Tonight, we’re going to talk about the elephant in the room. Not just in this room, but every room. That’s right I’m talking about money, and by extension, capitalism.

This si not an advice column on how to manage your money. I’m notoriously bad with it. It was one of the factors in the end of my marriage. It’s not just trauma from the household I was raised in, I swear it’s genetic. My great grandfather turned down getting in on the ground floor of 3M. I watched my dad tell Steve Wozniak nobody was going to need a computer in their home. And me, I sold all my shares of Pixar days before Disney bought them.

But while I kid, money isn’t a laughing matter, mostly. As an actual concept, it’s kind of silly. Its all just little pieces of paper and zeros and ones in a computer file. And we’ve all agreed, for decades, that this is hwo things will work. But right now, it’s not working for anyone.

Before the crypto bros come calling, let me be clear: I don’t support cryptocurrencies. I’d call that shit Monopoly money, but that’s an insult to Monopoly. You know that game was created to show the evils of hoarding money? Then the Parker Brothers got hold of it, and warped it. It became a warped version of itself, like Celtic Frost’s Cold Lake or Metallica’s Black Album. Yeah, I said it.

Now money is useful, but that’s all it is: a tool. It shouldn’t be used to deny people food, shelter or dignity. And yet more and more, it’s being used that way. Heartwarming stories about school kids buying up the poor kids debt? They shouldn’t be heart warming, they should make you angry. Angry at the idea that people are starving if they don’t have money. If that , or homelessness, or any of the dozens of ill’s of capitalism and money don’t make you mad, there’s the door.

I’ve been homeless. I’ve had to use food banks to get by. And yes, i feel horrible about it. But why? Why do we criminalize poverty? Because it creates the two things that capitalism needs to survive: fear and othering. If you can feel superior to someone, then you can do evil to them. Because you’re better, you’re justified. I’ve been on both sides of that fence, and gods, do I regret perpetrating that system.

Every time I mention class war in this country, most people either deny its existence(morons) or think they’re on the winning side of it due to birth, skin color or God. Man, American Christianity is, by itself, a creator of a cavalcade of evils. But back in the swinging Sixties and Seventies, it had a threesome with capitalism and nationalism. That night in Vegas birthed two of the ugliest children on the planet:Christian Nationalism and the Prosperity Gospel.

Those two kids have ruined this country. People have used them to excuse hoarding and bigotry on a scale not seen since the Civil War. Which makes sense, since they’ve started another one already. And if you think I’m kidding, go ask people with skin color darker than yours. Some of the darker ones will tell you the first one never stopped. And these days, i’d be hard pressed to argue.

Now, I can hear some of you say: so Trevor, got any ideas? You’re just sitting on the couch, bitching and moaning. You’re absolutely right, Paul E. But that’s because I have constraints on me keeping me from fully embracing the idea I have to save this country from itself. That idea:platonic polycules.

For those not versed in ENM or polyamory a polycule is defined, loosely, as a group of individuals interconnected by loving relationships. Which is a great idea, and I’m a fan of. Why not have more loving? It’s not pie. So, to make it something that even monogamous people can enjoy, cut out the romance and trhe sex. Pool together as buds or lovers ot whatever, and share things. DO we need all these McMansions with two people in them, and environment killing lawns? Fuck no! Lets let people form groups to make large purchases. Liek a timeshare, but with things of actual value of them. This current genration is facing the lowest rate of home ownership since a hundred years ago. And we have record homelessness and poverty. So rathe than try and get more people the American Dream, lets reframe the dream.

People forget the nuclear family is a modern creation. It mostly doesn’t exist prior to the 40’s. Everyone had people living with them. It was either an older parent or a single relative. And sadly, pop culture has ridiculed this and promoted the single family since the 1950’s. This has led to people being more isolated and lonely as they chase a dream that is shrinking by the day.

And I’m not suggesting large biological families living together. That’s a dicey proposition at best. And eliminates the most common family for many people: the Family of Choice. You should be able to create your own family without exchanging bodily fluids. You still can but it shouldn.t be required.

We already have the laws in place for domestic partnerships, why not for domestic groups living together and sharing? Ironically , it comes back to the nasty child of Christ, the modern Christina Church. They’re so afraid of groups organizing outside their laws and control, they fight it tooth and nail. And yet, I doubt Christ would have supported their views. He didn’t marry and hung around with the same bunch of guys. And told them all he loved them. Sounds like a polycule to me. Yeah, I said it.

In the end, I’m not an economics professor, but how many of those guys are right about stuff. Go to a big ass bookstore, and look at the people promoting capitalism , in its current form. Lots of jail time there, because they believed those rules were for “other” people. I’m not perfect, and I think I’ve got a good idea, but not a belief. If you want to tell me honestly why we shouldn’t, leave a comment, But play nice, or I’ll get the banhammer. Good night,