We're literally stuck up a cul-de-sac in a cement SUV without a fill-up

This is the opening quote of the docu-film End of Suburbia - Oil depletion and the collapse of the American Dream.

If theres one thing I love Seb for, its the plethora of socially concious docu films he has in his possesion. I have him to thank for Enron, An Inconvenient truth, an entire series on the birth of psycho analysis and american consumer culture and so on and so on.

We watched this one the other night. I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

For a long time now I've been banging on at my friends about collective living being the way of the future, that the end of oil will see us returning to the village, and a more communal way of living. They are used to me harping on about buying a big piece of land and building eco friendly in a village setting which shares labour and resources, a veritable commune.

In fact Emma's commune has been a seed of fancy for so long Im pretty sure my friends wince when I mention the word.

Then I watched this film and I realised that I wasn't a nutter.

Several times they mention the phenomenon of new urbanism as towns are retrofitted to suit the new requirements of an oil depleted world. I myself hate where I live not because of the neighbours but because its so fucking far to walk anywhere. I want to walk to my ammenities, my supermarket or grocery store, my post office, hardware, doctor, gym, school. (bahaha I said gym... whatever)

I said to my mother, if she wants to invest in her future buy shop front real estate in her neighbourhood, because thats the way of the future, the abandonment of the 45 minute drive to the mall in favour of the 5 minute walk to the store.

I think the thing that made me the most ill was this film was made in the mid 2000's, at least 3 years ahead of the current economic meltdown, and these guys all talk about it happening as a prediction. The peak oil theory, or not theory but reality? Im still suffering cognitive dissonance over the couch purchase I think, but regardless, fuck all the having and the spending and the day to day bull of living, Im trying to work out exactly how Im supposed to be as a person outside the pychology of consumption.

I will resume this conversation later.