Zombie Capitalism

[Piranesi]

More conspiracies against the human race:

”Capitalism transforms society in its entirety as it sucks people by the billions into labouring for it. It changes the whole pattern by which humanity lives, remoulding human nature itself. It gives a new character to old opressions and throws up completely new ones. It creates drives to war and ecological destruction. It seems to act like a force of nature ... Yet the system is not a product of nature, but of human activity, human activity that has somehow escaped from human control and taken a life of its own. Economists write that ’the market does this’ or ’the market demands that’. But the market is only the coming together of the products of many disparate acts of human creative activity, labour.”
-- Chris Harman, Zombie Capitalism, 2009.

And what about Zombie Socialism?; just another way to enslave people. Corporate capitalism is definitely something that has dehumanized things, but then someone is reactionary and then wants a different model that controls and diminishes people... that's ok though: it's THEIR model.

And the thing is- this political song and dance crap is all pretty well tied together into the same thing; whether people want to admit it or not, there are those 'with power' that have plotted with supposed ideological enemies for basically the same purpose. The normal sheep just fall right in line like a bunch of dominoes. But this just goes on and on 'ad nauseum'.

So, what's the POINT with your statement??? Something like that always infers to me a far left, pro-socialist (READ: totalitarian) loving attitude from the writer. The substitute poison is STILL NOT a cure! I do assume the whole point IS to push for totalitarianism- the 'left-wing' variety- by such a post. This does seem a reasonable inference. Or do you not REALIZE the problem with the other system- do you use any reason behind it or just CHOOSE to have blinders on?

Don't you see how these philosophies are used to manipulate the 'poor peons'? Do you need an overview of history; exoteric and esoteric? The bottom line is- the human populace has been controled with all this for aeons. So, jump on the band-wagon; after all, it's only instinctive by now.


"The world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not
behind the scenes." --Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli of England, in 1844.

“The drive of the Rockefellers and their allies is to create a one-world government combining supercapitalism and Communism under the same tent, all under their control…. Do I mean conspiracy? Yes I do. I am convinced there is such a plot, international in scope, generations old in planning, and incredibly evil in intent.”
-- Congressman Larry P. McDonald, 1976


“War and famine would not do. Instead, disease offered the most efficient and fastest way to kill the billions that must soon die if the population crisis is to be solved. AIDS is not an efficient killer because it is too slow. My favorite candidate for eliminating 90 percent of the world’s population is airborne Ebola (Ebola Reston), because it is both highly lethal and it kills in days, instead of years. We’ve got airborne diseases with 90 percent mortality in humans. Killing humans. Think about that. You know, the bird flu’s good, too. For everyone who survives, he will have to bury nine”
-- Dr. Eric Pianka- University of Texas evolutionary ecologist and lizard expert


“Depopulation should be the highest priority of foreign policy towards the third world, because the US economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad, especially from less developed countries.”
-- Dr. Henry Kissinger


“Today, America would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order. Tomorrow they will be grateful! This is especially true if they were told that there were an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well-being granted to them by the World Government.”
-- Dr. Henry Kissinger, Bilderberger Conference, Evians, France, 1991

[paeng]

Rather than one group of elitists, there are actually several, sometimes supporting or fighting each other. Rather than one world government, there may be several governments, with changeovers from, say, the U.S. to BRIC.

Employment of tactics such as disease may actually destroy the possibility of "supercapitalism," etc.

Depopulation runs contrary to global capitalism and implies that the U.S. elite will look after the needs of the U.S. population. On the other hand:

charles hugh smith-We Don't Need No Stinkin' Jobs (in the U.S.)

What is likely, then, is that the current economic crisis is brought about by global capitalism (not even socialism) and that it is leading to credit bubbles popping. A resource crunch will follow. With that, forms of socialism will take place (totalitarian or not), after which even those will not be sustainable.

[Piranesi]

Quote Originally Posted by DELETED ACCOUNT

And what about Zombie Socialism?; just another way to enslave people. Corporate capitalism is definitely something that has dehumanized things, but then someone is reactionary and then wants a different model that controls and diminishes people...

Dear DELETED ACCOUNT,

Zombie Socialism is decidedly as worse as Zombie Capitalism. Systematic philosophy, political –isms (or models) far too often turns into instruments of oppression, socialism not excluded. Thus your inference that by posting a quotation by a socialist historian I am pushing for totalitarism is unreasonable.

