Lyrics
Opt Out
Marxist Jargon
We made a big meal for all our friends to share
We got it from a dumpster but they don't care
-
We got a front yard, ain't used for anything
Its green all summer, kinda brown in the spring
Turn it to dirt and plant your three sisters there
Trade it to your neighbours for some love and care
chorus
Just opt out,
of the market regime
Cause it don’t care about you,
or care about me
My good buddy Sam’s been talkin' degrowth
He says maximizing dollars is the wrong approach
-
We didn't know how to make a lemonade stand
But the gal down the street had all the right plans
Wouldn't wanna trade our minds for their money
Haven't you heard of open source honey
chorus
The crotch of my jeans was made to blow
So I got a roll of fabric, made us all some robes
-
Heard your mom and your dad are getting’ kinda old
They got a piece of land with a swimming hole
Grab all your pals and move next summer
Start a little commune, take care of one another
chorus
Artist Statement
To me, every part of the creation of this song and video encapsulate some aspect of degrowth. The song was written as a celebration of one of Burlington, Vermont’s wonderful community houses, the Hungerfort (named for its location on Hungerford Terrace) and is a tribute those who care in ways that inspire interdependence between one another but independence from the capitalist system. It incorporates elements of non-market economy, low consumption, knowledge co-creation, conviviality and intergenerational and community care. It also contains underlying criticisms of planned obsolescence, proprietary knowledge and the neoliberal slide within academia, some dry commentary on generational privilege and property ownership, and of course, the heartless nature of the capitalist hegemony.
The video was produced during the week leading up to DegrowthFest and required very little coordination or planning; the front yard had already been turned into a garden, the dinners were already a confluence of home grown, salvaged, and gifted foods, Sam was already sermonizing degrowth behind the degrowth info booth, the lines between work and play were being blurred at the river’s side, and Marina was busy sharing building plans for the event infrastructure. Our (Marxist Jargon) contribution to DegrowthFest was the video looped above a free lemonade stand, which provided commentary on the unquestioned but common practice of introducing children to the profit motive through cute and seemingly harmless sidewalk sales.
Marxist Jargon is Lindsay Barbieri, Sam Bliss, Ben Dube, Meg Egler, Lauren Greco, Drea Tremols, and various folks not present.