🍩 the doughnut dialogue by Lindy Siu

What it’s about

• Do you wish we lived in a world where the wellbeing of humanity came first, rather than ‘profit/growth at all costs’?

• Do you find it outrageous that race and privilege continue to determine the kind of human rights people (especially those from the global majority) are afforded?

• And are you frustrated by the capitalist economic system that’s exploiting the most vulnerable communities and destroying our planet, to benefit the richest 1%?

I am.

If you share my sentiments, I hope you’ll join the quest to shift our course—to shape a kinder world that puts humanity first, where we're all free to live meaningfully alongside our beautiful planet.

Why the 🍩 doughnut dialogue

1. To spur the shift towards a people-first economy

Named after Doughnut Economics (watch the video above for a quick intro)—the doughnut dialogue aims to foster awareness and incite action to shift from a capitalist economy to one that puts humanity and the planet above endless GDP growth.

2. To empower people with the right narrative

Words hold great power over us. It’s what makes media and journalistic integrity so critical: we tend to believe what we read and see. Biased media narratives influence our perceptions of reality, often distracting us from the truth.

Take the term ‘ethnic minority’, for example. The words convey a sense of inferiority because of one’s coloured background. But rephrase it to ‘global majority’, and you immediately convey an empowered status on this group of humans.

It’s time to champion a new narrative. One that cuts through the political BS and capitalist propaganda our world leaders tirelessly spout. A new narrative that puts our collective wellbeing first.

It’s time for a changing of the guard

A new world order is in the works.

We see the younger generation mobilising in their activism for social and environmental causes. Dedicated climate activists like Greta Thunberg are protesting tirelessly and putting their personal freedom on the line, trying to get world leaders to listen and act before time runs out.

They’re doing what our governments have failed to do: put our collective wellbeing first.

People all over the world are waking up to blatant hypocrisy and double standards regarding human rights, amidst a growing chorus of voices demanding equality and inclusion.

Organisations such as Slow Factory and Doughnut Economics Action Lab are instrumental in implementing strategic change by collaborating with individuals, businesses, and governments.

But it’s going to take a lot of hard work, persistence, and sacrifice—from all of us—to achieve our collective liberation and dismantle our current capitalist and racist systems.

It’s time for us to step up and do our part.

Who’s Lindy Siu?

I’m an Asian woman who’s spent most of my adult life deeply conflicted by a conformist, traditionalist culture that subscribes to archaic and materialistic values.

I know first-hand how isolating it is to be the outlier in the family, and how painful and difficult it is to break ranks in a collectivist society.

But I’m privileged to have lived abroad on more than one occasion.

My time in England and Scotland was instrumental in my mental liberation, which broadened my worldview beyond that of my conservative upbringing.

I loathe the materialistic herd mentality of the culture I was brought up in, but I realise and appreciate that challenging the status quo is hard. It’s no fun being the outlier.

But—together, we can change that.

Are you with me?

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