rural co-ops are cool. if you ignore the elevated messaging and narratives that dominate media, its not hard to see why 120 years ago places like kansas were a major hub of socialist politics in 1900.

but, equally instructive, is just how effective reactionary political projects paired with media-owning capital formations are at convincing people who they are and how to recontextualize their own values in service to the hegemon.

i met this woman once from rural kansas who would probably crucify herself to save a strangers life, but she was absolutely anxious and afraid of all the things capitalists wanted her to be. it's fucking tragic what has become of us.

[–] penitentkulak@hexbear.net 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

they were cool, now they are nearly as reactionary as their non-coop counterparts, because (at least here) they are consumer co-ops, not worker co-ops. the local farmers co-op here is heavily involved in union busting in it's local stores and at their big oil refinery, and they are fully entrenched in the oil and gas industry, lobbying against renewable energy to our local governments.

[–] D61@hexbear.net 2 points 6 days ago

knight-nod