1:02pm May 21, 2012

➸ Out Of The Caverns Of Num-Yabisc: Free and open competition? What a capital idea!

Capitalism as an ideal—that is, the great competitive utopia where hard work or clever innovation always results in success and success is always the result of hard work or clever innovation and people are entitled to the sweat of their brows and the invisible hand of the free…

The problem I have with even “ideal, utopian” capitalism is that it bases itself so strongly on what a person is able to do. And always, regardless of intentions, on only a limited amount of things to do. People are more rarely rewarded for contributing wisdom, or love, or an alternative point of view, or their existence, or all of the intangible contributions there are no words for that literally anybody can make. And the only times people do get rewarded for those things is if they can package them into a product of some kind. which is not always possible and quite often not ethical either. The system tries to turn human beings into human doings, and loses a lot in the process.

Once all that happens, it comes down hard on certain kinds of people. Disabled people especially. People become valued on what they can do, and disabled people who can’t make it in the work world get treated literally as if we are garbage. Or as if we just take and give nothing back. Which is Inaccurate of course but not under the laws of capitalism. Once we are seen this way, people start finding ways to do away with us. And we are pressured to die so as not to be a burden. I’m dead serious. I’ve watched. This happens. We’re also weirdly seen as cheaters at the game of life, getting something for nothing, and resentment builds against us. Watch the hate crimes in the UK if you don’t believe me. This leads to monitoring us to make sure we are sufficiently genuine, which creates hellish situations for those of us who don’t fit the stereotype – even so little as a wheelchair user who wiggles her toes is a sign we aren’t deserving. And we die through suicide and starvation and beatings and neglect and institutionalization and poverty.

I’m not interested in creating another system to rival capitalism. Systems always result in oppression and death. Even the best meaning. But I am absolutely interested in destroying capitalism. In creating societies that do things differently. That value everyone. That have room for our commonalities and uniqueness. That are not poisoned in the way even the most ideal capitalism is. That center around compassion and cooperation rather than greed and competition. That value every contribution yet don’t rate people by it. Some things would be the same. Others different. This is not impossible or utopian. Societies like this have always existed.

And also we have to. Anything else will destroy people in horrible numbers. It’s already happening.

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