Was thinking about what it would be like living under a post-capitalist system and this thought came into my head. Are there any behaviors or triggers associated with previously having lived in a capitalist system that still manifest in people who have lived in a capitalist system even when they are no longer doing so?
I agree with what other comrades have pointed out, and would say that if I were to pathologize capitalism as trauma I would consider its lasting impacts on socialist society more akin to a societal C-PTSD than a societal PTSD if that makes sense. It is an extensive, long and dehumanizing trauma that withers away at ones’ psyche more than collapses it in an instant. This sort of calls to mind the defensiveness of socialism by older generations when confronted with a potential return to capitalism and the unfortunate political apathy that has overtaken many a socialist youth in the past. Having suffered through the worst of capitalism, generations who were born within it will feel the need to remain vigilant at all times and probably consistently worry about capitalism’s return. Younger generations who have known nothing but a socialist society may experience generational trauma from their parents, but that vigilance will fade with time. On the one hand, constant worry and vigilance is taxing to hell in and of itself. On the other, political apathy among the youth has been a factor in the downfall of socialist projects in the past. To truly be free from the threat and the fear, the globe needs to turn red, I feel.
According to the laws of dialectics, when a thing changes qualitatively, it first retains features of its previous state, but as it keeps changing quantitatively over time, it “grows out” of these vestigial features. Society is superstructure, shaped by the economic base; however, all change is gradual, and society won’t transform right away just because the economic base changed, confirming your guess. So it will take a while for society to realize and internalize “wait, I don’t need to follow these old capitalist laws anymore”.
This is kinda what I thought, like the older generations will keep some habits from the capitalistic era as it is hard to break old habits and the younger generation who only knew socialism would to an extent find such habits odd or old-fashioned.
I think generally speaking this fits really well with Lenin’s analysis of the 2 stages of progress towards communism in the state and revolution.
There will be a period of several generations of healing that will bring people into a communist state of mind. I think a key dynamic (which Lenin spoke of as well) is that it will take generations for people to internalize that you don’t need to work in a “profitable” way to be permitted to live. Emotional and intellectual labor are legitimately massive contributors to human society. However, it will take years for people to realize that these people are contributing.
So generally unlearning the idea that you have to “earn” the right to exist…
tell me how this won’t be traumatic
Is that real?
Because if it is these people are in for a rude awakening. They’ve actually internalized the propaganda that hard jobs pay the most. but that’s not true at all lmao.
Enjoy being more tired at the end of the day than you’ve ever been, desk jockey. Not saying that only manual or physical jobs are hard but the idea that you’re escaping hard work is insane to actually believe. and that is likely an overstated or exceptional example lol.
read it for yourself LOL https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/the-great-resignation-aussie-man-quits-100k-job-to-work-at-mcdonalds/CO4QMHSSPGBEMMN2AOUYEWF73E/
these people talk down on non-corporate workers so much
Honestly, most of their complaints just boil down to alienation and exploitation. One of them said their cleaning job made them feel like they were actually doing something. They complain about having to be constantly on the job to answer emails and stuff. Just wish they would realize that it was capitalism instead of a corporate job that was doing it to them.
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Strange article, isn’t it?
On the one hand it’s trying to portray a AU$100k job as being at the top of the corporate ladder (there’s a strong ideological function in this framing). On the other hand it seems that AU$100k is just middle management. Either that or cleaners are paid exceptionally well in Australia.
Of course middle management is going to be stressful and unrewarding – you’re only there to deliver the bosses orders and the boss takes a wager that you don’t need to be bribed very much to be a dickhead to everyone below you.
As @carpe_modo@lemmygrad.ml pointed out, it seems the guy bought into the dream and realised that companies are run for the shareholders, so what Paul (not pictured @treadonmedaddy@lemmygrad.ml) is facing is his own exploitation and alienation.
Still, I bet Maccy D’s is enjoying the publicity and the message that it’s jobs pay just enough to live on and are rewarding. And that might be true enough, but it’ll be treated as a mantra the next time the workers ask for a pay rise: ‘but don’t you know we can replace you with people who want to be happy’.
I had a very similar thought that this could be a pr stunt to funnel people into this kind of employment right at the height of a labor shortage.
I lost it at “Paul (not pictured)” LMAOOOOO
Wait till they get physically overworked for hours on a 10+ hour shift
or
their manager threatens them with firing because they didn’t upsell enough McFries™
or
they get abuse hurled at them hourly by abusive customers
or
when their feet get sore and calloused from standing all shift and athletes foot from stood on a soaking bar and their joints and body hurts from the work
or
when they burn themselves working with hot equipment or when they finish a grueling day of work to find they earn less than some people pay for a round of drinks in a bar
or
they don’t have Union representation and protection
or
when they get told by everyone around them that they’re an unskilled scab despite people needing their industry to buy shit
or
when travel to and from work is half your daily wage but you’ve got to work the smaller shifts and lose money otherwise your manager won’t give you more shifts
or
Having to work insanely unsociable hours at night or during holidays because capitalism.
What a fucking disconnected shite article. I worked in hospitality for 6 years before, during and after uni and after going into desk work yes there is stress and mental exhaustion from scummy work practises and the like but the idea of going back to hospitality when my work was potentially closing made me breakdown in tears and have a panic attack. The idea of sitting behind a desk with three times the pay (entry level) does not elicit that response.
Get 👏 a 👏 fucking 👏 grip 👏
Isn’t alienation a traumatic event in and of itself? Individualism breeds trauma because it encourages us to get as little support at possible. And that’s just if your in the imperial core. Most people have to deal with all the trauma that imperialism brings about.
I definitely think capitalism is traumatic for all involved. People just have different abilities to cope and different coping strategies. That being said, if your coping strategy involves allowing the current exploitation of people around the world, your coping strategy is causing even more trauma and should be disregarded.
Even the ruling class is traumatized. Look at these miserable, wretched fucks and tell me that 5th yacht made them happy.
Not just trauma but learned behaviors. There is something deeply sick about our social contract, the way we socialize and go about both in the short and long term. It could take some years to unlearn these behaviors and the root “this is just how the universe operates!” sickness capitalism inflicted upon them.
