I am convinced that social distancing measures are an adaptation by Capital to the new American way of life.

[ExitStageLeft]

And that some of the measures now being implemented will be maintained long after the 'emergency- has passed.

And it's because of Capital. The old model of social existence was predicated on wasteful, environmentally destructive overconsumption. The new model will be optimized for enforced underconsumption, justified by ethical appeals to frugality for which we have been primed on both the Left (hippies) and the Right (traditionalism).

It is now possible for passive consumerism to exist without the consumer leaving a social footprint. Social distancing weakens labor movements, encourages even greater narcissistic consumption of media (see the proliferation of 'Tiger King' memes), etc. The ideal producer-consumer is one who produces and consumes in an anti-social way.

Under other social conditions than these, human flourishing in self-isolation might be possible. Today, however, it will result in an increase in the tempo of decadence.

 

[netrezven]

I used to wonder, when 1% produce food, 1% produce medicine and toilet paper, what can the other 98% give for exchange?

 

[waived]

The largest restructuring of capital/social relations since the 1970's?

 

[ExitStageLeft]

The largest restructuring of capital/social relations since the 1970's?

Most definitely. And probably worse for the working-class than the introduction of neoliberalism.

The only thing that could possibly make me want to live now is to see how it plays out. But then I realize that I do not want to live under these conditions either.

 

[Sensei]

An interesting theory, but I'm not sure I'm buying it. The goal of capitalists is to accumulate wealth. To accumulate more wealth, consumption must increase. One could argue that we live in a postindustrial society where services are the most prominent products, but manufacturing and processing companies are still generating the largest revenues. It's also worth noting that of the ten companies that generate the largest revenues in the world, nine are oil and car companies; the tenth company is Walmart.

 

[one4all]

@ExitStageLeft Is this something you wanted to discuss on your livestream when you CTB?

 

[ExitStageLeft]

@ExitStageLeft Is this something you wanted to discuss on your livestream when you CTB?

Yes. In addition to my exclusion from the service sector of the economy, and a comparison of my position within the legal system to the effects of the quarantine overall - this is a taste of my life, in miniature, every day for the last fifteen years, owing to my legal situation.

 

[ExitStageLeft]

Are you still planning on doing public self immolation while live streaming?

It would be nice, but is, as far as I can tell, a fantasy.

I can either livestream it in relative comfort and make my point, or burn to death horribly in public. Or some combination thereof, actually, with a pre-recorded video and with the proviso that I might be more likely to live from burning than from overdose. And yet burning to death is probably more memorable than livestreaming a suicide in a motel room.

I'd also want to implicate my ex-girlfriend in some way. Maybe burn myself alive on her front lawn. What would you say to that? I wouldn't get the social point across and she wouldn't miss the loss, but the trauma might be worth it. She was... lol.

 

[one4all]

Ok carry on with your manifesto. Sorry for interrupting.

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

This isn't just happening in America, this is worldwide social influencing, but for what purpose is yet to be seen. Even poor countries have been put through this, and it's as yet unclear what the final outcome will be.

Asian countries that practiced social distancing and quarantines in place stopped the practices, but are now closing their borders. Whatever is going on, it seems to be happening in stages, with no clarity as to what all the stages will be and what the world will ultimately look like. I think things will be different, and common people will have no choice but to accept and move on in an altered socio-cultural environment.

What is clear to me is that everything that's happening is one big hyperbolic response. I read one headline that said COVID-19 was forever changing the world, and I thought, bullshit, it's not the virus that's making the changes. It's not the virus that is causing panic. Panic makes people easier to control.

I don't who's doing the controlling or why, but this crisis reeks to me of social engineering, just as the hippie movement was engineered, in part with the CIA leaking LSD into the hippie culture. I smell a whole lot of fertilizer right now, and it's being made to seem like social distancing and quarantining are ferlitizing gardens of common good, but it's far more likely the odor will lead to fields of utter bullshit, and humanity will have no choice but to get desensitized to the stench and give up trying to clean it off of their shoes.

 

[one4all]

I'd also want to implicate my ex-girlfriend in some way. Maybe burn myself alive on her front lawn. What would you say to that? I wouldn't get the social point across and she wouldn't miss the loss, but the trauma might be worth it. She was... lol.

Interesting that you want to implicate someone else in your suicide. I have no idea why you want to do that, nor do i want to know. Just seems strange you want to implicate someone else in to your death.

Edit: does that have anything do with you've been criminalized to the point that supporting yourself is impossible and it isn't an expungeable offense? Curious because you mentioned those things in a previous post.

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

I'd also want to implicate my ex-girlfriend in some way. Maybe burn myself alive on her front lawn. What would you say to that? I wouldn't get the social point across and she wouldn't miss the loss, but the trauma might be worth it. She was... lol.

What would I say to that?

Do you really give af except for the attention generated by your provocation... lol?

 

[waived]

Anyone here ever read Witherburo? Desert?