Monday, October 23, 2006
Advanced Capitalism
I first picked up on the notion of Advanced Capitalism through Haruki Murakami's Dance Dance Dance.
Murakami's take on the concept is concerned with the pervasiveness of the capitalist imperative[1] and the brutal system used to drive it, namely waste.
He emphasises the fact that most western-style economies rely heavily on wastage and redundancy to drive growth.
It's the old story that no car maker produces a car that lasts 25 years - they'll go bankrupt.
This cycle of redundancy manifests itself in a more extreme way in cellular telephones(2 years?), even more so in fashion(seasons) and is now going ballistic in the now-now popular culture of ringtones(2 weeks) and hyper pop music(15 minutes).
Let's not even mention Reality TV fame or MySpace[2].
And as for wastage, I have witnessed it first hand.
I am convinced that in my 3 weeks in the US I produced nearly double the waste I would have in South Africa.
Everything, everything is available in single portion, disposable units. Use it once, throw it away.
Making one cup of coffee in the Austin office resulted in 6 pieces of waste[3] - and I don't use any sugar.
But Murakami makes a second, more subtle, point about advanced capitalism that impressed me more.
His `antagonist`[4] commits murder but feels no remorse[5] nor any fear of persecution.
The simple fact is that he is rich and understands that there is no such thing as as punishable behaviour when you can buy your way out of it.
And it's not a matter of bribery or corruption.
It's simply a case of being in a position where your wealth offers you access to facilities/machinations that will get you out of literally any situation.
In essence you become untouchable as long as you can pay for that privilege.
There's another aspect to advanced capitalism that seems to be a popular topic among academic economists[6].
It relates to the blurring of lines between corporate and state interests and the power that state governments and the corporates who support them have to shape their world.
Nowhere is this more apparent than the current situation in the Middle East where today's US industrial-military complex is setting about building their emerging empire with total disregard for the rest of the world and its own citizens.
In essence they have determined that they will answer to no-one, will demand and exercise complete control over whomever they see fit, and have the money and the military will to back it up.
Which, finally, brings me to my story for today *phew*.
Vanity Fair recently advertised their annual essay contest[7] and posed the following question:
Reading it and then re-reading it nearly knocked me off my chair.
It is the most direct, brutal statement of the advanced capitalist imperative that I've yet come across.
It provides an insight into the darkest hearts on the planet today.
Colonel Kurtz might have discovered the horror, but these guys have discovered it inside themselves and are developing it as a tool.
Yes, I'm hyping the crap out of this quote and likely your mileage on it will vary.
But from my perspective it is the most piercing statement of purpose and platform today.
And it has nothing to do with justification or motivation - that's the point.
Justification is not required anymore.
[1] Profit over production. Accumulation over development.
[2] I saw a post on Digg the other day where a person considered not posting an interesting link because it had been available on-line for 3 days already. fuck'n hardcore.
[3] One polystyrene cup, one automatic coffee machine sachet, three little ultra-pasturized milkies, one plastic stirrer.
[4] I never really experience any of his characters as antagonistic, some are just beyond ruthless - supremely disconnected from their surroundings.
[5] No shocker there
[6] Clearly then territory where I don't know shit.
[7] Which seems to be quite a prestigious affair.
[8] And that's four years ago already.
Murakami's take on the concept is concerned with the pervasiveness of the capitalist imperative[1] and the brutal system used to drive it, namely waste.
He emphasises the fact that most western-style economies rely heavily on wastage and redundancy to drive growth.
It's the old story that no car maker produces a car that lasts 25 years - they'll go bankrupt.
This cycle of redundancy manifests itself in a more extreme way in cellular telephones(2 years?), even more so in fashion(seasons) and is now going ballistic in the now-now popular culture of ringtones(2 weeks) and hyper pop music(15 minutes).
Let's not even mention Reality TV fame or MySpace[2].
And as for wastage, I have witnessed it first hand.
I am convinced that in my 3 weeks in the US I produced nearly double the waste I would have in South Africa.
Everything, everything is available in single portion, disposable units. Use it once, throw it away.
Making one cup of coffee in the Austin office resulted in 6 pieces of waste[3] - and I don't use any sugar.
But Murakami makes a second, more subtle, point about advanced capitalism that impressed me more.
His `antagonist`[4] commits murder but feels no remorse[5] nor any fear of persecution.
The simple fact is that he is rich and understands that there is no such thing as as punishable behaviour when you can buy your way out of it.
And it's not a matter of bribery or corruption.
It's simply a case of being in a position where your wealth offers you access to facilities/machinations that will get you out of literally any situation.
In essence you become untouchable as long as you can pay for that privilege.
There's another aspect to advanced capitalism that seems to be a popular topic among academic economists[6].
It relates to the blurring of lines between corporate and state interests and the power that state governments and the corporates who support them have to shape their world.
Nowhere is this more apparent than the current situation in the Middle East where today's US industrial-military complex is setting about building their emerging empire with total disregard for the rest of the world and its own citizens.
In essence they have determined that they will answer to no-one, will demand and exercise complete control over whomever they see fit, and have the money and the military will to back it up.
Which, finally, brings me to my story for today *phew*.
Vanity Fair recently advertised their annual essay contest[7] and posed the following question:
Personally I don't find the question itself that compelling or well stated, but what blew my brains out was the supporting quote by an anonymous aide to Prezzo Bush from 2002[8].
In a nation defined by video games, reality TV and virtual friendships, with a White House that has perfected the art of politics as public relations, what is reality to Americans today? And did we ever have a grasp of it?
Reading it and then re-reading it nearly knocked me off my chair.
It is the most direct, brutal statement of the advanced capitalist imperative that I've yet come across.
It provides an insight into the darkest hearts on the planet today.
Colonel Kurtz might have discovered the horror, but these guys have discovered it inside themselves and are developing it as a tool.
Yes, I'm hyping the crap out of this quote and likely your mileage on it will vary.
But from my perspective it is the most piercing statement of purpose and platform today.
And it has nothing to do with justification or motivation - that's the point.
Justification is not required anymore.
Your judicious study of discernible reality ... is not the way the world really works anymore.
We're an empire now.
And when we act, we create our own reality.
anonymous aide to Pres. Bush - 2002.
[1] Profit over production. Accumulation over development.
[2] I saw a post on Digg the other day where a person considered not posting an interesting link because it had been available on-line for 3 days already. fuck'n hardcore.
[3] One polystyrene cup, one automatic coffee machine sachet, three little ultra-pasturized milkies, one plastic stirrer.
[4] I never really experience any of his characters as antagonistic, some are just beyond ruthless - supremely disconnected from their surroundings.
[5] No shocker there
[6] Clearly then territory where I don't know shit.
[7] Which seems to be quite a prestigious affair.
[8] And that's four years ago already.
// posted by werner @ 5:56:00 pm 
