Nostr notes by David Graeber Institute

“No, it’s not ‘normal’ for humans to be in competition ...

2026-05-13T19:52:09+02:00

“No, it’s not ‘normal’ for humans to be in competition all the time.

It’s not normal to work for most of your waking hours of the day.

It’s not normal to be stressed 24/7.

Stop taking a few hundred years of capitalism and pretending that’s just how being human is. It’s not.”

We could employ everyone to build social housing, hospitals, new ...

2026-05-12T16:56:33+02:00

We could employ everyone to build social housing, hospitals, new railways, and schools. Instead, trillions are poured into war, bailouts, and corporate subsidies while basic infrastructure crumbles and millions struggle to survive.

This is why we need an alternative to neoliberalism.

Maybe it's worth thinking of alternatives to the current ...

2026-05-12T03:15:08+02:00

Maybe it's worth thinking of alternatives to the current economic system.

The likes of Musk and Thiel want us to be fighting with each ...

2026-05-11T04:05:54+02:00

The likes of Musk and Thiel want us to be fighting with each other and hating each other so we don't unite against them.

Peoples' experiences in the world of work are different to ...

2026-05-09T19:54:07+02:00

Peoples' experiences in the world of work are different to the myths about meritocracy that we are told.

When David Graeber warned Labour not to abandon its principles, ...

2026-05-08T00:06:03+02:00

When David Graeber warned Labour not to abandon its principles, give up socialism and become a Centrist Party, he was ignored and even mocked by the Labour-Right.

But his prediction that abandoning socialism would ruin the party, well David has been proven right.

Sometimes it is not complicated. ...

2026-05-07T19:31:22+02:00

Sometimes it is not complicated.

"Human beings are projects of mutual creation. Most of the ...

2026-05-07T02:40:15+02:00

"Human beings are projects of mutual creation. Most of the work we do is on each other. The working classes just do a disproportionate share of that work.

They are the caring classes, and always have been. It is just the incessant demonisation directed at the poor by those who benefit from their caring work that makes it difficult, to acknowledge it."

- David Graeber

We could easily feed, house and provide healthcare to everyone ...

2026-05-07T02:11:59+02:00

We could easily feed, house and provide healthcare to everyone many times over.

Overpopulation arguments ignore the elephant in the room, which is the unequal distribution and consumption of resources.

The earth can support billions, but it cannot support billionaires.

Happy Birthday to Sir David Attenborough who turns 100 years old ...

2026-05-03T04:59:55+02:00

Happy Birthday to Sir David Attenborough who turns 100 years old this week.

He is someone whose words we should all stop and think about.

Under modern capitalism, new technology that should be used to ...

2026-05-01T21:08:42+02:00

Under modern capitalism, new technology that should be used to shorten the workweek and make life easier for people, instead is used to throw workers out of jobs, boost stock prices and to enrich billionaires.

Nostr event nevent1qqsqh4c8wuq30xf0wkk52k9askjq7sykfnyarx98zcgmkgx8c6dkj0gzyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vassfcujz9

2026-05-01T02:34:52+02:00

A reminder for today that all the aspects of our economic system ...

2026-04-29T06:16:46+02:00

A reminder for today that all the aspects of our economic system are made up and we can have a new and better system if we want.

It does not have to be this way.

Nostr event nevent1qqs2xyqy6kz3p8xptqavx65z6gkaec3kcuvduexn9zr759ufs9v9kzszyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vassh0e92p

2026-04-11T19:46:58+02:00

The likes of Peter Thiel and El*n Musk have their ...

2026-03-30T05:23:39+02:00

The likes of Peter Thiel and El*n Musk have their 'solutions.'

If people spend most of their money on Rent or paying Debts, then ...

2026-03-30T04:09:46+02:00

If people spend most of their money on Rent or paying Debts, then they won't have much money for food, for pubs, clothes, to go to concerts etc.....

Even if you believe in Capitalism, surely you must admit that the current system is not working.

