A few years ago I read a bizzare article in one of my country's national newspapers: A member of the mainstream social democratic party was warning everyone about the dangers of the socialists, which is pretty much par for the course. However, in this article he used the argument that trying to abolish capitalism was like trying to abolish weather pattern. Capitalism has existed since the stone age, when neanderthals first startet trading one good with another, and has been a part of human nature ever since.

Now, this is obviously absolute nonsense. In reality, capitalism has existed only for a tiny part of human history, and cavemen trading coconuts for backrubs certainly isn't it. The problem is that this sort of thinking is not uncommon, and is a major problem for the left to overcome. What capitalism actually is or how it functions was never a part of general education when I grew up, which is extremely odd considering it is the driving force behind our societies. It is just something that exist and we have to exist alongside it.

There's been quite a bit written about the post-cold war generations understanding of capitalism as the only possible reality (Mark Fischer for example). This is sadly in line with my own experiences. When having conversations with fellow socialists my age, they are usually unable to really explain what capitalism is, and when describing what sort of society they want it is often just capitalism with a more robust welfare state. In other words, they make last century's social-democrats seem like radicals.

That being said, I think it's a mistake to dismiss these people as clueless or opportunists. Mostly, they are working-class young adults whom capitalism hasn't necessarrily been very kind to, but they're stuck with the liberal worldview that has been drilled into them since kindergarden age. They believe true emancipation of the proletariat isn't possible, instead we can only work to improve the conditions of our own servitude.

So what do you guys think is the best way to break through this view of the world where capitalism is presented as a divine force? Marx is obviously super-relevant here, because historical materialism is a direct antidote to this belief, and offers an alternative, much more accurate understanding of history.

So is the solution to just yell “READ MARX” at all our friends? This might work for people who are already sympathic to leftism but don't really understand theory yet, but is there ways we can raise awareness for working class people who are apolitical or liberal? Obviously, some of them will conclude that capitalism is the best system anyway, but the more people are aware that capitalism is a choice, the more people would inevitably end up turning towards socialism (real socialism, not welfare capitalism) as an alternative.

To me, this seem like a natural place to attack capitalism since the truth isn't really hidden or kept secret, it just isn't actively taught to most people. Even a liberal university course won't tell you capitalism is an eternal part of the human existence. It's already an accepted part of pro-capitalist academia, so surely there are things we could do to make fellow workers question their internalized assumptions about capitalism?

Sorry for effortposting, this has been on my mind a lot lately.

EDIT: Lots of interesting replies, thanks for engaging.