Welcome to Dispatch #51! As we move into the holiday season, with more family gatherings on the way, we can’t be the only ones getting mild-PTSD every time we go to the grocery store. Inflation, war, and (most of all) corporate greed have ballooned food prices to almost unsustainable levels. The truth is, most of this is a product of a food system that prioritizes corporate profits over actually feeding people, and we can do so much better. There are practices being worked on right now that could be a viable replacement, but they just need more people to know about it - which is what we set out to do this week!
We just released a new video where we explore 3 exciting alternative economic food practices in Los Angeles, CA, and learn where similar practices are near you, because with the looming climate crisis promising global food shortage, it’s more important than ever that we invest in alternatives. In addition, learn about the meaning of the term “Agnotology” which explains why more available information hasn’t led to more understanding of the world, and the inspiring story of a chef-activist combating food waste and social isolation through community kitchens.
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Easy Actions to Take
⏱~3min | (US Only) Demand the House of Representatives impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth
Why: The 34-page privileged resolution charges Hegseth with multiple legal and constitutional violations, including ordering extrajudicial killings off the coast of South America, waging a disastrous, illegal Iran war, axing departments tasked with keeping civilians safe, retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly for speaking out against unlawful military orders, and so much more. According to Politico’s recent polling, “Nearly two-thirds of 2024 Democratic voters and 20% of Republicans support his impeachment.” This is the moment to ensure those voices are heard loud and clear. Organized by Win Without War
⏱~3min | (US Only) Call your representative and demand they elect new Congressional leadership
Why: Every two years, immediately following the November general elections, Democrats and Republicans in both the House and Senate begin the process of choosing their party leaders for the upcoming session of Congress that starts in January. Because this will determine what Congress prioritizes for the next two years, every member in both the majority and minority parties should elect leaders who reflect the values of their constituents and the mandate just handed to them by voters. Organized by 5Calls
Why: The Zero Hunger Generation (ZHG) is a community of young people with the power to build a future free from hunger around the world. For the release of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, in theaters November 20, Suzanne Collins, Lionsgate and World Food Program USA invite you to join the fan challenge to help send 1 million meals to families facing hunger. Organized by World Food Program USA
Little (Movement) Wins
Flashback:
The Missing Ingredients for a 21st Century Revolution by Ray
There is a fresh wave of mass uprisings occurring all over the world. Serbian students have organized against their dictator, Aleksander Vucic; French students staged a nationwide general strike; Italian students are fighting back against austerity; Spanish residents resist oppressive housing policies; Brazillian voters successfully rallied to defeat right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro. There are similar stories on every continent as young people rise up against a world that seems increasingly bleak from their perspective.
We were in a similar situation throughout the 2010 decade, but many uprisings didn’t lead to positive change or true revolution. What are the lessons we can take from the uprisings of the 2010s and what was missing to create the lasting change we need? With these lessons, we’ll know how we must proceed into the future in a world where the stakes are higher and more digitized every year.
Featured Piece
The Food System Corporations are Hiding From You - Solidarity Economy Series Ep1
Our latest Youtube video is out now! Grocery store prices have gotten out of hand - nowadays, a normal week of shopping can easily run past $100 and it's hard not to feel stuck paying whatever the big chains decide to charge. The truth is, most of our issues with our food system are a result of an economic system that prioritizes corporate profits above all else. But what if it didn’t have to be this way?
In partnership with Art.Coop, Economics 4 Emancipation, and the Center for Cultural Power, we went looking for alternatives and found some already happening in Los Angeles. We shopped at Co-opportunity Market, a member-owned grocery co-op in Santa Monica, checked out the Nourish LA food rescue program, and stopped by Crop Swap LA’s microfarm stand, an amazing organization turning unused space into neighborhood farms.
This is the first episode in our series on the Solidarity Economy, a way of organizing our economic system that prioritizes people instead of profit. The point is to show that the alternatives to our current system already exist, we just need more people to know about and invest in them so they can be built up into a real replacement. Check out the video to find resources about where these practices exist near you!
After watching, check down below (or in the video description) for links to the directories to find similar practices near you!
Agnotology
The Conscious Citizens Dictionary
Within sociology, agnotology is the study of deliberate, culturally cultivated ignorance or doubt in order to sell a product or influence public opinion. This is usually done through the publication of disinformation, like inaccurate or misleading scientific data. Through this work, political or corporate actors are able to spread confusion and reinforce beliefs that benefit their personal interests.
