08-03-2020, 09:20 PM
(08-03-2020, 07:43 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: It's hard to tell if we are in late-stage capitalism, but it is easy to see what a depraved capitalist order looks like because we live in one. Economic inequality intensifies, and monopolistic control of opportunity and living space ensure that economic elites get more. Consumer choice seems to broaden, even into the realm of vice. The definitive late-capitalist society is one rich in brothels and casinos (OK, maybe amusement parks and game arcades for people who pretend to have some moral compass), but in which intellectual activity is frowned upon unless it churns out something marketable, like entertainment. The more mindless the entertainment, the better it serves the economic elites who want no competition in thought. Political life gravitates to what the moneyed elites can foist, the optimum for those elites being those reliable lackeys who believe as those elites do, that no human suffering can ever be in excess so long as such churn a profit. The favored religiosity that those elites support (for the poor, and certainly not their hyper-hedonistic selves!) offers "pie in the sky when you die" in return for demanding little and being thankful to one's exploiters (and somehow God) for what one gets. Overall, the economy seems dedicated to no small extent at taking what assets the middle class still has.
This is not a happy time.
You seem to be describing the very society we live in.
I tend to interact more with the younger generation (young millennials or old zoomers, whichever you prefer) and life seems to be so vacuous within this generation. There is little talk about things that are intellectually stimulating, and discussions about anything with social consequences quickly devolves into party politics. Talk seems to always be about the newest TV show or movie that offers an escapist experience away from this world. Little effort seems to be put on critically reflecting what is actually going on around us.
This culture has also influenced me quite a bit, and I myself don’t see this as healthy at all. I’ve been moving towards more escapist forms of entertainment, and falling into escapist habits. Late stage lassaire faire capitalism seems be negatively impact our mental health too.