Introduction: INDEPENDENT LIVING IDEAS

[Libertine]

In this class I will attempt to demonstrate to you various ways to live "independently" of social roles that have trapped most of the working class.

You don't have to feel trapped anymore.

There are still ways and methods you can use in order to get by and even flourish. The degree of which depends on you. If you want to half-way "drop out" and still enjoy the benefits of our consumer capitalist roles, then you can do that OR if you want to completely abandon those roles, you can do that as well (although it may take more time and definitely more resources).

Before the first class (which I will begin Wednesday night after Christmas), I will demonstrate to you various methods of the FIRST THING you must do -- GET OUT OF DEBT!!

For interesting reading up until that point, I recommend reading "STEAL THIS BOOK" by Abbie Hoffmann, which is loaded with "freebies" to help begin your journey.

- LIBERTINE

[Faye]

Thats sounds awsome what u r speaking of is something I have been wanting to do for about three years now and now I am finally getting an oppurnity to learn how!

[Whiskers123]

Dont buy that book. It promotes theft. I started reading on Amazon.com and it teaches people how to steal food from restaurants and other people. This is disgusting. I am sure the book has some good tips on how to get free food legally but since it promotes thief, if you have any morals you wont support the author.

Its disgusting it even talks about stealing from supermarkets.

[Tiedyedsoul]

Why would you censor yourself so blindly? Just because you disagree with something someone wrote doesn't mean that something else they write is garbage. Abbie Hoffman, (the author, one of the Chicago Seven, co-founder of the Yippies, and author of Woodstock generation) wrote this as one way to break free from the chains society places on you, which is what I consider to be 'Living Independently'. I wouldn't reccomend following the book blindly, but it is a worthy read, at least for this course.

[Whiskers123]

Why would you censor yourself so blindly? Just because you disagree with something someone wrote doesn't mean that something else they write is garbage. Abbie Hoffman, (the author, one of the Chicago Seven, co-founder of the Yippies, and author of Woodstock generation) wrote this as one way to break free from the chains society places on you, which is what I consider to be 'Living Independently'. I wouldn't reccomend following the book blindly, but it is a worthy read, at least for this course. Cause I have morals and wont support a book that promotes stealing. I dont want to give her to profit from promoting stealing. If she is willing to steal food from people who are willing to work hard for it then she does not deserve my business or anybody elses for that matter. (I may boycott her other books now that I know about this) Even if some of the book has some good ideas I just wont support such a disgusting thing like stealing food. This is the kind of thing that gives hippies a bad name.

I guess shes dead... so I dont have to worry about not supporting her other books. I still dont think its a good idea to support this one though. That is if you feel stealing from people is wrong.

So instead you can read the book for free here.

http://www.eriswerks.org/steal.html

[Alaxsxa]

Steal this book is currently being updated if you want to check it out or contribute.

http://www.stealthiswiki.org/

[J-Bo]

Abbie Hoffman isn't a she.

[get_up_stand_up]

Cause I have morals and wont support a book that promotes stealing. I dont want to give her to profit from promoting stealing. If she is willing to steal food from people who are willing to work hard for it then she does not deserve my business or anybody elses for that matter. (I may boycott her other books now that I know about this) Even if some of the book has some good ideas I just wont support such a disgusting thing like stealing food. This is the kind of thing that gives hippies a bad name.

I guess shes dead... so I dont have to worry about not supporting her other books. I still dont think its a good idea to support this one though. That is if you feel stealing from people is wrong.

So instead you can read the book for free here.

http://www.eriswerks.org/steal.html I don't tink you understand, a lot of the book is blantanly sarcastic. He wrote mainly to inflame certain people, notice the title, most book sellers wouldn't even carry it. Abbie Hoffman was a genius at manipulating the media. He made up so much shit that the media latched on to and publicized. Like when he gathered a huge crowd and told the government and the media that he was going to levitate the pentagon using witchcraft, and the media beleived him. You really have to understand the whole scenario to recognize his talent. This book really isn't a guide to do this stuff, you have to understand the context.

Oh, and it's a he. He is dead, so he won't be making any profit. And if you are so against stealing, why are you reading the book online illeagaly?

And furthermore, I don't think you understand the aim of this class. It's supposed to be about moving away from the capitilist veiwpoint you have. We arn't trying to work inside the parameters of a broken system, we are trying to establish a different system.

And stealing food from a large coorperation is just a way to survive, when you look at the attrocities they are commiting, stealing a little bit of food from some faceless big buisness is not a big deal. Property is the real theft, and your just taking what you need. In a perfect world we would live on a gift economy, but that is not the case. Big buisness hordes the resources and you must work for them to survive.

This class should be about breaking the cycle of working to live and living to work; in my opinion.

[J-Bo]

Great post! You hit the nail on the head, man!

[inthewrongdecade]

am i missing something or did the class just stop

[tomo_tate]

There is so much with society today that is wrong wrong wrong! Abbie Hoffman was trying to show people..lead people by example how to be a free thinker. How to make things happen because they are POSSIBLE. So many people are afraid to stand up to the man. Because of that, they are mice on a wheel, moving so fast that they don't realize they have gone absolutely no where.

STEAL THIS BOOK is not for everyone. It is for me.

[astrialkiss]

I read this book back in the 70s. I loved it then. I wouldm't mind re reading it.

[squawkers7]

I got the book from "Barnes & Noble" earlier this week. At first glance I thought it was a pretty cool book, but after actually reading some of it I have decided that it just ain't for me.

[ChronicTom]

I'd just like to point out that the author never asked anyone to support his works.

