.

Favorite question asked by someone else?

I loved What is your definition of art? What is your definition of an artist? It garnered heated discussion that devolved into name-calling and insults. It was wonderful! The question was asked just at the time I’d finished a play by Yasmina Reza entitled ‘ART’. The play was just like the question in that the characters actually came to blows over the subject of art. Hysterical!

Besides Fluther, what are your hobbies?

Theater. It is not hyperbole to say I worship theater. I read Shakespeare for fun. I act at every opportunity. I manage productions, and I have now directed. I love the whole process of theater. I am intimately involved in the governance of a local theater organization, which we try to keep as fun as possible. It’s not easy to keep it light and airy when all those actors’ egos are involved.

Reading. I adore books and reading. I can lose myself in the pages of great literature. I can’t stand schlock. A book has to grab me from the very first sentence. If I’m not hooked in the beginning, I put it down and move on.

Music. I like to listen to meditative, ambient music like that of Laraaji. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate other kinds of music. I listen to a lot of serious music all the way from Mozart to John Cage. I like contemporary music, too.

The ocean. I don’t go to the beach regularly, but I enjoy being by the ocean. Sitting in the shade reading is one of my favorite pastimes. There is an exquisite park by the ocean that I go to quite often to walk and sit and play.

Meditation. I am a spiritual person, though I don’t believe in any modern concept of religion. I meditate daily. It allows me to remain calm and feel like I have a center. Do I believe in god? The best I can come up with is I don’t know. I’m open-minded to both sides of the argument.

Tarot. I am a professional tarot card reader. It’s not a popular subject on Fluther, and I don’t push it. However, I have seen the cards do remarkable things. I have gained information from them and shared information with clients that I could not have possibly known. Most people on Fluther will simply assume I’m parroting information given to me in conversation with the people I’m reading for. Yet most of my readings are done by email. I never meet the questioner, and there is no conversation. Still, I hear over and over again that my understanding of the situation and the events is uncannily correct. It’s not me. It’s the cards. Jellies can think what they will. It works for me.

Interesting! I may have to hit you up for a reading, myself. You’ve said you’re very involved with community theater, and recently directed your first play. What was that experience like? Would you do it again?

Directing was thrilling. It all begins with choosing the right script. You have to know the audience you want to reach and then find the right piece for them. For my directorial debut, I chose a Christmas play (Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol by Tom Mula) with four actors playing nineteen different roles. The challenge for me was to impress on the actors that each character had to have a life of its own. They had to be fully fleshed out entities. I also had to concentrate on movement around the stage and even the lighting that I imagined would be integral to setting the mood. I received an award from the theater organization as the best director for 2011 for my efforts.

Congratulations on the award! Which of your own performances as an actor have you enjoyed most, and why?

This is a tough question. I just finished playing Dr. Martin Dysart in EQUUS by Peter Shaffer, and the whole experience was riveting. It required such concentration to the task of acting. I am very proud of that performance. Someone in the drama department of the university here said I’d found my “life role”. But I played Dracula back in 2001 and was drenched in the part. I was hissed on stage as King Claudius in Hamlet, and that moment made me particularly happy.

That’s Jake (left) playing the Emperor in “Amadeus”.

What would be the best way to go about getting into theater in our own communities?

Just start! Find out if there is an active community theater group in your town and go to auditions. Don’t be disappointed if you’re not given a part right away. Volunteer to help behind the scenes. There are never enough hands when it comes to the technical aspects of theater. Take acting classes, if you can. Put yourself out there in the community. Let the theater people know you are available and willing to help in any capacity.

You’ve mentioned performing in drag, too. Is that any more or less difficult than ‘straight theater’?

My drag name is Miss Constance Havoc. It’s an entirely different world from traditional theater. Getting drag queens to do what you want when you want is like herding cats. I haven’t done any drag for a while now. I got started in it when theater wasn’t available to me. It was another way for me to perform.

There seems to be conflicting trends in LGBT issues at the moment, with many states passing marriage equality bills, and several taking ‘heterosexual marriage only’ stances. Likewise, in everyday encounters homophobia appears to be receding, while on certain parts of the internet it runs rampant. How do you feel as a gay man living in a time of such fluctuation?