Work could be fulfilling. ...

2026-03-26T16:40:12+01:00

Work could be fulfilling.

Agree or disagree, we need to be discussing Universal Basic ...

2026-03-25T16:58:23+01:00

Agree or disagree, we need to be discussing Universal Basic Income.

It is too important of a subject just to scroll past.

Imagine people could make up their own minds about what it was ...

2026-03-20T16:46:44+01:00

Imagine people could make up their own minds about what it was that they would pursue.

Nostr event nevent1qqsv558letkatlqzqqmetrm2r5r05u6pvv2gvsfajpq49spdxxmu45czyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vassxmxt9k

2026-03-08T23:31:22+01:00

He said this back in 2020. ...

2026-03-03T03:12:16+01:00

He said this back in 2020.

We need to stop measuring the economy by how wealthy the top 1% ...

2026-02-25T02:34:56+01:00

We need to stop measuring the economy by how wealthy the top 1% are doing or by how much the stock market has increased.

Instead we need to start measuring a country’s success by its standard of living, its access to healthcare/education and its the levels of homelessness/poverty.

Michael Hudson explains how Trump's awfulness motivates ...

2026-02-21T17:31:18+01:00

Michael Hudson explains how Trump's awfulness motivates countries to produce their own food and have other policies that move them away from Neo-liberalism.

Nostr event nevent1qqsx2q4s6xtn20jm5lpdq0yelua6lajgwjhwclpw02juqcgtnt7c7pgzyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vassv8k8s6

2026-02-19T17:28:09+01:00

Nostr event nevent1qqsdjlatp9ucg0c9txu85e726m7m6gag5mege76gzlpzvq2j6u3m8cqzyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vasssun8mg

2026-02-15T16:20:07+01:00

From, 'Managerial Feudalism to the Revolt of the Caring ...

2026-02-12T05:34:18+01:00

From, 'Managerial Feudalism to the Revolt of the Caring Classes (Graeber; 2019).

https://davidgraeber.org/articles/from-managerial-feudalism-to-the-revolt-of-the-caring-classes/

Nostr event nevent1qqsp8f3nqamypz9lu5p83qdwhnxwuheajxwtekpwqtuftgsw5ggfspqzyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vassaen2np

2026-02-09T04:37:53+01:00

David Graeber explained why jobs that often do quite a lot of ...

2026-02-08T17:28:56+01:00

David Graeber explained why jobs that often do quite a lot of damage to society, those jobs tend to be very highly paid.

Nostr event nevent1qqswdqqxkzz5gg6tum5y9qn3yfa6w299g79nx7s2svlqq6n4rvj7x0szyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vass4aw0zg

2026-02-07T18:06:56+01:00

Nostr event nevent1qqszlrfaw5e2uzn9d264lnxkxxtqyyhfnceg8uc72e75tual27ykkdgzyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vassr5hunz

2026-02-06T18:35:09+01:00

"Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an ...

2026-02-05T02:38:04+01:00

"Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction. It has no satiation point, since its consummation does not fill the inner emptiness, boredom, loneliness, and depression."

- Erich Fromm
(1900 to 1980)

Most work is caring for other people. ...

2026-01-31T02:06:36+01:00

Most work is caring for other people.

If you are interested in Decolonization and African History, we ...

2026-01-29T18:23:03+01:00

If you are interested in Decolonization and African History, we have a stream about to start on the topics!

https://www.youtube.com/live/RvoB6mgqck0

The actor, Edward Norton, calls for a General Strike! "What ...

2026-01-26T08:14:29+01:00

The actor, Edward Norton, calls for a General Strike!

"What they are doing in Minnesota with the strike needs to expand. We should be talking about a national General and Economic Strike."

Nostr event nevent1qqsysk6k4apcefped4ngymwzfmnm999ncakgz763c8yjk5esk2c20kczyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vasszdz9wn

2026-01-26T05:12:34+01:00

"Hopelessness isn’t natural. It needs to be produced. If we ...

