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Ikea's flat-pack refugee shelter is entering production

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Re: Ikea's flat-pack refugee shelter is entering production

#41

If my wife and I had lived in one of those for our first two years of marriage, we could have saved up one heck of a down payment for our first house.

Likely but the real problem with doing so is actually land. Even if you own some many cities take issue with non-permanent domiciles that are lived in for long periods (not least of all because you escape housing tax, and aren't up to "code"). However several people have done what you're suggesting by: - Living on a boat (either out at sea, moored just off-shore, or at a marina). This can range from being cheaper, to…

- RV?

RE: Shower/bathroom - PlanetFitness is popular amongst vagabonds from what I hear - $10/mo and has many national locations.

Re: Ikea's flat-pack refugee shelter is entering production

#42

These things are great. But at the same time - so weird. Helpless victims of failed states, social injustice, greed, hatred, etc can now rely on high tech structures to take care of them. Genocide ? No problem, we've got you covered. We've got just the perfect structures for $1000 a pop for you to take shelter in. I mean, it IS the right thing to do, but at the same time, I don't know.. I guess would prefer that some…

>>I guess would prefer that somehow there were no refugees and suffering in the first place...

Gandhi was once asked to preside over as a chief guest on the opening day of an old age home. In his reply in the letter he argued why in an ideal world orphanages, old age homes etc shouldn't even need to exist.

But that is how the society is. Until you eliminate the evil, you need to prepare for its consequences.

Re: Ikea's flat-pack refugee shelter is entering production

#43

These things are great. But at the same time - so weird. Helpless victims of failed states, social injustice, greed, hatred, etc can now rely on high tech structures to take care of them. Genocide ? No problem, we've got you covered. We've got just the perfect structures for $1000 a pop for you to take shelter in. I mean, it IS the right thing to do, but at the same time, I don't know.. I guess would prefer that some…

This is akin to saying we shouldn't need mosquito nets for the poor because mosquitoes should not exist. Yes, they should not exist, but that is tangential to the issue of the nets.

Re: Ikea's flat-pack refugee shelter is entering production

#44

If my wife and I had lived in one of those for our first two years of marriage, we could have saved up one heck of a down payment for our first house.

Or you wouldn't be wife and husband anymore.

I'm joking and serious at the same time: Living in a very constraint space is certainly not for everybody and - as far as I understand - highly taxing. I'm sure I could live in a sparsely decorated minimum sq hut - alone.

I have the world's best wife, but stuff us into a place like that and over time only one will come out alive..

Re: Ikea's flat-pack refugee shelter is entering production

#49
post #3

So when can we buy these at the local ikea?

It would be really great if they sold these such that one purchase could cover the cost of one for charity. It would be even better if there was enough demand to drive the production cost down further.

> It would be really great if they sold these such that one purchase could cover the cost of one for charity.

No, absolutely not. This is the same mistake the one laptop per child people made.

Just sell the shit out of them to everyone who can use one. Economies of scale will bring the price down. The "buy two, get one!" approach deters people from buying them and shoots economies of scale in the head.

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