this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2026
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Work Reform

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[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

So many people would give away money to have their own vegetable garden

I guess I'm in the minority. I'm perfectly happy living in a townhome with a postage stamp backyard if it puts me walking distance from a fully stocked grocery store stuffed with fresh food harvested out in the country.

Humans are different and have different interests but one thing common to all of us is that we enjoy

I mean, I'll spot you fresh air and friendly neighbors, relatively speaking. But being outdoors when it's muggy or freezing or ozone-y is highly overrated. Exercise isn't something I need (or prefer) to do in my home when a park or gym is nearby. And hobbies are, similarly, nice to do in a communal space where all the tools I need are at hand.

So I might spot you "quality public amenities" in lieu of "disposable income/savings". But I think your mileage is really going to vary by climate and weather conditions when it comes to just telling people to touch grass.

This is basic stuff, I think it’s covered by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs - which, ironically, is often shown to business students in universities, but then disregarded by the capitalists who rule this world.

Maslow's a great "Intro To" for sociology, but it does run into a lot of caveats and limits. People will periodically risk or outright sacrifice lower "basic" needs in pursuit of higher goals. And influencing that behavior is exactly what business-and-marketing seeks to achieve. Capitalists don't neglect Maslow, they aspire towards exploiting and subverting it. The ideal commoditized bit of human capital is going to live in the pod and eat the bugs and own nothing and still be happy.

Maslow is for the real people, not the NPCs.