Sorry for the late response as real life summoned me temporarily. But I would have to agree with you. Global capitalism is so good at commodifying and commercializing it’s own opposition. There’s a built in mechanism of transgression within capitalism (as zizek points out) that allows for people to performatively “resist” the global totality while actually operating well inside its boundaries.
Discussion
that’s it. and it’s hard, so hard to break through those boundaries… the more privileges, the harder. while, in getting it, the more privileges it used to be, the freer. and even in a more sincere way. the secret is to break through and never look back, I guess. one can only resist him/herself.
My struggle right is knowing how one can even go about breaking through. I don’t see many paths forward so I am quite cynical about it at the moment. Radical shifts in consciousness are not what the masses will ever desire. They desire what capital channels back at them in the form of advertising and the like. They desire convenience and enjoyment.
and that’s why we must abolish masses. I was just watching last russell brand video, after months without watching it and it was precisely about population crisis, how we are decreasing in number. that’s not what I mean, but it’s directly correlated. just what I was saying the other day: we need to populate countryside, exit big cities and grow communities that share the same values. metropolis is death, man. and while we stay here (there, tho not everywhere), we’ll never get to break through indeed. system wants us piled up on each other and warring.
But also consider that class antagonisms (and I would say we are still in the class antagonism partially) can be effectively mobilized in cities in ways that the countryside is unable to mount. I think we must consider this parallel between urban and rural areas and create exchanges of individuals from community groups to experience other ways of living and report back. This urban/rural dialogue could be incredibly beneficial because I feel like this divide can particularly be felt in the modern era. We need an effective way of communicating between groups instead of narratives being formed about them.
I leave you with this idea: where there is a greater accumulation of class antagonisms the greater the disparity. From this: the greater the potential front of resistance we can mount. Just an idea tho.
just seen this (following the contend with the radfem, lol). I got your point, and if there’s no other way rather than being condemned to live in a smart city, then yeah. tho I honestly think it’d be helpless like it’s been since ever and the greater the resistance, the greater would be the control/oppression. I still bet on urban exodus, tho I know it’s way too utopian in a certain sense. perhaps doom is indeed the only future possible.
If there’s an urban exodus I honestly think it could be for the best. Don’t get me wrong. I grew up in a rural area my entire life and even hearing the noise pollution from cars is becoming a drain on my soul. I think cities are life sucking machines.