I find both joy and pain in being gay in the 21^st century. There is so much to be glad about. Marriage equality is gaining momentum in Western society, but there is still indiscriminate hate and bigotry here, too. I know, on a personal level, men who have been beaten on leaving a gay bar. I knew a man who was murdered because of his sexual orientation. These crimes were committed in the U.S., the so-called bastion of liberty in the world.

My opinion is simple. If something keeps me from expressing my sexuality in the same way a heterosexual person does, then that is homophobia, and it is wrong.

I feel particularly alarmed by the rise of laws in parts of Africa and the Middle East criminalizing homosexuality. My heart reaches out to the LGBT community there.

My best friend is a transgendered woman. She has a long and tortuous story about coming to terms with her sexual identity and the hate she has encountered. Sexual identity is fluid in us all, and we should honor and support the courageous individuals who owning their true natures.

As someone who came out later in life, do you have any advice for those who have yet to do so?

I was in my mid-thirties when I came out. I do not recommend that to anyone. Being out of the closet is the best possible way to live an authentic life. After 13 or 14 years of living out, I can honestly say I wouldn’t have it any other way.

You’ve been very open with your fellow jellies, for which I’m thankful. One of the things we know about you is that you’re a recovering alcoholic. Can you tell us a little about that?

I got sober well over 12 years ago, and it is one of the central themes of my life. There was my drinking life, and now there is my sober life. The former was full of misery for myself and all those around me, and the latter is full of love and gratitude for my family and friends that I could not appreciate before. I wallowed in self-pity and drank daily to escape for far too many years. Now, I have clarity and acceptance from my children and many loving friends.

I drank for one reason. I thought it made me happy. It didn’t work. Not once. Never. Sobriety has brought me what alcohol never could. It has brought me a measure of peace.

Do you mind if we talk a bit about what it’s like to be bi-polar? What it means in relation to your daily life?

I was diagnosed bipolar 11 years ago after a particularly bad manic episode. My mental illness has been devastating, to be frank. I live on disability income. The disease leaves me with many paradoxes. I am a good amateur actor, but I am also a recluse all other times. I cannot work. The stress of even simple jobs leaves me catatonic. I have unreasonable fears of things that others take for granted, like parking lots. When I think of going somewhere, the first thought that enters my head is where I will park and how stressful finding parking will be. I have coping mechanisms for that, but it’s still a reality of my daily life. I fear crowds and so stay at home more than is healthy.

I can’t watch television. I can’t describe it in any other words than to say I’m allergic to it. When I try to watch a show, I’m good for the first one or two minutes, and then I begin to squirm. I end up pacing the room trying to watch or simply turning off the TV. I’m not alone in this problem. I have an anonymous blog, and the number one entry is about this subject. It seems a lot of people with bipolar have trouble watching television. Before you jump to say I’m better off, remember that it’s all television, the good and the bad. I miss it all.

Mania is awful for the loss of control over much of my decisions, but the depression is excruciating at times. I have been hospitalized twice for it, and believe me, they don’t let just anyone in the hospital for depression. It has to be bad.

I’m happy to report that the medication I’m currently taking works. I still get peaks and valleys, but they are not debilitating. I’m grateful to live where and when I do. There are therapies that help. In previous eras, I would have been locked up or killed.

We’re grateful, too, and glad to have you with us! What are you looking forward to this year?

This year I’m looking forward to planning for next year. Ha! You see, 2013 is the 75^th anniversary for the community theater organization I’m a part of. We are currently studying the calendar and reading plays and planning our offerings. It’s a lot of work, and it’s a lot of fun, too.

Sounds like a big, but rewarding project. Best of luck with it! We really appreciate you sharing some of your life and thoughts with us. Thanks, Jake!

The House’s Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Senate’s PROTECT IP Act aim to curb online piracy, but in reality will end up censoring the Internet in ways that would devastate sites with user posted content (like Fluther), and change the very nature of the Internet itself. Trying to get a handle on piracy is a legitimate concern. This is not a legitimate way to do it.

