Skip to main content

Most people use services like Google, Facebook and the like because its free - you don't have to pay for them. I mean, Google maps and whatsapp don't even have ads on it. You might've also heard that Google chrome is (mostly) open source - Awesome, right ? ¯\_ (ツ) _/¯

Well, these companies are still trading with you. You have to trade your data, attention, time etc. for using their services :(

Let me introduce you to "free as in trade-free" - https://trade-free.org
Follow them at @trom
@TROM
in reply to Rokosun

Huy Ngo
Huy Ngo
• •
doesn't that sound pretty much like communism tho?
in reply to Huy Ngo

Tio
Tio
•
Giving things for free should not be bad thing or associated with "communism", which was a bunch of good ideas in the 1800 that later got misunderstood and used under dictatorship in USSR, China, and the like. Doctors Without Borders, Wikipedia, or say Open Source projects and a lot more, do a ton of good by providing goods and services for free without asking anything in return (trade-free). If you have the time maybe you can read the book @Aaron recommended!

Rokosun reshared this.

in reply to Tio

Huy Ngo
Huy Ngo
• •
Well I never mentioned it to be a bad thing. I just commented so because the article claim to be different from communism, which, to my understanding, is a system where people work according to their ability and without obligation (because there is no state to oblige to begin with) and thus not that much different.

@aaron@futureisfoss@trom
@Rokosun @TROM
in reply to Huy Ngo

Huy Ngo
Huy Ngo
• •
though I read neither of those books nor communist manifesto so I wouldn't argue about the technicality of that.
@aaron@futureisfoss@trom
@Rokosun @TROM
in reply to Huy Ngo

Tio
Tio
•
True. My bad. Usually when people mention communism they do so as a sort of a bad example.
I just commented so because the article claim to be different from communism
Which article?

Communism or socialism or other such isms are very blurry ideals about how a society could function, but society is too complex in my view, to try and organize it as such. Also, people should give up such label and focus on what they are trying to say, especially because such isms got muddied over the years and associated with all kinds of tribes that tried to "implement" them.

Trade-Free is simply saying we are providing goods/services that are purely free. No one has to give anything back (trade) to obtain them :).
in reply to Tio

Huy Ngo
Huy Ngo
• •
> Which article?
The one linked in the original post. Let me quote that here:
> Communism, [...], or any other political/governing systems are/were implemented as a layer on top of this trade-based environment.

> society is too complex in my view [...] people should give up such label

I agree. It's not a good juxtaposition at the first place.
in reply to Huy Ngo

Tio
Tio
•
I see. Yes the website clearly says that:
Pretty much our entire world-wide society is based on trades. Communism, socialism, capitalism, fascism, or any other political/governing systems are/were implemented as a layer on top of this trade-based environment. You, your parents or kids, friends and everyone else has to trade time, energy, skills, stuff, data, attention and so forth in order to get access to what they need and want: healthcare, food, shelter, comfort, gadgets, etc.. Currencies like money, bitcoin or any cryptocurrencies, social credits and the like, are all representations of this simple process of trade. Jobs and citizenship are the most well known means to officially trade in this society.
To make it clear that our society is simply based on "trade" and these isms were just a layer on top of the same system. That's all it says.
⇧