2026-01-22T23:48:53+01:00

"Hopelessness isn’t natural. It needs to be produced.

If we really want to understand this situation, we have to begin by understanding that for decades we have seen the construction of a vast bureaucratic apparatus for the creation and maintenance of hopelessness, a kind of giant machine that is designed, first and foremost, to destroy any sense of possible alternative futures."

- David Graeber

Nostr event nevent1qqsz7yudetq96mx0ghqezf04h3rtp4cdchu759uk809csn79f97ggwgzyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vass6ml9dm

2026-01-16T02:20:04+01:00

Our generation can learn from those like Erich Fromm who lived in ...

2026-01-14T17:31:21+01:00

Our generation can learn from those like Erich Fromm who lived in Germany when the Nazis rose to power.

Howard Zinn would have a lot to say about the world in 2026 if he ...

2026-01-10T18:14:33+01:00

Howard Zinn would have a lot to say about the world in 2026 if he was here today.

Nostr event nevent1qqsps8pws96lwcykfzlgrgu3r94smq886z3839d2rynwnf6qp0ppklqzyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vass7tlvct

2026-01-10T05:19:06+01:00

Hannah Arendt saw the terror of Nazis in the 1920s and 30s and ...

2026-01-09T01:58:11+01:00

Hannah Arendt saw the terror of Nazis in the 1920s and 30s and was imprisoned by the Gestapo.

She knew the importance of standing up to Fascism and to Fascist Terror.

Don't forget too the role of FoxNews and other media ...

2026-01-08T16:53:28+01:00

Don't forget too the role of FoxNews and other media platforms in all this.

One thing today has shown is that ordinary people who are ...

2026-01-08T00:54:37+01:00

One thing today has shown is that ordinary people who are politically active protesting their Govt, they are far braver than any of the career politicians running the Govt.

And frankly without such brave people, we would not even have the limited rights that we do have.

During times like this, the wisdom of John Pilger is very much ...

2026-01-04T16:34:37+01:00

During times like this, the wisdom of John Pilger is very much needed.

The UK is a bizarre country where its seen as just fine & ...

2026-01-02T21:01:23+01:00

The UK is a bizarre country where its seen as just fine & normal for people to sleep in tents in the freezing cold. Temperatures to hit -4 this week

But the idea Billionaires could be less rich. Not poor, not struggling, just a bit less rich, this is seen as extreme and radical

There is a great deal of work that is not bullshit and that very ...

2026-01-02T16:30:07+01:00

There is a great deal of work that is not bullshit and that very much helps people. Even if not highly paid (and not appreciated), such work is essential for society.

At the end of the month we will have an event on Decolonisation. ...

2026-01-02T15:46:08+01:00

At the end of the month we will have an event on Decolonisation.

Kadija George Sesay will speak about the Decolonisation of Radical Black Publishers in a Pan-African World

https://davidgraeber.institute/kadija-george-sesay-the-decolonisation-of-radical-black-publishers-in-a-pan-african-world/

Revolutions in Reverse is a book from David Graeber about ...

2025-12-26T16:13:23+01:00

Revolutions in Reverse is a book from David Graeber about politics, violence and art.

If you are searching for a book to read for 2026 that will make you think about different possibilities for this world - make you think about alternatives to capitalism, this might be a good pick.

The only thing we can imagine is catastrophe. ...

2025-12-24T21:17:52+01:00

The only thing we can imagine is catastrophe.

https://davidgraeber.org/articles/the-only-thing-we-can-imagine-is-catastrophe/

Household debt, the debt people have with the bank, or on a ...

2025-12-24T16:30:48+01:00

Household debt, the debt people have with the bank, or on a mortgage or on credit cards.........this is nothing like the debt that Government has.

Nostr event nevent1qqs05xdnzy0fuw6zhsd6rgndr6nkmpqqg50u0wsx260m6elxenuufvczyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vassh0q7du

2025-12-21T16:29:37+01:00

About to start Come and see our livestream with Prof Steve Keen ...

