Digital Discomfort for Prospections - Easy Read

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— relevant quote that kids will understand


"Digital discomfort" is ...

"The Cell for Digital Discomfort" is a group of three artists, makers and researchers: Cristina Cochior, Karl Moubarak and Jara Rocha.
We read, write, and do group activities around the theme of digital discomfort. 
We made our group in BAK (Basis for Actuele Kunst), in Utrecht.
We sometimes go by "CfDD".

Capitalism is a system for dealing with money and wealth.
Capitalism is very free and does not have many rules.
When we are kids, we are all taught to think about what we want  and find ways to get it.
For some people, it easier to get what they want than it is for others.
For some people, getting what they want means taking it from others and their environment.
When there are not many rules, people who get what they want get more powerful and better at getting what they want. 
In capitalism, some people want power and control over other people and the environment, so they compete to own more things and become more powerful.
Very few people benefit from capitalism, but most people, as well as the environment, are damaged by it.
Today, all of the world is stuck under capitalism.

The Industrial Revolution was a period of many changes in the way products are made. 
It took place more than 200 years ago and greatly affected the way people lived as well as the way they worked. 
In earlier days, people made products by hand. 
They worked mostly in their own homes or in small workshops. 
During the Industrial Revolution, many factories were built. 
Laborers began making large numbers of things using machines powered by engines.

Colonialism is the practice of one country taking control of another country.
Colonialism is driven by a need to own more things and become more powerful.
Colonialism works like capitalism, but with nations.
Like capitalism, colonialism is easier for those that already own many things and are very powerful.
For countries, being more powerful means having more weapons. 
In our global history, it just happened that countries in Europe were the first and fastest at making weapons, so they colonized the entire world. 
This means that they travelled to any country and:
Many countries eventually became independent, but we think the "spirit" of colonialism remains in other ways:
We call this spirit "Coloniality".

In the past, many cultures in Europe believed that men are stronger and better than anyone else. 
Most of the political, economic, and social systems in Europe are ruled by men.
Because of Colonialism, many countries in the world create systems that follow old European rules.
So, most of the political, economic, and social systems in the world are ruled by men.
This is called Patriarchy. We live in a patriarchal world
Patriarchy teaches many values:
These values have led to war, capitalism, greed, 

Feminism 
Trans*feminism

Modern technology, such as computers and the internet have strong connections



Capitalism, Coloniality, Patriarchy are systems that are connected to each other. All of them have been invented by men, in a time where women, people with other genders, and disabled people were not allowed to make decisions.

It is the same countries that have developed the weapons to colonize and destroy other coountries and people that have innveneted modern technology



Sometimes, it is easy to forget that these are the systems that control our lives. 
In fact, these systems try their best to become invisible. 
They do this by becoming everywhere. 
As an example, imagine walking into a room where all the walls are painted red. After some time passes, you will forget that the room is red; red becomes normal.