What is it about a commons that makes people lose their heads? The commons is, in essence, an institution that is designed to fail. Yet many people believe that we need to somehow maintain a commons so that people will have to collectively deal with its overuse. The Antiplanner interprets this to mean they want a commons so as to teach people to become “New Socialist Men” (and women) — that is, people who work for the collective rather than for themselves.
For example, a folk singer named David Rovics has a song celebrating the commons and criticizing those who would privatize it. (True to his beliefs, Rovics has placed all of his songs, including this one, on line.)