2025-12-09T18:51:11+01:00

About to start

Come and see our livestream with Prof Steve Keen and ask your questions in the chat!

link to stream: https://youtu.be/vSpGJOnklwU

Our livestraem about David Graeber's work is starting now ...

2025-12-08T18:50:01+01:00

Our livestraem about David Graeber's work is starting now

Please come along and ask your questions in the chat!!!

https://www.youtube.com/live/4-AlIT-GnQk

We have a number of interesting livestreams coming up This ...

2025-12-06T19:24:04+01:00

We have a number of interesting livestreams coming up

This includes one with Michael Hudson on Wednesday 10th Dec

He will talk about the changing world order, Colonialism and the end of capitalism. He will also answer questions from the Youtube chat.

https://www.youtube.com/live/Zvy3PAQtih8

David Graeber once wrote an important piece about the power of ...

2025-12-04T02:43:00+01:00

David Graeber once wrote an important piece about the power of protest and the police. This is an extract.

https://davidgraeber.org/articles/on-the-phenomenology-of-giant-puppets-broken-windows-imaginary-jars-of-urine-and-the-cosmological-role-of-the-police-in-american-culture/

Back in 1949, Albert Einstein wrote WHY SOCIALISM. Here is an ...

2025-11-30T15:01:46+01:00

Back in 1949, Albert Einstein wrote WHY SOCIALISM.

Here is an extract.

We could house everyone. We could feed everyone. We could care ...

2025-11-30T01:47:54+01:00

We could house everyone. We could feed everyone. We could care for everyone. We could build devices designed to last as long as possible. We could align our manufacturing around the needs of the people and the planet.

We materially have the resources to do so.

That's why leftists are so angry. The resources we need to build a world everyone can thrive in literally already exist. We are just using them mostly to pamper the rich or murder the poor.

We recently published a lesser known article by David Graeber ...

2025-11-21T15:26:50+01:00

We recently published a lesser known article by David Graeber written in 2013 called - Buncombe.

Here is the piece and an extract.

https://davidgraeber.org/articles/buncombe

There will be an online event by the David Graeber Institute on ...

2025-11-17T15:38:42+01:00

There will be an online event by the David Graeber Institute on December 8th.

Cory Doctorow and Brian Eno will speak about poetic technologies and the work of David Graeber

Save The Date!

https://www.youtube.com/live/4-AlIT-GnQk

Is this new system we are moving to even Capitalism, or is just ...

2025-11-08T16:25:29+01:00

Is this new system we are moving to even Capitalism,

or is just Feudalism with modern technology?

Yesterday, we held a livestream with Prof Tim Ingold about the ...

2025-11-07T14:53:31+01:00

Yesterday, we held a livestream with Prof Tim Ingold about the topic of 'Art In A Possible World.'

If you could not make it, you can view the stream here on our youtube channel.

https://youtu.be/eJc2fWZLj2g

It is a neo-liberal myth, the idea of an unregulated bank. ...

2025-10-31T17:23:02+01:00

It is a neo-liberal myth, the idea of an unregulated bank.

Politics must be more than a choice between a Corporate Democrat ...

2025-10-27T02:49:43+01:00

Politics must be more than a choice between a Corporate Democrat and a Trumpist Fascist.

Neo-Liberalism has transferred so much of our wealth to the ...

2025-10-26T02:31:00+01:00

Neo-Liberalism has transferred so much of our wealth to the Billionaire class while telling us its socialism that we should be afraid of.

Nostr event nevent1qqs90a9pwl8u37vl30za0psrtr6l4v47a6ks777008khhanpwh49z8czyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vass9nx6cm

2025-10-23T15:35:32+02:00

Modern capitalism has more in common with Feudalism and the ...

2025-10-15T17:07:25+02:00

Modern capitalism has more in common with Feudalism and the oldstyle slave-system than most people realize.

