Reading Capitalist Realism

There’s a discussion in this book between Mark Fisher and Jodi Dean in which they debate the “fun” of capitalism. Now you might be wondering how the aspect of “fun” fits in, but it does in many ways. The allegedly “liberal” promoters of anti-capitalist ideology, despite their criticism of capitalism, secretly enjoy the pleasures of it. Do they feel guilty for watching TV shows? Do they hate themselves for loving Youtube so much? Perhaps, after all is said and done, they have some ambivalence about using Amazon to get books at a discount. There’s no way anything could be done in their world without capitalism, because nobody in their right mind would work hard for zero reward.

    Reading Capitalist Realism is a collection of essays on capitalism by various economists. Caren Irr, for instance, writes on how the anti-capitalist platform can generate unrealistic goals, while middle-class researchers like Barbara Ehrenreich (author of Nickel and Dimed) use an educated approach while avoiding taking sides. Others find it hard to get candid interviews from “the poor” whom they’re studying, thanks to politics. In some countries you can get killed by the government for speaking out, and here in the USA, while you probably won’t be jailed for complaining about Walmart, you could be in trouble if they’re the chief employer in the town.

    While this book is full of solid academic discussions on the pros and cons of capitalism, I think it’s lacking in some ways. I would have liked to have seen arguments between economists who are seriously polarized, not because I’d want to take sides, but because you can discover great things when you pit two minds against each other. Keep in mind something that Dr. Thomas Sowell said about Occupy Wall Street; despite their complaints about capitalism, they spent an awful lot of time with their iPhones.