My generation made a naive error. We believed that social change was only a matter of challenging modes of production and distribution in society.
We did not understand the immense role of culture. Capitalism is a culture, and we must respond to and resist capitalism with a different culture. Another way to put this: we are in a struggle between a culture of solidarity and a culture of selfishness.
I am not thinking of culture that is sold, like professional music or dance. All that is important, of course, but when I speak of culture I am referring to human relations, to the set of ideas that govern our relationships without us realizing it. It is a set of unspoken values that determine the way in which millions of anonymous people around the world relate to each other.
Consumerism is part of that culture. It is an ethic needed for capitalism in its struggle for infinite accumulation. The worst problem for capitalism would be for us to stop buying or to buy very little. And this has generated the consumerist culture that envelops us. But a capitalist social system is not only property relations; it is also a set of unspoken values common to the society. These values are stronger than any army and they are the main force maintaining capitalism today.
My generation believed it was going to change the world by trying to nationalize the media and distribution, but we failed to understand that at the center of this battle must be the construction of a different culture. You cannot build a socialist building with bricklayers who are capitalists. Why? Because they are going to steal the rebar, they are going to steal the cement, because they are only looking to solve their own problems, because that is how we are formed. My generation, rationalist with a programmatic vision of history, did not understand that humans often decide with their guts and then their conscience constructs arguments to justify their decisions. We choose with our hearts, and here culture becomes a vital issue because it tempers our irrationality.
For example, what happened to our left leaders?
I am not thinking of culture that is sold, like professional music or dance. All that is important, of course, but when I speak of culture I am referring to human relations, to the set of ideas that govern our relationships without us realizing it. It is a set of unspoken values that determine the way in which millions of anonymous people around the world relate to each other.
Consumerism is part of that culture. It is an ethic needed for capitalism in its struggle for infinite accumulation. The worst problem for capitalism would be for us to stop buying or to buy very little. And this has generated the consumerist culture that envelops us. But a capitalist social system is not only property relations; it is also a set of unspoken values common to the society. These values are stronger than any army and they are the main force maintaining capitalism today.
My generation believed it was going to change the world by trying to nationalize the media and distribution, but we failed to understand that at the center of this battle must be the construction of a different culture. You cannot build a socialist building with bricklayers who are capitalists. Why? Because they are going to steal the rebar, they are going to steal the cement, because they are only looking to solve their own problems, because that is how we are formed. My generation, rationalist with a programmatic vision of history, did not understand that humans often decide with their guts and then their conscience constructs arguments to justify their decisions. We choose with our hearts, and here culture becomes a vital issue because it tempers our irrationality.
For example, what happened to our left leaders?
Continue reading @ Jacobin.
When we tried to elect an actual socialist leader in Jeremy Corbyn (personally I made hundreds of call and spent hours on yhr phone campaigning for him and was overjoyed when he was elected Labour leader) the capitalists/zionist within the Labour Party set out to destroy him from the word go from meeting with IRA leadership and showing support for Palestine they did everything they could to make sure the Conservatives won the next election therefore inflicting yet more cuts and austerity on voters. I see elements of socialism within some parties ie SF SNP and the Greens but for Scotland at least I can see no return to nationalisation without independence. As for Ireland the dream was a 32 county socialist republic again until the British border comes down none of this can come about. Westminster has us all by the balls and the English Houses of Parliament are awash with Zionists, capitalists and Thatcherite values and views, Currently there is no “left” in parliament here in the so called uk we have the far right, the right and the right leaning. Might be a the right time for a timely reminder that Corbyn actually got MORE votes overall in the election that Starmer. Perhaos there is a need for a left wing party to rise outwith the SNP here. Can Zack Polanski pull off the impossible? Let’s hope so.
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