These bills shift the burden of copyright protection from the holder of the copyright (where it currently rests and rightly belongs) to sites like ours. If these measures come to pass, it would require us to be certain that none of our members ever post anything that infringes on a copyright. Not only that, but posting a link to any other site would require that we first be certain that there is not one instance of copyright infringement anywhere on that site as well! Should we miss something, Fluther could be immediately shut down, our finances frozen, and our domain name confiscated. A few rogue links could result in the swift demise of an honorable site.

It’s not all about us, though. It’s about you, too. Websites you frequent may be blocked in the US. Your email provider may be forced to censor links you send or receive. Anything you post on social networking sites will be closely monitored, and subject to censorship. Want to post a video of your toddler singing a pop song? Your distant family will probably never see the adorableness, and you might even be sued. Trying to get the word out about human rights violations by reposting videos and news articles? The world will likely never know.

There is a little bit of good news: The bills are on hold at the moment. But the corporate interests behind them won’t give up. We can’t give up, either. Take action now!

For more information, and other ways  you can help, click here.

Lisa A. Noll

1/16/2012

]]> http://blog.fluther.com/fluther-is-in-danger-along-with-the-rest-of-the-internet/feed/ 20 http://blog.fluther.com/meet-the-mods-part-viii/ http://blog.fluther.com/meet-the-mods-part-viii/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:59:45 +0000 augustlan http://blog.fluther.com/?p=1743 Welcome to Part VIII of our ongoing series. This week, we introduce you to the two most recent additions to the mod team, Seaofclouds and Bellatrix. Thanks again for all you do, mods!

In case you missed them, be sure to check out parts one, two, three, four, five,  six and seven.

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Seaofclouds

Stacey is 30 years old and leads a busy life in Pennsylvania with her husband and their two boys, an almost 10 year old and an almost 6 month old. We will have to speculate on how almost-old her husband is. ~

Favorite quote: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” — Les Brown

Education: I received a diploma in nursing in 2006, which allowed me to become a LPN. In 2007, I received my ADN and became a RN. In 2010, I completed my BSN.

Hobbies/Interests: I love reading and spend a lot of my free time doing just that. I also love playing games of all sorts. My husband and I are participating in a table top D & D campaign right now. We also play numerous board and card games when we can. We actually met at a game weekend, so I guess it’s a pretty big thing for us!

Day job: I am a registered nurse at a long term acute care facility. I’m also a preceptor there (which means I train/orient the new staff, in addition to my normal work.)

Dream job: I would love to work on a pediatric oncology unit, preferably at a hospital like St. Jude, CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia), or Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Why do you volunteer your time to Fluther?: I volunteer because I love helping people and I have come to value what Fluther has to offer everyone. I joined Fluther while my husband was deployed overseas, and I found so much support and encouragement from fellow jellies during that time. I only hope I can help others the way I’ve been helped so far. I also love the quality aspect of Fluther when compared to other Q&A sites and look forward to helping keep Fluther from going downhill as some other Q&A sites have.

Is there anything else you’d like the community to know about you?: Hmm. I feel like I’ve shared so much over the time I’ve been here. I love how many celebrations we’ve shared. Fluther was the first to know when I got pregnant with my youngest, because we wanted to wait a bit before we told family. Fluther celebrated with me when my husband came home from a year in Iraq. I was posting about the birth of my youngest the day he was born! So, I guess what I’m getting at, is Fluther is like a family to me. We’ve shared so much with each other, and although we remain mostly anonymous, I know there are people out there that truly care. I hope they know the same about me.

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Bellatrix

Bella is our second mod from the land down under. She lives in a house surrounded by trees in Brisbane, Australia, along with her beautiful, intelligent and funny husband and three wonderful children who keep her on her toes and learning. She hopes she’s in the middle of her life, with a lot of the journey left to go.

Favorite quote: I have to pick one? I don’t think I can. I try to live by…

“If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and every day you have the opportunity to write a new page.” — Mark Houlahan

and definitely…

“Most people I know think that I’m crazy…” — Billy Thorpe

However, tomorrow it could be something completely different, since “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” — Benjamin Franklin

Pets: Two mad schnauzers, one cat with an over inflated ego, one bold, blue and beautiful betta fish. We call them Siamese Fighting Fish here, and his name is Genghis or G3.

