More Than Free Stuff: How the RRFM will save the world

[This is an essay from Judge, one of the people who helps with the RRFM organizing. it contains views and opinions which are not necessarily those of the RRFM or any of its corporate sponsors.]

The Really Really Free Market is a funny thing. For some folks it's just a big ole pile of free stuff and a free lunch... which is true. For some it's just part of their Spring cleaning routine, which is ehh. For others, it is a glimpse of the kind of world we're working towards.

I'm writing this because I feel like some of the deeper meaning and purpose behind the RRFM is sometimes lost, or not apparent, to the folks who participate in it. Which is understandable, we haven't really made the effort to explain what this thing is about. This is such an effort.



We sometimes use slogans to hint at the underpinnings of the RRFM, some of these include:

• "Solidarity not Charity"
• "no money, no barter, no trade"
• "bypass capitalism"
• "bring what'cha don't need, take what'cha do"

Part of the reason I feel an explanation is necessary is that the RRFM is a fundamentally different kind of thing. This is NOT just another charity organization in town, offering free services and goods to "those in need." (as if we aren't ALL "in need"). The Really Really Free Market is a particular manifestation of a philosophy; it isn't the only, or necessarily the best one. It's a weird kind of animal that is simultaneously a political act of protest and demonstration and also it is a "putting-into-practice" activity that has tangible results. Its an event where we protest against something by demonstrating the answer. A "question-is-in-the-answer / answer-is-in-the-question" sort of thing. We're trying to illuminate a problem by displaying the solution.

The problem looks different and has different names to different folks: poverty, alienation, greed, globalization, materialism, capitalism, boredom, pollution, loss of community/commons, neoliberalism, privatization, etc.

While the problems are many, I belive that one answer lies in the philosophies of Mutual Aid and Gift Economy. Which are 2 ways of saying basically the same thing:
"be nice and take care of each other."
simple right?


Tom Tresser has this TED talk video where he explores the gift economy. I especially like the part where he says, "Another economy is possible!" and when he quotes Einstein,

"a person first starts to live when [they] can live outside [themselves], when [they] can have as much regard for [their] fellow man as [they] do for [themselves]. I believe we are here to do good. It is the responsibility of every human being to aspire to do something worthwhile, to make this world a better place than the one [they] found. Life is a gift, and if we agree to accept it, we MUST contribute in return. When we fail to contribute; we fail to adequately answer why we are here." Albert Einstein

If you watch this video, you can see how the RRFM fits nicely within the framework of gift economy ideas. In this video Tresser seems to focus on digital and internet based applications of these ideas, partly because the internet is so conducive to such activity. While online gifting is great, I think we need to expand this to everything in life.

In this next video, Charles Eisenstein talks a bit about the difference between gift economy and the current dominant economic paradigm.

"you can't take more than your share, or take something that belongs to somebody else [in a gift economy] and profit from that and enjoy benefits from that... you have to contribute to the welfare of all."

 This is how a gift economy works, and whats sad is how in the current dominant economic paradigm, we have the opposite of this. Not only CAN someone take more than their fair share, our system rewards such selfish behavior with mateiral gains and comforts.

"a lot of the things that we end up using money for... we would probably be a lot happier if we met those needs on an informal and local level... like people should garden for themselves, cook for themselves," and we should do this for each other and not pay for this; not HAVE to pay for this.

Then the interviewer asks, "what's the role of big corporations in this? what's the role of the government in this?"

 Well, you can decide for yourselves, but it seems like to me, if we can extend the spirit of the RRFM, the gift economy, to all aspects of our lives... if we truly invest in each other then there ceases to be a need for corporations and governments, at least the coercive and hierarchical kind we're used to seeing.

Now, let's explore Mutual Aid a bit. Mutual Aid is an idea put forth by Russian Anarchist, Peter Kropotkin in his book "Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution" (1902). The book was partly in response to Social Darwinism, that favored ruthless cut-throat competition. You can read or listen to the book at one of the links at the end of the wiki article: Wikipedia article on "Mutual Aid" by Kropotkin

Also, there is a group in GR inspired by these ideas, that's very similar to the RRFM, Mutual Aid GR. They have a website with a "barter board" where you can post and find goods and services. 

The basic idea, is that there is an evolutionary advantage to cooperation and mutual aid for a species or society. In the following video, Richard Dawkins explains some of these concepts from a zoological perspective. It's kinda long and is from the 80s, fair warning.



Mutual Aid is basically the idea that if we organize our communities around helping each other, we all benefit. I work on the RRFM because I think it's a good start. I have more skills and resources than can ever be accounted for with money or some job... and so do you. Everyone has skills, knowledge and resources and when we share them freely with each other, life is just better. So, it might be cool to get some free clothes, but it's much more than that. Participating in the RRFM for the free stuff or to help clean out your attic is like flying to England for the free peanuts... sure it's part of it... but, it's just the icing on the cake. So, there we have it, my attempt to explain some ideas and philosophies behind the Really Really Free Market.

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”

If you're interested in getting involved with the RRFM, you can e-mail us [ GR.RRFM@gmail.com ] or come to the next event and talk to us.