A lot of the things we do on a daily or weekly basis have ways of doing them that can either be private or communal, some of these which we do not think to consider as having that characteristic.
For example, bathing in the Roman Empire used to be communal, but then Rome fell and citizens in the splinter countries began taking baths privately.
Receiving mail is another example. There are countries which don’t have mailboxes and everyone gets their mail at the post office in the PO boxes. It was the United States which pioneered the idea of the modern mail system, which is why we associate it as a private act.
There are activities as well which don’t have any history as jumping between one or the other that might benefit from it, for example I think towns might benefit if internet was free and freely accessible but only at the local library.
What’s a non-communal aspect of life you think should be communal?
A couple of ideas:
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Home Ownership. I know condos exist, but it seems to me that we need a solution for home ownership that is accessible and ecologically viable. Traditional houses (and even duplex’s/townhomes) are massively inefficient from a climate perspective, not to mention the space requirements and cost.
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Child rearing. In college, I learned that children were typically raised by multiple neighbors, in order to lessen the strain on parents. I think it is unrealistic and unhealthy to expect people to nearly kill themselves attempting to raise a child for the first couple of years.
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Recreation space. I realize this is mostly an American thing, but lawns are a colossal waste of space. To be of any use at all, they have to be at least half an acre, and realistically, there’s no reason every single family needs their own outdoor recreation space. Plus, a tiny minority of people even use them these days.
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Private property, specifically your toothbrush, comrade.
There’s always someone who doesn’t know so I’m contractually obligated to say that by property we mean the means of production and not any other personal belongings.
what if we held hands… in the communal toilets <3
Masturbation.
I dunno, I’ve seen plenty of J.O. Bro communities.
That goes well with my idea of pooping.
Cooking. Let’s all just cook one big meal each week and split it among 6 other people, and receive 6 meals in return.
You know, that’s not a bad idea. I only have to make one meal, but I get more variety in my food each day.
I bet it’s easy to get going to, you only need a few friends / family / neighbours to get started
I enjoy cooking; nothing takes the joy out of cooking quite like cooking for others.
That’s odd; I only enjoy cooking when I’m cooking for others. If it’s just me, I don’t give a fuck; pb&j, or I’ll order, or Soylent… Or I just don’t eat, much easier.
I’m with you. I’m perfectly content making myself ramen or some pasta or even just a bowl of cereal and toast.
But if I’m cooking for people, I’m actually putting in effort, dammit.
That’s fine; for me it’s more or less meditative to cook for myself. 3 years of food service was enough.
I’m also fat so I can make things exactly to my personal tastes(awesome) and as much as I want (less awesome if not outright dangerous)
And if i feel creative the only one dealing with the consequences is me
Transportation and gardening.
Communal gardens are a thing in many cities. My experience with them however has been skin to a HOA full of Karens
Cooking because it’s a pain in the ass to prepare food in small batches (for 1-3 people). Plus clean up It’s basically as much work to make food for 2 people as it is for 8.