Education: Formal education — I have my PhD. Informal education — I learn something new every day.

Hobbies/Interests: I love to write, but consider myself to be wearing training wheels. I write in my work setting every day, but I have this burning urge to write a novel. I am also a student of photography. An informal student. I take photos when I can. I want to take more. I like to draw and paint, but rarely get any time to do that these days. I love films, music, reading and travel. I want to go everywhere! I like gardening, but am not good at it. I like to cook, as long as it is something new.

Day job: I am an academic.

Dream job: I am one of those lucky people who have their dream job!

Why do you volunteer your time to Fluther?: I genuinely care about the Fluther community. I believe there are some amazing people here, and I enjoy the time I spend reading their thoughts. Like all communities though, we need people to help keep the peace, to pick up the mess and put away the toys. At times, I have expressed my frustration with some of our less splendid moments, and I believe if you are going to criticise, you should be prepared to ‘put your money where your mouth is’, or in this case, spend some time hopefully mentoring new jellies while keeping the spammers and those who upset our pool at bay. Spam sandwich, anyone?

Is there anything else you’d like the community to know about you?: I am a pretty open book. If you have more questions about me, feel free to ask. My message box is always open to you.

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Thanks, mods, for helping us get to know all of you a little better!

In case you missed them, be sure to check out parts one, two, three, four, five and six.

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laureth

Dawn is a 39 year old renaissance woman living in Michigan with her husband of four years and their 15 year old Manchester Terrier, Digger. Someday, she’d like to add children, chickens and goats to the mix.

Favorite quote: “Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable.” — Finley Peter Dunne

Education: I’ve been going to college on and off since 1990, usually one class a semester to fit in with my work and Fluther schedules ~. I hope to have a degree someday, perhaps by the time I’m eligible to retire. Yes, I’m an English major, but I try to be gentle when it comes to picking on others’ grammar and punctuation!

Dream job: Being a smallholder; that is, intensively managing a minifarm of 5–10 acres in such a way as to build the soil, provide for most of our household’s food and some of our fiber needs, and generally live in a way that I feel treads lightly on Mama Earth, maybe teaching others how to do the same. I don’t believe our current wasteful way of life is sustainable, and I’d rather that the eventual correction be more of a gentle powering-down by choice, than a disastrous smackdown of epic proportions.

Is there anything else you’d like the community to know about you?: If there’s ever anything you wanted to do, you’re not too old or too far away from the goal to start — even if it’s just by making a baby step in the direction you want to go. Don’t give up! After a whole life of thinking I was too weird to ever find someone, I got married at 35 to someone unusual enough to be just right for me. It just took a while to find him! And at almost 40, I’m looking into giving up the desk job for something that makes a difference. If you stop moving and learning, you get nowhere. So even if it’s scary to change, sometimes you have to consider if it’s scarier to stay the same.

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SavoirFaire

Our resident philosophical guru, Matt lives in Virginia with his wife and their four chinchillas. He claims to be 916,466,329 seconds old. You do the math, please.

Favorite quote: “Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” — Siddhartha Gautama

Education: I am in the third year of a doctoral program in philosophy.

is a guy with the skills to keep us all alive in the event of the zombiepocalypse, or, you know, a regular old emergency. He can find, grow, and cook foods you haven’t even heard of (not to mention some you have, like bacon!); handle a firearm; and is no slouch in the survival field. In short, he’s got our backs.

He’s also got some interesting ideas about where civilization is, and where it ought to be headed. We thought it was high time we learned a little more about this Dan with a plan.

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Is there a story behind your username? Should I be worried if this interview doesn’t go well?

Well, not very worried. Although I do love to make a cozy fire, and I’m partial to the molotov cocktail imagery, the name was actually something my long time partner (hobbitsubculture) came up with when we were in college. She observed that my mere presence would instigate argument in certain groups, whether or not I was belligerent myself.

How did you find Fluther? What made you join, and what makes you stay?

