Website Updates Squat the Planet will be shutting down at the end of 2023

[Squatchbox]

This post inspired me to reopen an account to post a response. I apologize if it’s a bit long-winded!

I lived and traveled out my my car for about a combined three years . Once about 15 years ago and again about 10 years back.

It seems like a different life now, it was definitely a different time. The 2000s and into early 2010s the energy of the world was better. People were more open. Many things were cheaper, more genuine, more fun imo. Ironically, i think the internet and social media changed alot of that for the worse.

Out in the city I see so much desperation and despair now. Drugs and inflation and selfishness have changed so much. What would be adventure then, could be scary now. If asked, I could advise someone how to live / survive this way but would rather encourage a different path.

So many close to being outside / on the street not by choice but by poverty makes choosing that ride less appealing imo.

The end of STP is another nail to the coffin, closing that odd chapter of my life. Its wild just thinking on it. One less thing to look back to and draw me in.

This website has no doubt been a great resource for people. However, I can understand the weight of vetting info and people to safeguard a community that, frankly, can be very dangerous.

Even away from it, I imagine this hub you’ve created occupies alot of your mind. The weight of responsibility, how the world has changed, and your opinion of the “scene” at current date understandably influenced your decision. And I think you’ve made the right one.

Cutting the cord will create new space in your life and mind open to your new future. You deserve it and owe less than you’ve given.

Good luck Matt!

 

[jackrabbitunderneath]

I'm sad that I've been a chronic couchsurfer my whole life & then as I try to reach for community I find nothing but dead ends. This is a lonely life. It's why it's hard for me to update stories. It's rarely fun, its mostly just... isolating. I know I didn't participate much but I will miss this site. I tried to go to STP meetip last month but I was unable. It's not you, it's the gross culture shift.

 

[TheSac]

I'm sad that I've been a chronic couchsurfer my whole life & then as I try to reach for community I find nothing but dead ends. This is a lonely life. It's why it's hard for me to update stories. It's rarely fun, its mostly just... isolating. I know I didn't participate much but I will miss this site. I tried to go to STP meetip last month but I was unable. It's not you, it's the gross culture shift.

I find the culture shift to be sad but very real. What do you think caused it? I left the US recently but before I left I definitely felt a sort of angry desperation that seemed somewhat new. And this is across the political and social spectrum. I'm not really sure what happened but ever since 2020 or so things have felt different.

 

[jackrabbitunderneath]

I find the culture shift to be sad but very real. What do you think caused it? I left the US recently but before I left I definitely felt a sort of angry desperation that seemed somewhat new. And this is across the political and social spectrum. I'm not really sure what happened but ever since 2020 or so things have felt different.

I've mostly been in my little bubble of "trying to survive", so it's been hard to pinpoint. I only last year tried desperately clawing for a sense of community & inclusion. 2020 didn't help but I think that angry depression has been brewing a while.

 

[ali]

Man the last week or so with the broken SSL certificate was a sad reminder of what noodling around the internet is going to be like without StP. I like to poke my head in here even when i'm not traveling because it reminds me of things that are important to me, and makes me feel connected to other people who live relatively low impact lives. Following the same sort of discussions on commercial social media is not the same, because the medium undermines the message for me. I am going to miss reading the adventures and aspirations of all y'all rambling rapscallions.

I do agree that the current political climate in the US is not great, but i think it was ever thus. When i was growing up in other countries i always dreamed about moving to America. I bought full in to its image as shining city on the hill, the place where dreams can come true, a beacon of freedom and democracy... And yeah, it's not exactly that. But lots of people still believe it is, at least compared to where they are, which is why they still try to emigrate.

I think Americans who feel disillusioned about their country would do well to consider why so many people around the world still long to go there. For all its flaws, in certain respects it's still better than other places. But, also, i can understand being fed up with it. After i lived in the US for a year, and Canada for several years, and cycled across the both of them, i left again. Along the way i picked up a Canadian passport which gives me right of return, but maybe i never will, because the aspects of the place that really are better are not necessarily the same aspects that are important to me in my life right now.

For people who already love to travel, if you wandered your own country and feel unhappy with how it is and unmotivated to change it, there's plenty more around the world, some easier to get to than others. I definitely recommend to scratch up some cash, get a passport and go take a look. You might find something you like, or you might find a different perspective on the country you left, or be inspired to return and work to change it for the better.

Or not. But if the doom is overtaking you then my best suggestion is get off of commercial social media, and that includes all the so-called alternatives to Big Tech with exactly the same business model. The whole economy of those places is structured around keeping people transfixed, and rewarding content creators who enable that. Take a break. Sit in a park. Read a novel. Play a game. Life is okay. It might not be perfect, but most of the time it's at least okay, and that's enough to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

 

[dissociatecrab]

I'm gonna miss this place. I wanted to leave a reply because it really has helped me. Come by the Discord group yall and keep in touch at least!

 

[Matt Derrick]

I am happy to report that this is no longer the case, as we've had some very generous folks come in to help out with things and the website will NOT be closing at the end of the year. More details are available in this thread:

Website Updates - StP will NOT be shutting down at the end of the year!

Hello everyone! My name's Iris and I work with a small anarchist collective called MycoSystems, and we have been collaborating with Matt to take over the infrastructure and maintenance of StP in an effort to revitalize the forum and keep this community alive for the future. As of yesterday, StP...

squattheplanet.com

I'll be locking this thread and ask that any further discussion be made at the link above.