this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2023
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Anarchism
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I love the aesthetic and ideas, but personally I couldn't get into it that much. It ~~seems~~ feels too unrealistic and a little like greenwashing (renewable energy and other high-tech is core to the ideology).
A book featuring the style which I really liked was A Psalm for the Wild-Built.
How is it greenwashing? Greenwashing is capitalism pretending to be eco friendly. Solarpunk is explicitly anti capitalist.
I believe you can use greenwashing to describe more things than just capitalism pretending to be green.
For me especially the type of solarpunk aesthetic that centers fururistic cities, high tech and massive amounts of renewable energies kinda greenwashes the needed extraction of resources to achieve those aesthetics.
Most if not all folks I interacted with that seemed into solarpunk (users on slrpnk.net) where most likely not greenwashing things, but when I just google "solarpunk" my impression is more in line with the person you replied to.
That's just the aesthetic. Solarpunk is fundamentally anarchist, and aims to end that exploitation, and the structures that feed on it.
Sorry, I used the wrong wording. I meant to write that it feels a little like greenwashing to me, because I don't have a lot of faith in a "green transition" (not enough materials, exploitation of the global south etc...). But the good thing is that the solarpunk vision can work just as well in a low-tech environment.
As mentioned, solarpunk is highly focused on destroying capitalism. Ending that exploitation is a major goal
Solarpunk is very vulnerable to greenwashing, it's happening now. AOC is "solarpunk" FYI. She's cool and all, but when politicians in the imperial core are "solarpunk".... yeah...
There's also a very technocratic susceptibility to exploitation. I see for example, lots of hydrogen propaganda making its way into solarpunk spaces. Basically, it's not super dogmatic, which has lots of benefits but also leaves it to be heavily exploited and co-opted, giving a "solarpunk but capitalist" greenwashing campaign a very easy path
I suppose it's possible to hear about solarpunk and misunderstand it badly enough to call yourself one without wanting degrowth or an end to capitalism.
Did you also read the second part A Prayer for the Crown-Shy? I like the first one more but both are worth reading.
And l agree that solarpunk is a bit too techno optimistic but still isn't a good vision and that's what the left lacks right now.
I have not, thanks for reminding me!