Again, that was hobbitsubculture. She posted a couple questions and turned me on to the site when asking about what to look for when apartment hunting. I got really into Fluther when I started making friendships with people, and realized that the computer at one of my jobs doesn’t block it.

Your favorite question asked by you? Asked by someone else?

I sparked a pretty good conversation by asking why some men care so much about their wives taking their name. I still don’t get it, but I heard some great input and gained a bit of insight on the subject. As for other peoples’, I often like the ones Hobbes asks about culture and civilization, but they also tend to attract people waving the flag of relentless Progress.

Aside from Fluther, what are your hobbies?

I read a lot, usually about politics, anthropology (which I went to school for), and peak oil, but also some sci-fi and fantasy thrown in. I also spend a fair amount of time in my garden, or in the kitchen making delicious things (often featuring bacon). Hiking, kayaking, and other outdoor adventures are another favorite, particularly when en route to letterboxes.

You seem to be our resident expert on Gift Economies. For those of us not in the know, what exactly is a Gift Economy?

Gift economies are basically just complex ways of sharing. Societies that function primarily by gift economies have traditions that dictate ways in which essentials like food are divvied up so everyone gets some. In that respect it sounds like communism, but isn’t at all authoritarian; nobody calls the shots. The thing that keeps people giving to each other is that they know the others in their group will do the same.

What can societies based on this type of economy teach today’s societies?

I think the main thing is that high standards of living can be achieved without immense energy costs, if only greed and power are taken out of the equation. That and the fact that a high standard of living doesn’t require exploitation of others elsewhere or environmental draw-down. Marshall Sahlins wrote The Original Affluent Society about the subject, and I recommend it as a primer.

In your profile, you describe yourself as a “radical green anarchist rewilder”. Can you tell us a little about that?

I guess the best thing would be to go over the individual words, since I mashed a few together. The term ‘radical’ in this context signifies the root meaning of the word, which means “root” in Latin. My intellectual approach involves seeing what systemic factors cause present circumstances, and how those influence whether societies are just or unjust, sustainable or unsustainable, etc. An anarchist is someone who believes in having no rulers or coercive hierarchies, running society instead on mutual aid and consensus on local levels. “Green” is a fairly obvious reference to an environmental focus. As for defining ‘rewilding’, I go with my friend Urban Scout’s definition: Rewild, v; to foster and maintain a sustainable way of life through hunter-gatherer-gardener social and economic systems; including, but not limited to, the encouragement of social, physical, spiritual, mental and environmental biodiversity and the prevention and undoing of social, physical, spiritual, mental and environmental domestication and enslavement.

Some people might think you want everyone to run off into the woods with no technology. Is that true?

Yes and no. We need to reintegrate with the natural world, but it’s unreasonable to tell people to just abandon what they know to live another way. The “no technology” part is fallacious, too; indigenous hunter-gatherer-gardeners use and have used “technology”, it just doesn’t feature microchips and internal combustion engines. Rather, peoples living in place use technologies appropriate to their landbases, based on what is freely given by that land (i.e. what can be indefinitely harvested at that rate). And being social animals, running off alone would be a pretty bad idea. Our culture(s) need to change, or we need to start new ones. And using “appropriate technologies” would mean turning land currently cultivated using annual monocrops into land being cultivated using companion planting and permaculture, which produce many times more food per acre and can build soil, rather than degrade it. The focus on technology also overlooks the importance of our relational existence in respect to the land, in which our technology use is only one part.

You talk smack about civilization a lot. What do you mean when you say “civilization”?

Civilization, using writer and activist Derrick Jensen’s definition, is a way of life characterized by the growth of cities. That’s attestable both historically and linguistically. A city is a group of people living in a high enough concentration as to require the importation of resources, because they’ve denuded their landbase of that particular resource. What this means is that your way of life is necessarily violent, because trade for that resource can never be sufficiently reliable. So if you need something, and you use more than you yourself can produce, and your neighbor is unwilling to trade, you’ll go and take it from them. Historically this is also when we see empires, patriarchy, and social stratification emerge, just to name a few ills. They’re all intertwined.

What would your ideal society look like?