I do believe that Chris Harmans (and Marx’s) critique of capitalism is relevant but please do not assume that I am agree with his (or Marx’s) conclusions throughout. The old Marxist variety of socialism with its positivist faith in progress, idealization of the proletariat, forced labour and centralism of power is a horror.

When I quote a socialist, it does not even necessarily follow that I am a socialist. It so happens, however, that I am a socialist in that I stress the need for creative co-operation and humanity as opposed to the destructive competition and disregard of human life characteristic of our present capitalist society. In the words of the Jewish Barber:

"We all want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone and the earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls - has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in: machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little: More than machinery we need humanity; More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.” (The Great Dictator)

Quote Originally Posted by Piranesi

Zombie Socialism is decidedly as worse as Zombie Capitalism. Systematic philosophy, political –isms (or models) far too often turns into instruments of oppression, socialism not excluded. Thus your inference that by posting a quotation by a socialist historian I am pushing for totalitarism is unreasonable.

Piranesi,

Thank you for explaining that. I will apologize for jumping to a conclusion, it's just that all this really bothers me personally and it feels that this whole thing is becoming more oppressive every day and I don't know what will happen.

I think the State, in conjunction with this corporate machine, or whatever, is one of the most horrific things. I live in the United States- this is all just so depressing. I've read a lot of esoteric writings- and not from an antagonistic view even- but I have little doubt that from reading some of this especially, there ARE people who have commiserated to bring about a dominance over the world. It would be great if this whole world was at peace, but forcing it down people's throats is wrong and domination does not lend to an idea of a beautiful situation anyway.

How is it conscienable to throw living beings into a battle- with most of them going out of a sense of honor- to be slaughtered... just to dwindle the numbers or as chess pieces? There's been a huge blood sacrifice to further calculating individuals master plan(s). What if it is more than one cabal of plotting elitists? It's still sick and I personally resent it being done to me... and all these other people who maybe would rather have 'kindness' come upon their hearts. It actually makes me ANGRY and I'm not a damn peon; I am more and more frustrated with it every day.

In the United States, there is the ****ing Homeland Security- what a joke- and these authorities would keep on 'doing their job', instead of perhaps seeing what is happening to fellow humans and any real worthwhile reason to be alive. That whole pretence to extend authority and legislation to protect- it is not all that it is trying to be sold as. This IS DAMN SERIOUS and REAL horror... the thing is, it can soon become a complete abomination onto EVERYONE: fundamentalist Christians, secular humanists, an 'average' person just trying to go day to day, all the children still being born and will grow up in this, horror aficionados, the person who genuinely loves nature and peace, EVERYONE! It can soon become a mass horror- the thing is... it could become a creeping one and nobody will care- it will be too late and life can just be a facade, a shadow... which I think it actually has already been for some time.

I am an artist-- I am sensitive to some of these things more acutely or at least question it more. If I try to just depict art, what good does that do when I end up failing myself and anyone else that I could possibly help- and I am no overly social or humanitarian person... but ultimately, I have a heart, and for everyone that I've ever touched or anything sweet or kind I've felt, especially, ... it makes me truly despair.

A lot of **** is coming to a head. Maybe it's good to just be an escapist and read horror and fiction, and try not to care. I have a belief in something 'greater' actually-- I just don't know what good that does in this material world that threatens to be a palpable and mortally ending nightmare.

[paeng]

I think this is what happened to the U.S.:

Right after WW2, it possessed significant amounts of gold, a powerful economy based on a manufacturing base, and lots of oil to use and to export.

Then, sometime in '71, oil production started to drop (as predicted years earlier), so the U.S. proposed to OPEC to use the dollar as the main currency for trading oil (as other currencies were not very stable). But since there isn't enough gold available (there are only around 150,000 metric tons worldwide, or for the current global population, an ave. of less than one troy oz. per person), the country started to create more money to buy more oil. Most of total money worldwide, by the way, is not created by governments but by corporations, and consists mostly of numbers in accounts. The largest component right now is unregulated derivatives (in general, debt based on debt based on debt, etc., and not reported to regulatory groups), or $800 trillion out of $1.4 quadrillion in total money worldwide.

