Is there some kind of mutual aid matchmaking platform, preferably decentralized in some way?
Commercially run platforms do not qualify, nor do "you can technically do mutual aid here" platforms, I'm really looking for something with an ideological basis in mutual aid that actively encourages it.
Note that "mutual aid" here is not a euphemism for just "people asking for / offering money", I mean mutual aid in the broader sense, including doing stuff for people that they need
@joepie91 would you want that tow ist on top of paypal or stripe or maybe open source bitcoin lightning?
@serapath Mutual aid is, crucially, a selfless act by default, so payment should not really be a factor to begin with
@joepie91 i see.
so mutual aid in terms of helping others with ...labour i guess.
asking for help
offering help
@serapath Mutual aid can take many forms - offering or asking for help with doing something, but also donations of things, money, and so on.
The core idea is that someone who has something to spare (time, money, stuff, ...) gives it to someone who is in need, and gradually setting up a mutual support network of people doing so, so that those who are having a bad time are supported by those doing better and vice versa, whatever people's current situation is.
The exact thing being given or received doesn't really matter, as long as it fits that idea 🙂
@joepie91
yeah.
for example. i had a baby and i also have no income for the past 5 years and spend savings.
we received a lot of baby stuff so we can now take care of the baby.
we also passed on plenty of things we didnt need anymore to a place or network of placed called "thingery", which is a library of things.
you can store your stuff and then lend it. you can become a member and get what you need for some time. you can exchange stuff etc...
also charity shops help.
love it
@joepie91 without this network i'd be in serious trouble.
but... i would also like to see organizing in a way to be able to outcompete capitalist shitshow.
this shouldnt be too hard.
ppenty of skilled folks. often enshittifying companies force plenty of bullshit without whoch stuff can be more efficient, but companies in capital8sm just cant.
oh also, company employees get salaries.... from money printers... its hard to compete as long as there is money printers, because any alternative form of production has no access to printers like capitalista do and is thus at an unfair disadvantage.
@joepie91 i do think it can be a start. the goal should be to channel new funds in by offering products/services made that way
@serapath It can certainly be a start, I'm just trying to avoid recommendations of platforms whose idea of mutual aid starts *and ends* with sending money to others, because more is needed 🙂
@joepie91 I really like this idea! I wish I was smart enough to build something like this, I know I would mess it up though.
not really answering the question
@joepie91 freecycle was something a little bit like this, at one point, albeit with a different ideoloy. but that energy mostly moved to facebook buy nothing groups, unfortunately.
fundamental problem here is that making mutual aid work requires local community building, which has generally been easier/more prevalent on corporate platforms (where vc money paid to get a bunch of people onboarded already). not sure how to fix that.
not really answering the question
@alive That's more or less the conclusion I'd come to, yeah. I have some ideas about how this problem could be approached, but I wanted to check first whether someone else had already done it, before accumulating Yet Another Project...
(I have nothing against financial mutual aid to be clear, but "sending the same dollar around fifty times among mostly-all-poor folks" is not a sustainable revolutionary strategy, even if in the short term it is certainly helpful)