An ideal society would be an egalitarian group of humans making decisions by consensus on local village scales (maybe as part of larger federations of villages who cooperate for mutual protection), subsisting by mixed hunting, gathering, fishing, and gardening/permaculture. These wouldn’t be anachronisms of American Indians or some other historical group; this would both be a patronizing appropriation of indigenous culture, and entirely impractical. We’ll find our own ways to live in each of our landbases. Gender and gender roles would be radically different, if they exist at all, and groups of women would share and discuss the knowledge necessary for natural family planning. This isn’t a perfect way to live, because nothing is. It’s just stood the test of time as a better way to live on many levels.

In what way(s) would it benefit people over what we have now?

It’s hard for me to think of a way people wouldn’t benefit. An immediate shift to a foraging and gardening existence would improve health drastically, since we’d have not only more variety in food but wild and feral food always has more nutrient density than its domesticated counterpart. Cancer, diabetes, and a lot of other illnesses are basically unheard of in foraging societies. Foraging for subsistence only requires an average of three hours a day; traditional peoples typically spend much of their time socializing, playing, or pursuing artistic endeavors. That’s a lot less stress and more relaxation. If it were widespread, the air, water, and our food would all be drastically cleaner, even fairly soon after such a change. In the long term, I think social issues would ease, since systemic oppression is rooted in unnecessary hierarchies. As long as you don’t consider an Xbox a necessity, you benefit in every way.

Do you think it’s actually feasible in this day and age?

It’s possible. Indeed, if our species is to survive we need to do it, but whether it’s likely to happen soon is another question. Certainly, the basic nutritional and environmental needs of we humans is the same as it was in the Pleistocene. But much of the once fertile land is barren as a result of monocrop agriculture, and needs repairing. We have (mostly) men in funny outfits telling us where we can or can’t forage, hunt, sleep, etc. We have lots of (mostly) men in other funny outfits claiming to own lots of land they’ve never even seen, just because they have a paper that says so, and those first men in funny outfits I mentioned tend to back them up.

If so, how can we get there?

I think that it will take several things, each just as important as the other. It’s kind of like a multi-pronged revolution. We need to foster as much sustainable self-sufficiency as possible, particularly in terms of food and shelter, particularly in cities where resources are scarce. We need to change our concepts of land ownership, which requires a fundamental overhaul of the whole economy (or its collapse, which historically has been a positive thing for the average person). We need to support womens’ rights everywhere, dismantle institutionalized racism, and combat any sort of oppression. We need to conserve and heal the lands ravaged by our culture. I guess at the base of that, we need to stop pretending we’re anything more than a complex social ape and that we have our own niche to fill in our ecosystems.

How did you first become interested in this movement/way of life?

It sort of worked out as a merging of a few interests. I became interested in natural medicine as a pre-teen when I was fairly ill and got better through natural treatments. Herbal medicine in particular interested me. That led into foraging, and that into primitive and wilderness skills, which influenced my desire to be as self-sufficient as possible. A big moment in my life was my tenth grade history class, in which my teacher had us build a replica of a Nipmuc village. Combine that with my realizations that the industrial system is unstable and unsustainable, and my studies of anthropology and psychology leading me towards anti-authoritarian politics and radical feminism, and I became a rewilder.

I understand that you’re a primitive skills instructor. What kinds of things do you teach? Could you teach me to start a fire with nothing but sticks?

We’d need some string, too. Fire by friction is one that I teach, but I admittedly need practice in that myself. I’ve been spoiled by my fire piston, which is another means by which to get primitive fire. Besides that, I try to teach people how to take care of all of their needs. A useful guide is the rule of threes: on average, humans can last three hours in harsh weather, three days without water, and three weeks without food. I sometimes add three seconds without safety, three minutes without air, and three months without going batshit crazy from loneliness. So at the school I work at, we’ve taught friction fire, several types of shelter (both short and long term), how to get water and purify it, and how to forage, hunt, and trap.

If a jelly wanted to find an instructor like yourself in their area, where would they look?

