Any anti capitalist merch really. Organic food, veganism (i.e. Beyond Meat), all "ethical consumption" to some degree. While it may improve conditions somehow, it never even threatens the system.
Everyone has explained how anticapitalist sentiment is Incorporated into commodities through their fetishistic dimension, as in how purchasing certain things carries certain connotations of activism or anti-capitalism (if I buy the starbucks cup, it helps coffee farmers In Brazil or whatever) but I think Mark Fisher was more concerned with interpassivity. Allow me to give an even more zizekian example than the starbucks cup that has nothing to do with anti-capitalism: the sitcom laugh track. The laugh track in a sitcom is not just to represent when you're supposed to laugh, it performs the laughing for you. The whole point is that when you finish watching a sitcom you still feel good about it even though it wasn't that funny. The show took care of the laughter part already, so you feel like it was funny by proxy, through some vicarious means you feel satisfied.
There's real insidious part is that movies like WALL-E perform anti-capitalism for you as well, watching WALL-E allows you, for an instant, to feel like you did some real activism by proxy. The dress at the met gala allows you to partake on that interpassive aspect, AOC is performing anti-capitalism for you, provided you vote for her, she will continue performing anti-capitalism for you. Commodity fetishism is, I believe, something innate to the commodity form so it's inevitable, your brain incorporates the fetishistic qualities subconsciously, so if you consume like Beyond Meat or Starbucks coffee because it makes your brain feel good through some moralistic implication, it's a bit whatever, we all do that with all commodities. The real danger is interpassivity consuming actual social initiative, feeling rather satisfied because someone out there is doing the activism in your stead.
The idea that we can just consume our way out of crisis (eg. buying metal straws to save the oceans - accept and internalize the idea that capitalism ruined the oceans, but fail to see that only leaving capitalism behind is going to save it, instead turning the yearn for change into a product which you consume and then can move on), plus what mittens said
Could someone give me more examples of this phenomenon?
Che Guevara t shirts
Any anti capitalist merch really. Organic food, veganism (i.e. Beyond Meat), all "ethical consumption" to some degree. While it may improve conditions somehow, it never even threatens the system.
Lmao what the hell, the literal point of Beyond Meat is to not challenge the system. It succeeds at what is trying to do.
I've been in shouting matches with vegans about Beyond Meat and similar companies making this exact point lol
I am a vegan and I hate how veganism has a strangely large and vocal liberal/capital friendly group of practitioners.
I'm not even vegan and this is obvious to me.
IDK about that but on the scale of 20 to 100 years in the absence of a successful proletarian movement it might make a huge difference.
Just like all individual consumption choices. Hence the need for a successful proletarian movement.
So you mean to say a plant based meat substitute is not meant to supplant meat in the western diet?
For the individuals who chose it? Sure.
For the entire food supply? Lol. Lmao
Is there a capitalist explanation of why they wouldn't want to cannibalize the entire meat industry?
They may want to but they're just not going to without some outside force(s) removing real meat as a practical choice.
Surely they realize that if they don't move fast they're just gonna be a footnote in the history of our bug eating future, right?
In Capitalist Realism, Fisher used the movie Wall-E as an example
Everyone has explained how anticapitalist sentiment is Incorporated into commodities through their fetishistic dimension, as in how purchasing certain things carries certain connotations of activism or anti-capitalism (if I buy the starbucks cup, it helps coffee farmers In Brazil or whatever) but I think Mark Fisher was more concerned with interpassivity. Allow me to give an even more zizekian example than the starbucks cup that has nothing to do with anti-capitalism: the sitcom laugh track. The laugh track in a sitcom is not just to represent when you're supposed to laugh, it performs the laughing for you. The whole point is that when you finish watching a sitcom you still feel good about it even though it wasn't that funny. The show took care of the laughter part already, so you feel like it was funny by proxy, through some vicarious means you feel satisfied.
There's real insidious part is that movies like WALL-E perform anti-capitalism for you as well, watching WALL-E allows you, for an instant, to feel like you did some real activism by proxy. The dress at the met gala allows you to partake on that interpassive aspect, AOC is performing anti-capitalism for you, provided you vote for her, she will continue performing anti-capitalism for you. Commodity fetishism is, I believe, something innate to the commodity form so it's inevitable, your brain incorporates the fetishistic qualities subconsciously, so if you consume like Beyond Meat or Starbucks coffee because it makes your brain feel good through some moralistic implication, it's a bit whatever, we all do that with all commodities. The real danger is interpassivity consuming actual social initiative, feeling rather satisfied because someone out there is doing the activism in your stead.
Oh thanks a ton, it clicked now
Glad I could help :)
Pretty sure there's a word in Marxist thought that describes it, but I can't recall at the moment
recuperation
false consciousness?
I think it might be recuperation maybe? Does that sound right?
Though idk if that is a marxist term
Yes! I think that's right
The idea that we can just consume our way out of crisis (eg. buying metal straws to save the oceans - accept and internalize the idea that capitalism ruined the oceans, but fail to see that only leaving capitalism behind is going to save it, instead turning the yearn for change into a product which you consume and then can move on), plus what mittens said
The early Simpsons and Kurt Cobain.