[p2p-research] Future of making request

[M. Fioretti]

Just a couple of quick comments right now, I hope to contribute more
later on.

To begin with, the first thing I have thought when I looked at the
visual map is "of all the people I know in *person* (about 1500, I'd
guess, including occasional meetings, and not a few have technical
degrees or PHDs) maybe 50 have already heard about more than one of those
websites or concept. I'm not drawing any conclusion from this yet,
just thought I'd share this feeling.

Secondly, I completely agree with what Patrick wrote and quoted (see
below) and think that the way to go is to not understimate what Samuel
wrote (quoted at the bottom). As I just said, I haven't physically met
yet almost nobody who is or _would_ ever be interested in actively
doing any of the things on that map (I'm not criticizing that view of
the world, just reporting a fact).

But I do know, or see on _mainstream_ TV, more and more people who
already are or want to become "*organized* "consumers", who base their
decisions on ethics", especially in sectors like food and clothes,
without falling in the trap/false solution which is most of the
current fair trade.

I suggest that a society where everybody is an active produser is very
far in the future and may also be an unrealistic expectation and/or a
suboptimal solution, as far as real quality of life is concerned.

Whereas a society where everybody who _wants_ to be a producer can do
it but all citizens are active, responsible purchasers, that is: buy
only what they really need and buy it only from those who do it right
and, as Sam says, "collectively bargain, and put CONDITIONS on what is
purchased based on their own ethics"... well, such a society is much,
much easier to make happen and it would reform production in the right
way anyway, wouldn't it?

Marco

On Fri, May 16, 2008 12:14:04 PM -0600, Patrick Anderson wrote:

> Are produsers really ready to manage their own production?  I want
> to think so, but have recently seen some researchers saying the
> opposite.
>
> David Braden says "The most efficient decision making structure to
> have evolved to date is the one employed by business corporations. I
> think we need to design in that same efficiency if we are going to
> build local organizations with the power to balance global
> organizations."

> And Sepp tells us "I just have little faith in our average consumer
> to run a business that they have no clue about (or to make the right
> decisions that will allow a manager to successfully run it)."

Samuel Rose wrote:

> I think a step that people are ready for right now is to become
> *organized* "consumers", who base their decisions on ethics. To
> collectively bargain, and put conditions on what is purchased based
> on their own ethics (safe for the environment? socially equitable?
> etc) Their information can flow through a "follow/follow" set of
> channels, which actually helps to strengthen the validity of the
> information. These groups can and should release their data about
> what they endorse and do not endorse collectively.
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