Nostr event nevent1qqsg0cfnrwk8wyt4v5c6y5rwnfvp98n3zjmr9yruamj92yrvdwvt62qzyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vasswj7nn9

2025-10-12T18:38:50+02:00

Yes

"The police don’t spend their time fighting violent ...

2025-10-07T22:00:35+02:00

"The police don’t spend their time fighting violent criminals. Instead, they
enforce administrative regulations & endless rules. Rather than protecting us
against violence they bring the threat of violence to situations where it'd never
occur otherwise. Most incidents of domestic violence, a drunken brawl, or
gang fights, they don’t get involved however try driving down the street with
no license plates: how long it'll be before you're surrounded by people
with weapons."

- David Graeber

Always worth stopping to think about what Noam Chomsky has to ...

2025-10-06T15:51:57+02:00

Always worth stopping to think about what Noam Chomsky has to say.

"Cancel all student loan debt? But that would be unfair to ...

2025-10-05T17:27:03+02:00

"Cancel all student loan debt? But
that would be unfair to all those
people who struggled for years
to pay back their student loans!
Let me assure the reader that,
as someone who struggled for
years to pay back his student
loans and finally did so, this
argument makes about as
much sense as saying it would
be unfair to a mugging victim
not to mug their neighbors too."

- David Graeber

Nostr event nevent1qqsvt0faa7clrjkzsvvl4qphjd4j7n6permvfmp8l0mztlr788q0jtqzyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vasseytkff

2025-10-05T17:10:04+02:00

Yes

A pitch for Universal Basic Income from the book Bullshit Jobs. ...

2025-10-02T22:22:36+02:00

A pitch for Universal Basic Income from the book Bullshit Jobs.

Have a read.

In David Graeber's book, The Democracy Project, he mentioned ...

2025-10-02T17:12:57+02:00

In David Graeber's book, The Democracy Project, he mentioned ]Liberal-Centrists were not the most reliable allies in political movements.

This history is worth taking into account for those active in any political movement.

Hopelessness is manufactured. Hopelessness is part of ...

2025-09-26T15:48:36+02:00

Hopelessness is manufactured. Hopelessness is part of Neo-Liberalism.

They want you to believe there is no hope and no possible alternative.

The destructive nature of the current feudalized version of ...

2025-09-23T04:45:34+02:00

The destructive nature of the current feudalized version of capitalism needs to be talked about more on social media.

Neo-liberalism cannot have its biggest victims being politically ...

2025-09-13T01:57:59+02:00

Neo-liberalism cannot have its biggest victims being politically active.

Nostr event nevent1qqsp7exz4l5j2f9fztyyggxdjhxvwf2360e2uw658qfz3cn0qjrf3qszyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vassygtwk5

2025-09-12T01:59:05+02:00

Nostr event nevent1qqsq85sjs2vg6pzs2s9mraucur3d7mwskzu8jygj9fh3n7xpchrynugzyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vass38yzyt

2025-09-08T03:43:37+02:00

Hopelessness is an important element of Neo-Liberalism ...

2025-09-05T17:43:16+02:00

Hopelessness is an important element of Neo-Liberalism

Nostr event nevent1qqs0x7knec4vyh9l0e3lhyj97g8ft2qeakmhjlc5hp3k8rt2k8292zszyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vass4vqg6g

2025-09-04T02:44:29+02:00

When buying an apartment is becoming impossible, we need to start ...

2025-08-28T17:05:57+02:00

When buying an apartment is becoming impossible, we need to start discussing what went wrong.

David Graeber explained how in our system, the poor are always ...

2025-08-26T19:38:54+02:00

David Graeber explained how in our system, the poor are always expected to pay their Debts and those in Debt are made to feel as if they did something wrong - almost like they committed a crime.

But of course, corporations are never expected to pay their Debts.

“This, without a doubt, is neoliberalism’s single most ...

