It occurs to me that strangely dangerous predilections of contemporary male workers, such as drag racing, demonstrate the existence of a displaced need among men for power and talent. When as in industrial production workers have no control over the creation of the products themselves over the use of their hands over the use of their *time* over the use of their body and its power at work, they must, it seems, redirect the natural drive to create a life of self directed and self fulfilling work into a natural drive to create a situation outside of work over which they *do* have control. The Inherent danger of something like drag racing, combined with its popularity among grown men, has eluded my understanding until reading this article in which case it seems that controlling the use of some machines (cars) (those machines that are affordable to some working people, especially secondhand, (or on loanshark or bankshark credit)) is the displacement of the lack of control of the conditions of one’s labor. The displacement is not onto an independent labor of creation or an independent product of creation or the economic benefit of the product of creation, but the displacement is onto the use of a machine in a way that workers on down time can demonstrate control and talent. The Inherent risk of displacing energy into entertainment rather than actual production, the inherent risk of displacing energy into misuse of a machine rather than its intended and safer use is literally the danger of one’s own life and others’ lives.
This can be an extended to an understanding of online gaming as well .
I am exceedingly interested in this quote from your article, "Marx’s law of the counteracting tendency is therefore relevant for analyzing the relationship between capitalist society and mental illness, including fascism as a realized nihilism." and wonder if you could point me in the direction of more reading on the relationship between mental illness and capitalism.
Another who explores connections between capitalism (neoliberalism in particular) and mental illness, though again not through the kind of Marxian/Spinozist lens I write about, is Byung-Chul Han: https://www.sup.org/books/theory-and-philosophy/burnout-society
Thank for you for the excellent commentary. I will see if I can get access to your main article. I think the problem of voluntary servitude is the fundamental problem of the left and requires all our theoretical understanding. It’s almost become obsessional, given the number of works dedicated to better elucidating it over the last 50+ years but still derives new insight - as your essay shows.
As a doctor training to become a psychiatrist (with a strong psychoanalytical bent) who studied continental philosophy, the connections and questions that you raise around fascism and mental illness are cat nip to me. I’ve always followed the theorisation of the fascist impulse as a manifestation of the desire for a master that flows from Adorno and Lacan (in different ways) but I’m not well read on D&G (sadly never got round to AO on my masters - something that I will one day address!). There is definitely a connection between the suicidal impulse, and a nihilism; and the super-ego/death drive. The nihilistic super ego? More than my brain can handle at the moment but fun to play with.
Ben, I greatly appreciate your comments, especially with all your relevant background and interests! Let me know if you have trouble accessing the main article. I'd be happy to share a copy via email. All the best, Kevin
Fascism is unregulated capitalism. It requires extraordinary hate among the workers in order to function. The recipient of all of the economic profits are the corporate owners and the political rulers. It is the *fusing* of government and corporations.
It is raw and total exploitation.
Examples are The labor camps of the Nazis and the Southern plantations of the United States in its first half of existence.
The Scapegoats were Jews and Black people, respectively, — and those physically free people who only benefited by *not being Jewish*, and *not being Black*, became de facto dominators, poor (literally) patsies protecting the state, and protecting therich in their exploitation of the Jewish enslaved population, and the black enslaved population, respectively.
People struggle on behalf of their oppressor because they are trapped inside the supremacist worldview that legitimizes the strong man worldview of I/me/mine/mightmakesright.
Well, I wouldn't simply equate the two, but I do think fascism is a product of capitalism, and historically the capitalist class has been willing to lean into fascism as a way to help save capitalism. So, there's a very close relation, indeed. Thanks for reading!
I would because capitalism primarily harms the same people fascism does: POC, LGBTQ people, women, disabled people, poor white people, and children while it primarily benefits wealthy white men. And capitalism was imagined into being by wealthy white men.
Yes. Capitalism is modernity's iteration of wealth supremacy. Wealth supremacy is the font of all supremacisms. Fascism is the predictable outcome of supremacism and the I/me/mine/mightmakesright worldview that spawns it.🌼
It occurs to me that strangely dangerous predilections of contemporary male workers, such as drag racing, demonstrate the existence of a displaced need among men for power and talent. When as in industrial production workers have no control over the creation of the products themselves over the use of their hands over the use of their *time* over the use of their body and its power at work, they must, it seems, redirect the natural drive to create a life of self directed and self fulfilling work into a natural drive to create a situation outside of work over which they *do* have control. The Inherent danger of something like drag racing, combined with its popularity among grown men, has eluded my understanding until reading this article in which case it seems that controlling the use of some machines (cars) (those machines that are affordable to some working people, especially secondhand, (or on loanshark or bankshark credit)) is the displacement of the lack of control of the conditions of one’s labor. The displacement is not onto an independent labor of creation or an independent product of creation or the economic benefit of the product of creation, but the displacement is onto the use of a machine in a way that workers on down time can demonstrate control and talent. The Inherent risk of displacing energy into entertainment rather than actual production, the inherent risk of displacing energy into misuse of a machine rather than its intended and safer use is literally the danger of one’s own life and others’ lives.