U.S. wages started to rise, and more citizens wanted a middle class lifestyle, i.e., a house, a car, processed food, electricity, running water, and various needs and conveniences ranging from hospitals and health care to roads and supermarkets. More started moving away from factory work and on to service and finance businesses, were income was higher. The manufacturing work was outsourced to other countries.

Since hardly anything was exported and the country kept borrowing and buying, four decades of trade deficits took place. Soon, up to 70 pct of economic growth was based on consumer spending, and debt cut across three groups: government, corporations, and households. Personal debt reached up to 120 pct of disposable income as more families bought cars, houses, appliances, etc. The largest sources of the government deficit, by the way, are tax cuts and the war budget.

In short, the country borrowed more (which is the same as creating more money), then spent on all sorts of things to create a middle class society. Tax rates are generally the same as those of other countries, but lots of exceptions took place. And even various goods, from gasoline to food, are the same as those of other countries, if not cheaper. For example, the price of gas in the U.S. is one of the lowest among industrialized countries while income levels are some of the highest.

Thus, everyone generally benefitted from the scheme, from citizens who invested in Wall Street and who insisted upon high returns on their investment in order to have early retirement to investment bankers and ratings agency officers who played along to banks, corporations, and government that cooked the books and made it appear that all was well, even inviting foreigners to invest.

Not surprisingly, the same thing is happening in other countries, including China, where around 60 pct of manufacturing now consists of assembly of goods manufactured elsewhere, where income levels are rising and more people are buying cars, houses, etc., and where inflation and real estate bubbles are appearing.

In many ways, this phenomenon of manufacturing to outsourcing to cashing out and casino capitalism is part of zombie capitalism, with most people worldwide desiring to live a middle class lifestyle and profiting from financial speculation. But as increasing credit is needed to support increasing production and consumption of goods, credit bubbles popping is inevitable.

But all of this will be a walk in the park when a resource crunch, the result of increasing consumption, takes place. As it is, global oil production remains relatively flat, and unless we can find more Saudi Arabias, we will have difficulty maintaining business as usual. Think of a country like the U.S., which has less than 5 pct of the world's population but has to consume 25 pct of world oil production to maintain a middle class lifestyle, or the 15 pct of the global population using up to 60 pct of the world's resources in order to maintain the same. Then consider how much more oil and other resources will be needed as more people from China, India, Brazil, and other countries, if not the remaining 85 pct of the world's population, want the same.

And demand is currently rising for various goods. For energy alone, demand from India and China rose by 10 pct last year.

[Piranesi]

”... 21st century capitalism as a whole is a zombie system, seemingly dead when it comes to achieving human goals and responding to human feelings, but capable of sudden spurts of activity that cause chaos all around.”
-- Chris Harman, Zombie Capitalism, 2009.

”The American dream is over. Capitalism is as dead as Elvis Presley and the 20th century – but the clowns who run the show at the moment can’t think of anything to replace it with ... Their only ideas are CCTV cameras on every street-corner and damn micro-chips in our heads.”
-- Dr. Krigstein (mad scientist), The Authority Vol. 2: Under New Management (2000) by Warren Ellis.

[Mr. D.]

I know that it sounds like a naive junior high school civics class but we really are the State. Even in dictatorships the people of a nation are the State. Governments always use some degree of force to get their way, but in a capitalistic system, as was alluded to above, what are needed are supporters. (Should we call them collaborators?) All systems require someone to agree to be in the system. As long as there are just enough right wing, paranoid, closed minded citizens to support the current systems of government and commerce then we will be in the same situation. I don't see any change for a long time because too many US citizens buy into the system.

[The Silent One]

Which is why I'm all for finding some way to collectively check out of the greater scheme of things...

But to speak from a point of bias - as a rabid social libertarian and an economic collectivist - I do think that it is more in the nature of corporate capitalism than of socialism to become more authoritarian and destructive with time. It comes, I suppose, from the radical dual fixation upon hierarchy and self-interest, the sum of which create an incentive towards the individual seeking his own private dominion over others through force and/or manipulation. It is the one of the purest and most insidious manifestations of Control* that I have observed in culture as a whole, as well as one of the most blatantly absurd.

*To clarify: By this capitalisation, I mean to indicate that I refer to the Burroughsian concept of domination-as-ur-meme rather than to the simple idea that the uncapitalised noun conveys. If this sounds unimaginably pretentious to you, then you are absolutely right.