Were you implying that the bourgeoisie tend to come from the families of those that originally abstained from pleasure? Because that could at least explain why Jeff Bezos sits on a massive pile of gold when using it to equalize humanity would probably make him happier.
Not necessarily but I do think that there is a cult of self-denial that is passed down purposefully through the generations. I don't think the amount of "tee-totalers" (or w/e they are called) among the bourgeoisie is a coincidence; I think they view addictions as a liability if not a weakness.
And sadly, I think they are right about it being a huge liability. It has a delegitimizing effect in what is this so-called "meritocracy".
The fight against addiction is one of the major tasks of the proletariat. Liberalism's inability to deal with rampant addiction is for the same reason it is unable to dispel widespread poverty - a lack of political will; disasters are opportunities for profit within capitalism AND such things are disorganizing forces cast on the working class.
I think they meant from an drug/substance abuse perspective and not "everything is an addiction" perspective. I'm unsure if we're going to be able to get people to give up fiction books entirely, for instance.
"We are not here to tell them what they want- We are here to tell them how to get it."
Oh, yeah I forgot what comment we were bouncing off of.
Yeah, much to my dismay Lenin and Mao weren't subscribed to my blog.
Addiction is most noticeable when considering substance abuse but sometimes I think the more subtle ones are just as impactful due to the extent which we tolerate them; "bread and circuses", etc.
I don't think my aim is to live in a world devoid of pleasures but rather one where consumption is always preceded by production - people who consume fiction write fiction, too. People who listen to music, also play an instrument. People who collect shoes know how to cobble - with gifts being the manner in which people consume things they do not participate in the creation of.
I think you're putting the cart ahead of the horse, and vilifying a quirk of humanity that's been weaponized. The issue is not that people consume things produced by others, which is a good thing and should be encouraged, but that capitalism has turned this tendency into a form of control.
"Precluding" consumption with production and interaction with a field implies people can only consume that which either they themselves produce, or something someone else makes within the same field as them. I find this problematic on two fronts, depending on what you're saying:
If you are saying that people should only be limited to consuming that which they produce, this would completely short-circuit and destroy the entire beautiful exchange of artistic interaction. Human society would be reduced to basic discussion, necessity, etc, and culture would cease to exist.
If you are saying that people should only be limited to consuming that which is in their field, I disagree entirely. People's passion for multiple things at once has been the source of numerous sources of wonderful art, and this wouldn't really be possible unless they specialized in one of those things and teamed up with others who specialized in other ones. Plus, we're unlikely to achieve situations where people have lots of free time anytime soon, and so this would imply that only those in the intellectual class should be allowed to consume art, or those willing to burn the midnight fuel. This is problematic for obvious reasons.
This also raises cause for concern with other forms of pleasure: Should one not consume food cooked by a chef unless they themselves are one? Should one not fornicate without being a producer of sex toys?
My question is more along the lines of what we, as communists in the imperial core, should do- Should we abstain from sense pleasures? Or is that useless self-flagellation? Should we avoid attachment to notions such as community and love? Or are those useful motivations for "the cause"? Are gatherings for games and food a source of camaraderie, or distraction?
Having to abstain from pleasure to a degree that is considered odd by everyone around you is very frustrating. Being human sucks.
the bourgeoisie aren't human
Were you implying that the bourgeoisie tend to come from the families of those that originally abstained from pleasure? Because that could at least explain why Jeff Bezos sits on a massive pile of gold when using it to equalize humanity would probably make him happier.
deleted by creator
Not necessarily but I do think that there is a cult of self-denial that is passed down purposefully through the generations. I don't think the amount of "tee-totalers" (or w/e they are called) among the bourgeoisie is a coincidence; I think they view addictions as a liability if not a weakness.
And sadly, I think they are right about it being a huge liability. It has a delegitimizing effect in what is this so-called "meritocracy".
Well, materially this still results in communists having to overcome their addictions to organize. Maybe. I don't know, theory is confusing.
Lenin/Mao agreed
The fight against addiction is one of the major tasks of the proletariat. Liberalism's inability to deal with rampant addiction is for the same reason it is unable to dispel widespread poverty - a lack of political will; disasters are opportunities for profit within capitalism AND such things are disorganizing forces cast on the working class.
I think they meant from an drug/substance abuse perspective and not "everything is an addiction" perspective. I'm unsure if we're going to be able to get people to give up fiction books entirely, for instance.
"We are not here to tell them what they want- We are here to tell them how to get it."
Oh, yeah I forgot what comment we were bouncing off of.
Yeah, much to my dismay Lenin and Mao weren't subscribed to my blog.
Addiction is most noticeable when considering substance abuse but sometimes I think the more subtle ones are just as impactful due to the extent which we tolerate them; "bread and circuses", etc.
I don't think my aim is to live in a world devoid of pleasures but rather one where consumption is always preceded by production - people who consume fiction write fiction, too. People who listen to music, also play an instrument. People who collect shoes know how to cobble - with gifts being the manner in which people consume things they do not participate in the creation of.
I think you're putting the cart ahead of the horse, and vilifying a quirk of humanity that's been weaponized. The issue is not that people consume things produced by others, which is a good thing and should be encouraged, but that capitalism has turned this tendency into a form of control.
"Precluding" consumption with production and interaction with a field implies people can only consume that which either they themselves produce, or something someone else makes within the same field as them. I find this problematic on two fronts, depending on what you're saying:
If you are saying that people should only be limited to consuming that which they produce, this would completely short-circuit and destroy the entire beautiful exchange of artistic interaction. Human society would be reduced to basic discussion, necessity, etc, and culture would cease to exist.
If you are saying that people should only be limited to consuming that which is in their field, I disagree entirely. People's passion for multiple things at once has been the source of numerous sources of wonderful art, and this wouldn't really be possible unless they specialized in one of those things and teamed up with others who specialized in other ones. Plus, we're unlikely to achieve situations where people have lots of free time anytime soon, and so this would imply that only those in the intellectual class should be allowed to consume art, or those willing to burn the midnight fuel. This is problematic for obvious reasons.
This also raises cause for concern with other forms of pleasure: Should one not consume food cooked by a chef unless they themselves are one? Should one not fornicate without being a producer of sex toys?
My question is more along the lines of what we, as communists in the imperial core, should do- Should we abstain from sense pleasures? Or is that useless self-flagellation? Should we avoid attachment to notions such as community and love? Or are those useful motivations for "the cause"? Are gatherings for games and food a source of camaraderie, or distraction?