I think a broken blade is one of the best romantasy books I’ve ever read and should def be added to this list

(bernie sanders voice) i am once again complaining about survivalist culture and shows like "Alone"

i know this is lightly offtopic, but this reminds me sooo much of the thoughts i always have when i watch these shows. it's like a microcosm of capitalist/imperialist co-option of indigenous ideals and practice while simultaneously devaluing indigenous ideals and practices. the survivalists are clearly informed by indigenous wisdom, with some of them fully appropriating indigenous teaching, but many are too limited by the framework of their own individualism to really practice the type of reciprocity and mutuality Kimmerer talks about

i see often people talk about indigenous wisdom in these environments, things they learned about "living off the land", even attempting to be grateful; yet they will inevitably do something that goes against the practice (and usually, ends up in their loss)

there's also a bit of sad irony in the fact of a show like "Alone" specifically. indigenous culture thrives on the idea of community, connection, caring for each other, everyone providing what they can for the greater good. yet Alone strips all of that away, and these survivalists are expected to survive with nobody, no connection, no assistance - and this individualism results in doing things that would be unheard of had they had a community (or at least a partner, damn) to survive alongside

killing animals that provide really no sustenance out of desperation, or killing huge animals that require intense amounts of work for storing/drying because it's way too much for one person, hoarding forageables even when it's counterintuitive, it's all a symptom of the scarcity mindset Kimmerer is trying to combat here

not only that, but the achievement is in who is able to do this the best. who is able to prove that they need nobody but themselves? all for a cash prize to top it all off 🫠 it's a one-for-one, super niche example of the extractive nature of capitalism & colonialism while appropriating indigenous land & wisdom

"A hunter had brought home a sizeable kill, far too much to be eaten by his family. The researcher asked how he would dry and store the excess. Smoking and drying technologies were well-known, storing was possible. The hunter was puzzled by the question. Store the meat? Why would he do that? Instead, he sent out an invitation to a feast, and soon the neighboring families were gathering around his fire, until every last morsel was consumed. This seemed like maladaptive behavior to the anthropologist, who asked again, given the uncertainty of meat in the forest, why didn't the hunter store the meat for himself, which is what the economic system of his home culture would predict. 'Store my meat? I store my meat in the belly of my brother,' replied the hunter."

I love this section on little free libraries. I saw a group of people complaining about how much they hated when others took books from their lfls and never returned them to the same lfl. They called it greedy and hoarding, and they were sharing tips for marking books all over to designate they belonged to that particular lfl. It was one of those posts that made me so frustrated I just had to keep scrolling. In my community, we have a thriving lfl network thanks to volunteers throughout. There has never once been an expectation that a book needs to be returned or compensated for. It is a gift, and hopefully it finds its way into new hands continuously either via a gift between friends and families, a donation to a different lfl, or a donation to a community library. Booksta's obsission with owning makes me so uncomfortable, I'm relieved someone far better at articulating this than I am addressed it