- Climate change is the largest example of agnotology in action. In the 1970s, fossil fuel corporations already knew that carbon emissions contributed to climate change. Yet, instead of changing course, they invested millions into false studies, propaganda, and lobbying campaigns to sow doubt into public discourse and stall progress to address the climate crisis.
- The tobacco industry is another prominent example. In the 1950s, tobacco corporations created a disinformation playbook to protect revenue in the face of mounting evidence linking tobacco smoke to serious illness like cancer.
- Michael Betancourt, social theorist, used agnotology in a critical assessment of political economy in a 2010 article and book, Immaterial Value and Scarcity in Digital Capitalism. Betancourt argued that our current political system should be termed "agnotologic capitalism", claiming that the systematic production and maintenance of ignorance about capitalism enabled a "bubble economy" that allowed the economy to function.
The abundance of information online allows people to cherry-pick information that reinforce their existing beliefs (confirmation bias), and ignore inconvenient knowledge, creating an environment where more information doesn't equal more clarity.
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"Full bellies, it turns out, are a prerequisite of consciousness-raising."
– Jeremy A. Rud, UCLA Linguistics Alumni
Conscious Creatives: Massimo Bottura
Massimo Bottura is a renowned Italian chef, restaurateur, and activist that’s opened many famous restaurants around the world and is best known for owning Osteria Francescana, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Modena, Italy that’s consistently ranked among the best in the world — but what sets him apart from his peers is how he uses his social power and skills to combat food waste and social isolation, which is a global scale issue.
It started in 2015: When the World Expo, an international fair themed “Feeding the Planet,” was hosted in Milan, dozens of restaurants were expected to feed thousands of visitors, leaving Massimo wondering, “where would all the uneaten food go?” This simple question led him to turn a problem into an opportunity: to cook it. He took over an abandoned theater in a working-class neighborhood and invited 60 of the world's top chefs to come cook 15 tons of food that would’ve otherwise been discarded into free, beautifully plated multi-course meals in a thoughtfully designed space for people experiencing homelessness and poverty.
Like many other esteemed creatives we’ve mentioned in past issues, Bottura believes that beauty is a human right, not just a luxury for the rich, and this conviction is what laid the foundation for Food for Soul, a non-profit he and his wife co-founded in 2016 that now runs 12 community kitchens (refettorios) around the world — in Milan, London, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Harlem, San Francisco, Mérida, and more — having rescued 2,750+ tons of food, served 4.3 million meals, and welcomed 1.65 million guests. Every refettorio is designed in collaboration with local artists, architects, and chefs, because when people are welcomed into a beautiful space with respect, they feel more seen and accepted.
What makes Massimo Bottura a conscious creative isn't the Michelin stars; it's the conviction behind his entire practice: that cooking is about more than feeding the body — it's about nourishing dignity and cultivating a culture of care and belonging.
🖥 Learn More About Food for Soul | 📱Follow Massimo
Resources & Tools
Here are some great resources from our directory. Please share these links with anyone that might find them helpful:
- 💝 USSEN Solidarity Economy Map | Find worker co-ops, community land trusts, community gardens, social currencies, credit unions, community banks, and other solidarity economy businesses or practices to support/join.
- 💝 RIPESS | Find a solidarity network near you with the help of RIPESS, a solidarity network of networks connecting all continental solidarity economies around the world.
- 💝 US Federation of Worker Cooperatives Directory | A directory of worker coops, other democratic workplaces, and support organizations—groups who together are advancing worker ownership across the United States.
- 🔒 PikaSim | A privacy-first eSIM provider selling anonymous data eSIMs and real carrier phone-number plans across 190+ countries, delivered instantly as a QR code with nothing to sign up for.
- 💝 GroupMuse | A worker- and musician-owned cooperative, non-profit, and online music ticket event platform that facilitates small, intimate concerts in non-traditional venues across the US—think living rooms, backyards, public parks, and community centers. Pay a small fee that directly supports freelance musicians, listen to some incredible live performances in an intimate, communal setting.
➡️ Explore More on our Directory!
Know any resources that you think would be a great add to our directory? Share it with us! (We only see so much from our corner of the world)
If you're new here, don't forget to sign up to get full access to our directory and free newsletters sent to your inbox every other Sunday. Till next time, do your best and take it one day at a time. Care for yourself and the people around you. Believe that the world can be better than it is now. Never give up. And remember, you're not alone. We always have each other.
With Love & Light,
Elisa & Ray
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