There are a few schools around the country that teach various primitive skills, so I’d start there. I’ve taught at Great Hollow Wilderness School and Two Coyotes Wilderness School, both of which are in CT. Different schools often differ on their focus, in terms of skill sets and philosophy. Some regions might not have any schools, so finding someone willing to mentor on an email list might be a good idea. I have friends who have attended Tom Brown Jr.‘s Tracker School in New Jersey and Teaching Drum in Wisconsin.

How did you learn all of the skills you teach?

I learned mostly by trial and error, reading books, hanging out with the right people, and I admit it, lots of Youtube. Wash, rinse, repeat, and you have a wilderness skills instructor.

Suppose you could teach everyone in the world just one primitive skill. Which one would it be and why?

That really depends on the situation someone is in. Someone in the desert has to worry about water a lot, so finding water sources would be an essential skill. In the subarctic evergreen forests, fire and shelter are primary needs. And everyone’s got to eat. Assuming someone has a home they live in, I think being able to find and gather wild food will be of the most benefit. I’ll count traditional companion planting in that, like the Three Sisters garden I’m growing (that’s maize-corn, beans, and squash). In particular, the Big Four plant food sources are useful. They’re acorns, cattails, pines, and grasses.

What are some good resources for learning more about rewilding and primitive skills?

Urban Scout put out a book recently called Rewild or Die, which really gets to the heart of rewilding. It’s also the only book specifically about rewilding, to my knowledge. Tom Brown Jr.‘s survival books are good, you just have to disregard his likely-fictional stories. Even the U.S. Army’s Survival Guide is pretty good. Otherwise, I quite like a few Youtube channels, such as EatTheWeeds and wildernessoutfitters, and I moderate at the rewild.info forums.

One resource Dan didn’t mention (but we will!) is his own blog.

We really appreciate you sharing some of your life and ideas with us. Thanks, Dan!

One of the very best things about Fluther has always been our community. You’d be hard pressed to find a smarter, warmer or wittier bunch of people anywhere on the web. What exactly are the keys to building such a great community? Did we just get lucky, or was it the result of careful planning? I’ve been thinking about this a lot, lately, and it seems to me that it’s a bit of both. Nature and nurture, in other words.

Photo by practicalowl on Flickr

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Our community started out with friends and family of our founders: two Ivy League grads who valued knowledge, warmth, and humor — not to mention proper grammar. Naturally, the original members of the collective fit a similar pattern, and since our initial growth was all word-of-mouth, we had a strong core of like-minded members before we got particularly popular. I’d say that’s had a huge impact on how our community has developed over time. Even so, it’s probably quite important to envision your ideal community right from the beginning, and our founders certainly did. Fluther was modeled on the cooperative environment Ben and Andrew had grown to love at Brown University’s SunLab. “People in the lab were always willing and able to help with your problems; you just had to know who to ask,” Ben says. “We imagined the whole Internet could become a lab where people would happily help each other, if we could only connect them.”

As the community has grown, what we’ve noticed is that each new wave of members seems to form their own group of ‘friends’. This is especially true when a lot of people join all at once after media attention or during mass migrations from other sites. Over time, the mini-groups tend to end up integrating into the community as a whole. In a ‘your friends are my friends, my friends are your friends’ way, we are all interconnected.

Compared to a lot of other Q&A sites, we have some pretty strict guidelines, which some people find off-putting, but others love. It’s a self-selecting environment… people who object to not being allowed to use txtspk, make personal attacks, or spam the site don’t tend to stick around long. Guidelines wouldn’t mean anything without enforcement, though. Live, active moderation is so important in fostering good relations and civil discourse. If a flame war breaks out (hey, it happens), a mod steps in with a fire extinguisher. Problem members are warned, then suspended, and ultimately escorted out of the ocean if they can’t play nice. Equally important is the effort to treat everyone, well, equally. No one is ‘above the law’… if you break a guideline, you’re going to get modded, no matter who you are. Even the founders and most of the moderators have felt the gentle sting of the mighty tentacle.

