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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
I would say this is an essential book to read on neoliberalism. It reminded me a lot of Zizek's work, not only in its denouncement of contemporary politics and discourse but through its literary and cinematic comparisons and references. For example, Fisher aptly recalls how The Children of Men describes the neoliberal regime, a state stripped of all functions except for the military and policing: "capitalism subsumes and consumes all of previous history...which can assign all cultural objects... a monetary value." Within this review, I will attempt to recap what Fisher means by capitalist realism is the ongoing ideological system that established itself in the 1980s under Reaganism and Thatcherism under which beliefs are transformed into artifacts, and capitalist realism is like realism in itself (4). Even more importantly capitalist realism "is supposed to immunize us against the seductions of fanaticism" (5), justifying our miserable conditions by saying there is no other option. Importantly, Fisher points out that although we know money has no intrinsic value, we still treat it as if it does, permitting our ironic disposition to perpetuate the useless item's value (12). This creates a "reflexive impotence" in which we passively accept the wrongness of our situation (21).
At another point, Fisher pointed out the mundane "supersaturation of corruption" and evil banalness that occupies the works of Frank Miller and other Reagan-era crime fiction (11). Perhaps the most important point is that moral critiques of capitalism alone make us complacent and reinforce capitalist realism; rather, we must sho how capitalism is "inconsistent or untenable" (16); for example, how capitalism destroys the environment and its own sustainability with its emphasis on perpetual growth (18). To defeat Capital, there must be an authentic alternative to Capital (79). Another valuable reference is the comparison Fisher makes between Heat, a cold, rootless world, to Goodfellas and The Godfather, cruel terfs with established connections and traditions, in order to distinguish the uprootedness difference between Fordist and post-Fordist production and society (31): "you find yourself employed in a series of short-term jobs, unable to plan for the future" (34). Fisher also invents the term "market Stalinism" in which the post-Ford shallow expectations of symbols and public relations resemble the Soviet Union in the 1930s (42).
In addition, capitalism realism is so daunting becuase there is no big "Other" to rally against; the system more so resembles a kafkaesque endless line of bureaucratic meddling (49 - 50), like a call center, "a world without memory," an isolated and disconnected, yet eternal and ubiquitous paternalism. Toward the end, Fisher points out that the slightest blimp might be enough to change the "horizons of possibility under capitalism realism" (81), although I am unsure whether or not he considered fascism rather than socialism emerging under such a horizon.
At another point, Fisher pointed out the mundane "supersaturation of corruption" and evil banalness that occupies the works of Frank Miller and other Reagan-era crime fiction (11). Perhaps the most important point is that moral critiques of capitalism alone make us complacent and reinforce capitalist realism; rather, we must sho how capitalism is "inconsistent or untenable" (16); for example, how capitalism destroys the environment and its own sustainability with its emphasis on perpetual growth (18). To defeat Capital, there must be an authentic alternative to Capital (79). Another valuable reference is the comparison Fisher makes between Heat, a cold, rootless world, to Goodfellas and The Godfather, cruel terfs with established connections and traditions, in order to distinguish the uprootedness difference between Fordist and post-Fordist production and society (31): "you find yourself employed in a series of short-term jobs, unable to plan for the future" (34). Fisher also invents the term "market Stalinism" in which the post-Ford shallow expectations of symbols and public relations resemble the Soviet Union in the 1930s (42).
In addition, capitalism realism is so daunting becuase there is no big "Other" to rally against; the system more so resembles a kafkaesque endless line of bureaucratic meddling (49 - 50), like a call center, "a world without memory," an isolated and disconnected, yet eternal and ubiquitous paternalism. Toward the end, Fisher points out that the slightest blimp might be enough to change the "horizons of possibility under capitalism realism" (81), although I am unsure whether or not he considered fascism rather than socialism emerging under such a horizon.
informative
fast-paced
canon in some milieus — quick, informative, and highly referential. Fisher breaks down the central question: why do we feel there is no alternative to capitalism?
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Prepare to never be happy again
Zabrałem się do tej książki po bodajże roku odkładania na później. Trochę żałuję, że czekałem tak długo - prawdopodobnie jest to jedna z najciekawszych analiz współczesnej sytuacji społeczno-ekonomicznej, zarówno bardzo przystępna, jak i piekielnie wciągająca. Maluje ponury obraz, ale motywuje też do działania.
"Nothing is inherently political; politicization requires a political agent which can transform the taken-for-granted into the up-for-grabs."
"It goes without saying that all mental illnesses are neurologically instantiated, but this says nothing about their causation. If it is true that, for instance, depression is constituted by low serotonin levels, what still needs to be explained is why particular individual have low levels of serotonin. This requires a social and political explanation; and the task of depoliticising mental ilness is an urgent one if the left wants to challenge capitalist realism."
"It goes without saying that all mental illnesses are neurologically instantiated, but this says nothing about their causation. If it is true that, for instance, depression is constituted by low serotonin levels, what still needs to be explained is why particular individual have low levels of serotonin. This requires a social and political explanation; and the task of depoliticising mental ilness is an urgent one if the left wants to challenge capitalist realism."
God damn this was an interesting book that I swallowed in one go. Fisher truly was one of the most incredible thinkers of our time gone far too soon.
this is basically just the best book on "all this shit" I've found-- read it!!
dark
informative
fast-paced
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Капитализм пиздец, пора на баррикады (вот только антидепрессанты приму, и побежала).