In fact, he even put in a really really prominent place, a suggestion of how to get the book without paying for it.

Imagine that...

[Raskalization]

I haven't learned a thing from this lesson............buy this book, is that it?

[Spaced06]

I've figured out my way of living off the grid, partialy at least. Learn how to juggle, travel, and earn money with your juggling. If you go to the right places you can earn 100 dolars in a night, or so I've heard from some people living like this. I'll be trying that out for a month next year, to see how it works. It sounds like such a liberating way of life, and you get to travel!

[Raskalization]

I've figured out my way of living off the grid, partialy at least. Learn how to juggle, travel, and earn money with your juggling. If you go to the right places you can earn 100 dolars in a night, or so I've heard from some people living like this. I'll be trying that out for a month next year, to see how it works. It sounds like such a liberating way of life, and you get to travel!

Can you juggle? I'd be interested to see how you get on with that, good luck :)

[Spaced06]

Can you juggle? I'd be interested to see how you get on with that, good luck :)

Yeah, I play double fire staff, poi and dexil stix. I've been planing to do a video for several months, but I don't have a camera, and that's rather inconvenient.

[coolrayfruge]

I've been looking for a way to break away from the sytem.
Be self sufficaint.
Sold my house and got a motorhome.
Installed solar panels on it.
Would like to learn to live off the land.
Maybe find others with the same goal.
Break free of the dependency of the system completly.
Tired of the greedy and control it has over us financually.
I'm not for capitalism or communism.
Just total freedom and independence.
I believe people ,not money is the answer to the world's problems.
People organizing ,working together ,caring for one another.

[coolrayfruge]

Greed ,hate ,predjudice,sefishness arrogance.
Has created the mess the world is in.
Love is the answer.
A brotherhood of man as John Lennon said, in Imagine.
A society built on Love and caring for one another.
Not greed and selfish ambitions.
When the accquistion of wealth is no longer the driving force.
But to better our selves and the rest of humanity. -Gene Roddenberry
Then we will see a better world for our children.

[smokeybear2]

what happened to these classes, keep em goin man!

[journey man]

Right on coolray-

[SisterRags]

I wonder why Whiskers and others like Whiskers hang out on sites like this one, when this is most probably not the optimal place for Whiskers and other Whiskerses to hang out and benefit.

Hmm.

Anyway, I'm very interested in this topic and wonder what happened to the info that was to be provided?

[mfgriff]

so the meaning of life is barely surviving in this pre apocalyptic concrete toss up? "society" aka the invisible hand that has been patting your ass along your whole life, has implanted in your brain no matter what you say and do during your life won't matter, because when you are dying you will say a prayer to something you believe to be greater than yourself. The human condition is insignificance. get over yourself, i know i'm over your sis and onto your mom.

[Ariesmother]

Is it really possible to completely drop off the radar? If it is why should I pay off my debts? All of my debts are mainly school loans. Education should be free. The government talks about the neccesity of an education for our future yet requires us to go into debt before we are allowed to learn. It just seems rediculous. I am a firm believer that knowledge is power, but who dictates what power is accesible. It is difficult to teach whats right and wrong sometimes, but it is very easy to teach love, compassion, sadness, empathy, and so on. Yet we spend an entire semester on War and only a few weeks on centuries worth of beautiful art. I dont want to work in some building working my way up through the commands of a corporate army. Just the thought of such misery creates a sick feeling in my gut. However, I have a very strong work ethic. That doesnt mean I go to work 9-5 everyday, it doesnt mean that I dress to impress. It means that I believe hard work is worth it when it helps my fellow man. Work can be as simple as tending a garden so you can donate fresh produce to the local free kitchen or a community potluck. It can be the diligence of a mother who chooses to home school her children. Those are the jobs I am interested in. If there is a place where people really work together and children run around free to laugh and cry, where a bardar system that doesnt involve greenbacks exists, please tell me about it. I will hop the next bus, steal a car, or what ever it takes to prevent my little girl going through life having to live in a system that she knows is wrong, watching so many of us suffer. There is a reason why people live longer in places where stress and domination arent as prevelant.

Also, Abbie Hoffman was just trying to get people to step outside of the person society made them for a moment and be free thinkers. To show the government that we the people have the ability to band together and will. Further more, his book is suggestive. As far as stealing from supermarkets, calm down. You dont have to steal anything to get your food for free from the supermarket. There is a whole community that survives off the supermarket dumpsters. These are designated food disposal containers that you can find just about anything for free due to its closeness to expiration or outdated advertisements on packaging. But if you really cant see that this is not stealing, pay Aldi's or Save-a-lot to do it for you.

Hugs and love to all of you.

[HippyLandscaper]

Is it really possible to completely drop off the radar? The teacher did.

[andallthatstocome]

Cause I have morals and wont support a book that promotes stealing. I dont want to give her to profit from promoting stealing. If she is willing to steal food from people who are willing to work hard for it then she does not deserve my business or anybody elses for that matter. (I may boycott her other books now that I know about this) Even if some of the book has some good ideas I just wont support such a disgusting thing like stealing food. This is the kind of thing that gives hippies a bad name.

I guess shes dead... so I dont have to worry about not supporting her other books. I still dont think its a good idea to support this one though. That is if you feel stealing from people is wrong.

So instead you can read the book for free here.

http://www.eriswerks.org/steal.html

lol you whine about stealing food and now you promote stealing intellectual property! hows that for hypocrisy?

[symbiote]

yeah i wonder how a class would be possible if you're off the radar.