going local*

*This post is admittedly on the more serious side, so I can appreciate if you are thrown for a loop or want to skip it.  Give it a try though - for me?  Thanks.  


I have been inspired recently by the Occupy Wall Street populist movement.  This, in conjunction with many of the conversations I have been having and personal reflection I have been doing (my walk to and from campus is over a mile, which gives me some time to think), has made me think a lot about where my money is kept and spent.  While I do not claim to be a great critical consumer, I have made some steps to be better, which I define as focusing on local economies of scale and spending money at companies that invest in the people and issues that are important to me.  For example, I am planning on joining the Moon Co-op when it finally opens its doors (after 9 years in the making) at the end of the month and have made contact with a local CSA, which I plan to join for the coming growing season (there is only one and it runs from May through October).  I share this not to say "look at me, I am so much better than you", but to share some of the choices I am making.  In addition, I am hoping that my stating these choices publicly (to the few of you who read this darn thing!) will help hold me accountable.  


But I digress...


This morning, literally not more than 20 minutes ago I just took the step of severing my ties with Bank of America, with whom I had been a customer for the last five years.  


This is the first step in my process of moving my money to a local credit union, which I hope to be finally complete by the end of this week.  The catalyst for this decision was BoA's decision to impose fees on those using their debit cards.  However, to say my decision was rooted in this is myopic and reductionist.  Ultimately, my decision has stemmed from the fact that I do not see the benefit of large banks for the majority of my fellow brothers and sisters.  We put what little money we have in them (reports show that median family incomes have shrunk since the recession, more people are in poverty than have been in the past 50 years despite the grossly overestimated poverty line, and income inequity is at an all-time high since the 1920's - oh, and here is an interesting graph for those visual learners amongst us) is being used to propel Wall Street and investments, a market which seems to be open to anyone who wants to invest (although as previously stated, people are trying to live hand-to-mouth and stave off bills, thus meaning they don't have money to invest), but is really there for folks who already have money, know the system, and want to make more money.  This is highlighted here, where it is articulated that "The top 1 percent also own 50 percent of all stocks and bonds.  The top 10 percent own over 90 percent of stocks and bonds."  Pardon me for saying so, but that is fucked up.  Also, remember that whole financial crisis?  Yeah, that was created by big banks and investment companies taking advantage of consumers (sub-prime mortgages) and dealing in shady investment practices.  No es bueno.  


Anyway, due to this, I am wanting to find ways to support my local community and think about ways in which my money can stay as close to home as possible so as to benefit the people who are working and struggling right here.  I get it - Oxford is a privileged community.  I also get that my analysis is certainly one view in a world with many.  I can appreciate the views that my friends who are not Marxist-Socialists have and want to respect their choices.  Furthermore, I want to clarify that no community is without its individuals struggling to make ends meet - even among the cobblestone in Oxford.  Local businesses are important to our communities and our collective sense of well-being.  Therefore, I see this move, and others like it that I plan to make/keep making as a way to put my money where my mouth is.  Ain't no bein' an armchair Socialist, no matter how pretty an analysis you have.  


This is not a value judgement on others - it is a personal choice.  
This is not a panacea - it is a step in the right direction.  


I understand I have the privilege to make these choices.
I understand I have the privilege to take these actions. 
I understand that the ways in which I privilege some may have the impact of hurting others.  


This is the best forward I see for myself in making sense of a world that is inequitable.  


I welcome feedback from others, especially counter-narratives and opposing ideas.  I want to learn more and think deeply on this issue.  Let's respectfully engage.