#we have to deconstruct our identities and behaviors in order to heal ourselves tbh

[hadesoftheladies]

the greatest social contagion of our time (other than misogyny ofc) is capitalism. human “progress” is dictated and regulated by capital. “why are we going to war?” capital. “why are women’s rights regressing?” capital. “why are gay people suddenly in every tv show despite homophobia being rampant?” capital. “why is there a push for men to wear makeup and transpeople to get surgery?” it’s not progress, it’s capital. BBLs, “shave with this feminist razor,” boy clothes or girl clothes, for him/for her, “you deserve the perfect wedding,” girl dinner, “celebrate your melanin skin with this bronzer for $199,” “here’s a funny ad making fun of vegans from a meat factory, isn’t it funny?” “take our free quiz to find out your aesthetic/if you’re neurodivergent,” “10 signs you could have psycho personality disorder” . . . it’s been marketing from the start.

it doesn’t matter if it’s crazy, untrue or evil—it makes bank. human rights don’t matter if they don’t make capital. human lives don’t matter if they don’t have capital. you are not an agent in your life or country without capital. merchant class and consumer class is how the world is sliced. 99.9% of every piece of entertainment is marketing. it is marketing beliefs and ideas for the sake of capital with no regard to human quality of life. that’s why you can have an influx of movies and songs about, idk, black lives mattering, but if the exploitation of black people makes more bank than their liberation, the oligarchs and emperors will do whatever they need to do to get the extra buck. they’ll find a charity, and starve sweatshop workers. maybe even fund a dictator’s army to keep the nation destabilized.

like literally every facet of human life has become capitalistic. be it religion, academia, clothing, etc. it’s everywhere in everything. we used to be able to just like what we liked, but now every like of ours is a data point that is used to market and constrain our own natural, evolving self-expression into a strict niche. companies offer more products than services. like who would we be if we allowed ourselves to be contradicted? if we stopped reading tabloid experts? if we just IGNORED social media campaigns or trends? if we just stopped trying to keep up in a race that never finishes?

most people don’t even realize how much their identities are shaped by what they consume. how the doctrine of consumption has ruined their relationships. there is no loneliness bug or depression virus going around. we just talk and behave and see ourselves and each other as assets because we’re used to being treated as customers or products. that’s why we’re so sick and isolated! humanity is so so sick because of this thing like from the skin to the roots! none of it is sustainable!

it’s also not immutable. companies are effective in telling us what we want, but we have always been able to make demands. is this how you want the world to run? no? it’s time to switch up then. I’m talking unsubscribing, deleting apps, buying a house with friends instead of marrying, creating demand for services. consumers are literally the driving force of economy. being mindful of this matters.