2025-08-20T03:40:26+02:00

“This, without a doubt, is neoliberalism’s
single most damaging legacy: the
realization of its bleak vision has
isolated us enough from one another
that it became possible to convince
us that we are not just incapable of
self-preservation but fundamentally
not worth saving.”

- Naomi Klein

So much of this economic system now resembles Feudalism. ...

2025-08-19T15:52:28+02:00

So much of this economic system now resembles Feudalism.

The huge bureaucracy that exists in our system to make the poor ...

2025-08-19T15:18:01+02:00

The huge bureaucracy that exists in our system to make the poor feel bad about themselves would not be money and time wasted with UBI.

"Any system that reduces the world to numbers can only be ...

2025-08-12T22:39:17+02:00

"Any system that reduces
the world to numbers can
only be held in place by
weapons, whether these
are swords and clubs, or
nowadays, smart bombs
from unmanned drones.”

- David Graeber

Nostr event nevent1qqs8l0exau2znwe9ml0sfk9n8egyymqacyjuucngawys2l32mj9jzlszyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vassw9z7kl

2025-08-07T13:48:08+02:00

This message is now more relevant than ever. ...

2025-08-04T13:32:26+02:00

This message is now more relevant than ever.

Instead of the daily stock market - we could have an indicator ...

2025-08-02T20:18:45+02:00

Instead of the daily stock market - we could have an indicator for the number of homeless people?

John Pilger really was a great thinker and a great man. ...

2025-07-31T13:45:56+02:00

John Pilger really was a great thinker and a great man.

David Graeber always mentioned work is mostly about caring and ...

2025-07-29T22:56:15+02:00

David Graeber always mentioned work is mostly about caring and helping. Caring and helping others.

Nostr event nevent1qqszh3hq45cdax50pk07zsfs3mggrkpjnhfjydstys5jcvs49e9zejqzyzkd9un8574dlat5nyl8ls9w5wwa07pe8qzwlfr58wn3e2aq2vasssvm5e5

2025-07-26T15:14:25+02:00

"In studying economic history, we tend to systematically ...

2025-07-16T10:44:26+02:00

"In studying economic history, we
tend to systematically ignore the
role of violence as well as the
absolutely central role that war
and slavery played in creating and
shaping the basic institutions of
what we now call ‘the economy.'

- David Graeber

With Neo-liberalism, people lost healthcare, housing is ...

2025-07-15T12:10:34+02:00

With Neo-liberalism, people lost healthcare, housing is unaffordable, debt ruins lives and Fascism emerges yet the media tells us its socialism that we should fear.

Shock Therapy was once used to cure patients. It always made the ...

2025-07-14T15:26:11+02:00

Shock Therapy was once used to cure patients. It always made the patient worse yet some 'experts' claimed the solution was even more shock therapy

Many economists now do the same saying the solution to Neo-Liberalism's decades of failure is even more Neo-Liberalism.

At some point, the Democrats need to be less awful. ...

2025-07-12T14:41:51+02:00

At some point, the Democrats need to be less awful.

If privatisation, starving the poor and transferring more wealth ...

2025-07-11T14:47:08+02:00

If privatisation, starving the poor and transferring more wealth to the rich worked then the economy would be massively BOOMING!

We've been doing it for 40+ years and all its done is make everything worse. Only an idiot would think more neo-liberalism is the solution.

From David Graeber's 2013 piece - A practical utopians guide ...

2025-07-07T16:51:47+02:00

From David Graeber's 2013 piece - A practical utopians guide to the coming collapse

Think about this for a moment. ...

2025-07-07T16:43:11+02:00

Think about this for a moment.

Michael Hudson explains how "Financial Managers" took ...

2025-07-01T11:21:11+02:00

Michael Hudson explains how "Financial Managers" took away much of the independence of Global South countries via the use of DEBT!

Money that should have been spent to develop countries - went instead to the creditors of the debts!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEi4na4mfgk