This can be an extended to an understanding of online gaming as well .
I am exceedingly interested in this quote from your article, "Marx’s law of the counteracting tendency is therefore relevant for analyzing the relationship between capitalist society and mental illness, including fascism as a realized nihilism." and wonder if you could point me in the direction of more reading on the relationship between mental illness and capitalism.
Thanks so much for your interest! That idea is fleshed out much more in my article “Spinoza, Marx and Anti-Oedipus: A Labour Theory of Repression” in the journal Deleuze and Guattari Studies. https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/dlgs.2024.0550?journalCode=dlgs
It’s behind a paywall, but if you’re interested in reading it, I’m willing to share a pdf copy with you. Just let me know.
While Gabor Maté doesn’t draw on a Marxian analysis or focus on the mode of production per say, I think his work aligns in a lot of interesting ways: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608273/the-myth-of-normal-by-gabor-mate-md-with-daniel-mate/
Another who explores connections between capitalism (neoliberalism in particular) and mental illness, though again not through the kind of Marxian/Spinozist lens I write about, is Byung-Chul Han: https://www.sup.org/books/theory-and-philosophy/burnout-society
Ah brilliant, thanks so much foe those links! and yes - please - of you're willing to share a pdf I would be grateful
Absolutely! I'll send via email. Cheers!
Thanks for posting.
I am reminded of Orwell.
https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/politics-and-the-english-language/
Thank you!
aye i just wrote about fascism as well
Until things drastically change - we must beat them at their own game to save Mother Earth!
https://open.substack.com/pub/christophermeestoerato/p/time-for-a-pocketbook-revolution?r=12utpl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Thank for you for the excellent commentary. I will see if I can get access to your main article. I think the problem of voluntary servitude is the fundamental problem of the left and requires all our theoretical understanding. It’s almost become obsessional, given the number of works dedicated to better elucidating it over the last 50+ years but still derives new insight - as your essay shows.
As a doctor training to become a psychiatrist (with a strong psychoanalytical bent) who studied continental philosophy, the connections and questions that you raise around fascism and mental illness are cat nip to me. I’ve always followed the theorisation of the fascist impulse as a manifestation of the desire for a master that flows from Adorno and Lacan (in different ways) but I’m not well read on D&G (sadly never got round to AO on my masters - something that I will one day address!). There is definitely a connection between the suicidal impulse, and a nihilism; and the super-ego/death drive. The nihilistic super ego? More than my brain can handle at the moment but fun to play with.
Ben, I greatly appreciate your comments, especially with all your relevant background and interests! Let me know if you have trouble accessing the main article. I'd be happy to share a copy via email. All the best, Kevin
Fascism is unregulated capitalism. It requires extraordinary hate among the workers in order to function. The recipient of all of the economic profits are the corporate owners and the political rulers. It is the *fusing* of government and corporations.
It is raw and total exploitation.
Examples are The labor camps of the Nazis and the Southern plantations of the United States in its first half of existence.
The Scapegoats were Jews and Black people, respectively, — and those physically free people who only benefited by *not being Jewish*, and *not being Black*, became de facto dominators, poor (literally) patsies protecting the state, and protecting therich in their exploitation of the Jewish enslaved population, and the black enslaved population, respectively.
People struggle on behalf of their oppressor because they are trapped inside the supremacist worldview that legitimizes the strong man worldview of I/me/mine/mightmakesright.
Capitalism = fascism.
Well, I wouldn't simply equate the two, but I do think fascism is a product of capitalism, and historically the capitalist class has been willing to lean into fascism as a way to help save capitalism. So, there's a very close relation, indeed. Thanks for reading!
I would because capitalism primarily harms the same people fascism does: POC, LGBTQ people, women, disabled people, poor white people, and children while it primarily benefits wealthy white men. And capitalism was imagined into being by wealthy white men.
Yes. Capitalism is modernity's iteration of wealth supremacy. Wealth supremacy is the font of all supremacisms. Fascism is the predictable outcome of supremacism and the I/me/mine/mightmakesright worldview that spawns it.🌼
🎯