It’s not pathologizing, quite the opposite, OP is saying that the industry is necessary because a normal human behavior exists that the constant drive for commodity production interrupts
WIthoutFurtherDelay
Capitalism doesn’t cause differences, it makes behavior that isn’t strictly in line with the norm much more dangerous to the person having it.
I find it fascinating how the Unabomber and, to an extent, anyone who advocates weird, “every society not built on killing and eating is bad” worldviews, they can see this concept of surrogate goals but immediately jump to invalidating them. What makes the desire to become the best rock thrower in the world any more valid than the desire to survive? More people certainly want the latter, but in the absence of a god or higher power to give us some sort of direction, these surrogate goals are as equally valid as any human endeavor ever ventured upon.
What I suggest seems superficially preposterous, I mean, anyone can tell that not starving is more important than becoming the best rock thrower. But that’s the thing- we only think that because the majority of people do not want to starve. Both the desire to throw rocks and the desire to eat are rooted in our biology, one is just more popular and therefore well supported (and, to be clear, should be supported, I think not starving is more important than rock throwing too)
In fact, most of this is pretty much just nonsense. Most “surrogate” desires never reach the level of toxicity or self harm that exists today in corporate culture or even religion.
Also art is not a fake desire ffs
I would go as far as suggesting that these supposedly fake desires only exist or become truly fake when people are forced to submit to them. When someone is pursuing a “surrogate” or supposedly fake desire without being forced to by conditions or the current mode of production, they’re usually pretty content with it, or experience it as an enjoyable vibe rather than a painful goal, therefore something that can be truly satisfied, like eating or sleep. See art communities for this. There are examples of toxic behavior and attitudes in art communities but they always seem to coincide with a desire to commodify one’s art or as a side effect or the idea of productivity.
This seems fairly easy to fix in a socialist state. Just have art funds to dedicate towards artistic projects as a use of taxpayer money.
everyone in favor of making Ghost of Faso the leader of the United Socialist States of America?
There are a lot of examples of things in Capital which absolutely do not need so many paragraphs to explain them.
I’m used to everything pro-Ukraine on this instance being downvoted to hell. Everyone who supports Russia is being downvoted instead. What is going on?
But that isn’t the demographic I’m talking about. A group of people who call themselves anarchists and can be reasoned with does exist, and refusing to cooperate with them (and instead yelling what you perceive to be The Truth at them until they agree with you) will result in them becoming the inflexible, habitually wrong anarchist.
I don’t think it’s really in our best interests to argue that the (likely significant because of the law of large numbers) Ukrainian comrades or socialists that have died during the Ukraine conflict don’t matter.
Especially because most of those people were harmed by Ukrainian militaries.
I looked up Marcuse and on a really primitive reading of his Wikipedia article, while I disagree with his negative views of the USSR, his views seem to be way more in line with reality than Ted's