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  • For a lot of people in suburbia, the entire concept of indoor "third spaces" is mostly "pay to play" at the end of a drive. A big exception to this is/were shopping malls, but those aren't always close by. To get to more a functional social fabric, we have to provide more convenient ways of interfacing with our neighbors that don't always require money to change hands.

    Perhaps this is a predictably orange-pill response, but we need to change zoning in a big way. Each suburban development has the street plan and infrastructure to support small businesses and common spaces, walking-distance from everyone's front door. All it takes is to allow small-scale commercial development in corners of these collections of tract-homes and, just like that, you can have something like a functional village. Beyond that, encouraging more development of community recreation space, both indoor and outdoor, would go a long way to provide a place for people to mingle.

    Edit: strip-malls don't count. They're often at the very edge of residential areas, and are tied up with way more capital than what I'm talking about. That's why they're made up of franchises, require ridiculous amounts of parking, and contribute to "stroads" and all the knock-on effects and hostile architecture that requires.

  • Spend less time online, do less digital activities.

    I do more IRL, in-person, activities. Any kind of activity most of us somehow forget we used to do well before Internet and digital was a thing can still be done without the Internet and without a computer of any kind.

    In-persons is intimidating but it also helps keep away the armies of online trolls and haters that online thrive to hurt other people. Provided one behaves like a decent human being, it's very rare people IRL will hate on anyone for goofing up or for not agreeing with them. It's ok.

    I also do as much as I can the analog way, without anything digital. It helps. Be it to write or sketch, or do stuff with my hands. Heck, even me using a paper agenda instead my phone will regularly trigger surprised/interested questions from people that otherwise would probably never have talked with me to begin with ;)

    • Took up Yoga and BJJ for physical activity. Volunteering with a charity a friend of a friend runs handy out seasonal survival supplies to homeless. Creative outlet next but I'm indecisive there so far.

      My friend pool is recovering by going outside to the same places repeatedly, can confirm.

  • One night a week of mandatory, free, tabletop RPGs hosted in libraries, council buildings, etc. D&D (or even a good roleplaying game) for everyone! Player groups are mixed up every two months to ensure multiple opportunities for bonding with new people.

  • I began offering weekly board game gatherings and dinners for the public, and, aside from the rocky start (no one at the first 2 events), every gathering has always gotten a minimum of 3-8 people here in West Allis, WI!

    I've been using this website in conjunction with a Facebook group: https://gamenight.host/@wa_bgn

  • Nationalizing dating sites.

    These sites work great to match people when corpos aren't allowed to fuck with the algorithms

    • Sport and art
    • low cost and free places to do sport and art
    • linked together by public transit and clean, safe places to walk, run or cycle (or scoot or skate or whatever)
    • a shorter working week, so people have time to do the above
    • a higher minimum wage, so people can afford the (ideally low, if necessary) costs involved

    So, e.g., lots of parks with publicly accessible five-a-side football pitches, ping-pong tables, basketball courts, skateparks whatever - that's your sport. The parks also have bandstands or outdoor theatres, where there's space for that.

    Public libraries with rooms people can hire (or use for free) for book clubs, sewing circles, art classes - that's your art.

    Good thing about the above is that all these ideas already exist in lots of forms, you just pick whatever works best for your current situation.

  • Go to open mic or karaoke nights. Hype everybody up. Talk to people after their performance.

    Start a hobby and find a local group to do your hobby with other people. Sometimes if you’re really into the hobby the group will find you. E.g. you’re at the park doing your hobby and see other people doing your hobby. You talk to them and they know a group of people doing it too.

    Assuming your job doesn’t involve much face to face interaction, volunteer somewhere in person and talk to the people you’re working with and the people you’re serving.

    Set up a booth at a high foot traffic area with a sign that says, “Free jokes.” Or “Free Magic.” Memorize some decent jokes or magic tricks and do them. Talk to people. Ask if they want you to perform at their house for their friends. Become the token magician friend.

  • For me, working in human services does the trick. Over the summer I take a vacation to heal body/mind, and swap to spending more time on MMOs, a Mud, and making sure I go “out” somewhere at least once a day. Even just to the library.

  • Try and find where my invisible friend went then hang out with them again.

  • Abolish digital slavery and publicly code and fund the public commons with no scraping or exploitation whatsoever. Restore the rights of autonomy and self determinism required for a citizen in a democracy and people will return to the culture that existed before google won its privateer piracy charter to digitally enslave everyone in exchange for free email and search results because the US was too backwards to fund the fundamental public commons required for real democracy and was itching for slavery again at the first opportunity of going unnoticed.

  • Capitalism is a root cause. Let's get rid of that, or if that's too extreme that severely regulate it.

    Jail all of Facebook's decision makers. Seize it (investors get nothing), and either shut it down or revert it to a simple message board. Require moderators. Ban the trash (eg: sovereign citizens groups). Remember that time they tried to see if they could make people sad by changing the algorithm? Find those people and ruin them.

    Pay labor more. Work them less. I'd just do basic income, personally.

    Make more walkable spaces. Fuck car culture. You don't meet anyone when you drive. Everywhere could have local spots where you see regulars.

    More free public events. Brooklyn does "movies under the stars". There's also like yoga classes, bird watching, concerts. More of that.

    Offer free education for anyone who applies in good faith. Offer classes on a range of subjects, but honestly I think a lot of people would benefit from lessons and practice on "how to talk to people" and public speaking.

    Kind of a ramble. But I think if you leave capitalism in place, you're going to have problems. "Everything has to make the owners as much money as possible, immediately" isn't a formula for a good life.

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