As an outgrowth of our community, true friendships often develop. I think there are a couple of components to that. Firstly, an excellent interface and a pleasant environment encourage members to visit every day, and there’s nothing quite like seeing a familiar ‘face’ for getting to know someone. We celebrate milestones, provide a way for members to message each other privately, offer chat-rooms and created a Social Section where more lighthearted fare can be enjoyed. We also have a few ways for members to connect off-site, like our Facebook page, a Photobucket group, and by allowing our members to post links to their own off-site activities (blogs, FB, etc.) on their profile pages. In all of these ways, connections are formed, friends are made, and a great community thrives.

In case you missed them, be sure to check out parts one, two, three, four, and five.

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chels

Chelsea is a 21 year old from New Jersey. She’s spent the better part of the last year living in England, marrying fellow jelly richardhenry, and filling out endless paperwork to get him to the United States. They plan to settle in San Fransisco very soon.

Favorite quote: “According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with 4 arms, 4 legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.” So what. I’m a romantic.

Hobbies/Interests: Doodling, sketching, BLOGGING, traveling, discovering new music. Shopping, shopping, baking, shopping. Um, video games! Oh and reading.

Day job: What.…? What day job?!

Dream job: Lately? A stylist. I’d be good at it.

Why do you volunteer your time to Fluther?: I like helping people. I like fixing things. I like being involved with people and getting to know people by what they write. It’s crazy mostly, and really hard at times, but I love all the mods and I love being around them though I haven’t been around much lately thanks to my busy life. But I love feeling like I’m contributing to something bigger, doing something to help others, you know? It’s a nice feeling when you can help out. Even if it’s something small.

Is there anything else you’d like the community to know about you?: Hmm, good question. I feel like everyone here knows me so well. I mean the biggest parts of my life have been aired all throughout threads and chats — what doesn’t Fluther know about me? I try to find things in people that maybe no one else can see. I really really hate being mean. I appreciate everything I have, even though I might not show it all the time. I’ve made some amazing friends here. I cry over stupid things. I might not always be around (especially lately because there are so many crazy things going on in my life: getting married, trying to move, my grandpa being diagnosed with cancer in February, my family going insane once again), but I’m always thinking about people here, always wondering how everyone is. I might not be around to say it, but I love you guys. FOR REALS!

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Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard

Michael is a 21 year old living with three handsome college suitemates nestled in the foothills of the Appalachians in East Tennessee, where he gets up to all sorts of interesting shenanigans. On weekends, he lives with his mom.

Favorite quote: My all time favorite quote is a huge wall of text selected from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech that he delivered in Paris on April 23, 1910. You can see it here. Here’s my second favorite, which is shorter: “You truly possess only whatever will not be lost in a shipwreck.” –El Ghazali

Pets: I have a tuxedo cat named Yoshi. He’s the feline equivalent of a stoner.

Education: I’m about 3/4 of the way through a history degree at a tiny liberal arts college. I’m going to start writing my thesis next semester (a swashbuckling historical survey of the US Navy)

Hobbies/Interests: Writing young adult fiction and poetry, playing guitar, photography (including the use of vintage cameras), reading, collecting and shooting guns (mostly vintage military ones), studying tactics and military history, camping, learning offbeat skills of questionable utility, hiking, climbing things that shouldn’t be climbed, being a shameless flirt and a hopeless romantic, painting…

Day job: Indulging in the cluster-youknowwhat that is academia.

Dream job: Safari guide/explorer extraordinaire.

Why do you volunteer your time to Fluther?: Because Auggie will whip me if I don’t. But in all seriousness, I do it for the women. And by that, I mean I do it because it’s fun and Fluther is a pretty nifty little microcosm of human life on the internet that I have found myself in love with, for whatever reason, and as such, I feel like I should do my part to help keep it fun, neat, and tidy, and to make sure it doesn’t turn into Yahoo Answers. (shudders)

Is there anything else you’d like the community to know about you?: My biggest fear is that one day I’ll wake up and all of my youth will have just wasted away. I guess that’s why I like writing young adult fiction so much. It helps to remember and make sense of years — my early teenage years — that seem to have flown by without so much as a whimper. I think I consolidate all of my formative experiences in my characters and make them into a sort of abstract diary that I hope I’ll be able to interpret one day. I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but I think it’s important.

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Thanks, mods, for helping us get to know all of you a little better!