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Have I been told off by Julian on the Drudion for....
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Merrick
Merrick
2148 posts

Re: capitalism and the law
May 03, 2009, 03:19
Citizensmurf wrote:
What does "Destroy Amerikkkan Capitalism" mean to you


I hear it as a call that is against capitalism, but especially against the values that are at their most distinct releif in the American expression of capitalism. The highest consumers in the world, twice the UK's carbon emissions yet a lower standard of living for most, that laissez-faire freemarketeering that views the rest of the world as serfs and raw materials for corporate profit.

No, that's not an exclusively american vision but I do think America has excelled at propogating it.

Citizensmurf wrote:
When I say it's completely ridiculous to announce the destruction of capitialism, it's because all of us are constantly involved in and expanding on the basic principles of capitalism


I don't think that follows at all. Were revolutionary Bolsheviks equally ridiculous before 1917 because they paid taxes to the Tsarist regime?

Were all those engaged in the anti-colonial struggles of the mid 20th century ridiculous because the fruits of most of their labours and the institutions of health care, policing, etc, were those of the occupying power?

Citizensmurf wrote:
It is a complex issue, and what I mostly have problems with are the proponents of so called 'anti-consumerism'. These descriptions of 'the conformed masses' who only live to consume are a giant myth that seems to have taken over the ideology of many young urban dwellers. Distinction, not conformity is what drives competitive consumption.


I think we're in considerable agreement here, but there are some elements I'd take issue with.

The 'distinction' that many people aspire to is a distinction based on status derived from - even directly proven by - material goods themselves, and what your particular arrangement of possessions says about you.

For example, there is a lot of distinction based on what car you drive. Even within the drivers of the same make and model, whether you have the XL or the GTi is a big statement. Within all of this is a refusal to contemplate the idea that the same sense of worth can be attained without any car at all.

Citizensmurf wrote:
It is the mindset of being different from everyone else that is the single greatest driving force of our modern economy.


I see your point, and the truth in it, but I don't think that's the whole story.

If I had to name a 'greatest single drive', I'd say it was more like the desire for happiness, specifically a happiness that quells the dissatisfaction, emptiness and longing.

Quite how much that feeling is there anyway, and quite why, are murky and lengthy things to divine. But it is clear that corporate capitalism exaggerates those feelings in people in order to sell them stuff they wouldn't otherwise buy.

The whole of marketing and advertising is based on figuring out what people want then saying they'll get it if they buy the product. Then they buy it, find it hasn't made them happy ever after, and so there's an even deeper dissatisfaction that makes them more susceptible to the next piece of crap.

You're ugly and wrong and you smell bad. But buy our product and you won't be. You want to be loved by someone forever. Buy our product and you'll be irresistable to just the sort of person you desire. and if you don't buy it everyone will ridicule and shun you. These people here use our product and they look happy and like they have frequent sex.

Citizensmurf wrote:
(Is GM crop genetically-modified crop?


Yes it is. Sorry for the jargon. Do I take it you're from outside the UK? It's such a well-known abbreviation within the UK that I used it wiothout thinking.

Citizensmurf wrote:
I would need to read more about that situation to understand your point.)


Not necessarily, I think the principle is clear. There are certainly campaigns where waiting around to get arrested has worked. The people who smashed up a Hawk jet that was due to go to Indonesia for the genocide in East Timor did that, and the resulting court case clearly brought the spotlight on to the issue in a way sneaking off would never have done.

But there are also many cases where doing your direct action and surviving at liberty to do another one can be more effective, especially with spectacular action that will get attention anyway, or where the pressure is really between the activists and the target and it doesn't require a mass social shift.

There are also many campaigns that work best with a combination of these tactics.
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Re: capitalism and the law (Citizensmurf)		 Replies:
Re: capitalism and the law (dave clarkson)
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