I think that businesses all more-or-less are predicated on the cultivation of a human addiction/dependence structure. I think addiction isn't something that some people suffer from while others don't (per se) but more of an innate human feature which guides us towards repetition based on what evolution has coded into our instincts. Addiction takes wildly different forms in each person but everyone is a slave to their addictions; for most people it is just addiction to convenience and entertainment, others caffeine, others alcohol, others adrenaline, etc. The merchant class were the people who recognized this and learned to profit immensely from being the enablers of the addictions, whatever their forms. We can see this with companies that run at a loss when they first emerge, similar to drug dealers passing out samples, they plant the seeds for addiction and once you are hooked they can begin to harvest profits.
In such a society it is those who hedge their addictions through self-denial that are able to wrest the most control. Through experience the people who best avoid addiction are those who view pleasure with extreme skepticism as a general rule. But a society that revolves around this is one which necessitates an infantilized, helpless population.
yeah a lot of human activity seems to just be the pursuit of pleasure (carrot) and the avoidance of pain (stick).
I think a person needs to properly internalize that thought to escape the cycle - but habit-forming addictions (especially those that culminate in physical withdrawal) can be insurmountable hurdles for individuals to conquer
I absolutely agree with this. Capitalism is built on the three Ps - Poison, Propaganda, and Ponzi schemes. The Anglo-American empire has elevated all 3 to their ultimate form.
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 that businesses all more-or-less are predicated on the cultivation of a human addiction/dependence structure. I think addiction isn't something that some people suffer from while others don't (per se) but more of an innate human feature which guides us towards repetition based on what evolution has coded into our instincts. Addiction takes wildly different forms in each person but everyone is a slave to their addictions; for most people it is just addiction to convenience and entertainment, others caffeine, others alcohol, others adrenaline, etc. The merchant class were the people who recognized this and learned to profit immensely from being the enablers of the addictions, whatever their forms. We can see this with companies that run at a loss when they first emerge, similar to drug dealers passing out samples, they plant the seeds for addiction and once you are hooked they can begin to harvest profits.
In such a society it is those who hedge their addictions through self-denial that are able to wrest the most control. Through experience the people who best avoid addiction are those who view pleasure with extreme skepticism as a general rule. But a society that revolves around this is one which necessitates an infantilized, helpless population.
Proposed solution: Seize the means of production
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yeah a lot of human activity seems to just be the pursuit of pleasure (carrot) and the avoidance of pain (stick).
I think a person needs to properly internalize that thought to escape the cycle - but habit-forming addictions (especially those that culminate in physical withdrawal) can be insurmountable hurdles for individuals to conquer
I absolutely agree with this. Capitalism is built on the three Ps - Poison, Propaganda, and Ponzi schemes. The Anglo-American empire has elevated all 3 to their ultimate form.
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.
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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.
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