The Supremacy of Capital: A Fundamental Challenge in the Era of #ClimateChaos

In today’s world, the supremacy of capital stands as a pillar holding up our societies and institutions. This assertion, though seemingly simple, carries implications for our understanding of power dynamics, economic structures, and the urgent need for change in the face of #climatecrisis. This encapsulates a recognition that economic interests, particularly those of capitalists and corporations, wield immense influence over all aspects of human life.

Firstly, let us look into the idea of the supremacy of capital. At its core, this term speaks to the authority held by an ideological “class” holding money and wealth in our globalized society. It reflects economic imperatives that take precedence over social, environmental, and ethical considerations. In this paradigm, profit maximization becomes the objective, driving decision-making at individual, corporate, and governmental levels. As a result, we witness the consolidation of power and wealth in the hands of a few, while vast segments of society are left marginalized and disenfranchised.

The influence of capital extends beyond economic realms, permeating into the fabric of our social and cultural bodies, we can feel this in liberal ideology. Which is traditionally associated with notions of individual freedom, free markets, and limited government intervention, but with #neoliberalism becoming entwined with the supremacy of capital, every context, liberal economic policies prioritize the interests of corporations and the wealthy, reinforcing existing power structures.

The supremacy of capital is not a neutral or uncontested phenomenon. Instead, it is underpinned by a religiose adherence to certain beliefs and ideologies that serve to uphold the status quo. This religiosity manifests in a dogmatic acceptance of capitalist principles, to the detriment of alternative worldviews and dissenting voices. It pushes the culture of unquestioning obedience to market forces and economic growth, even in the face of mounting evidence of their adverse impacts on society and the environment.

The urgency of addressing the supremacy of capital is underscored by the existential threat of #climatechange. The hashtag #Climatechaos serves as a strong reminder of the chaotic and disruptive effects of global warming on our planet. From extreme weather events to biodiversity loss and rising sea levels, the consequences of climate change are already being felt across the globe. Yet, capital continues to impede meaningful action on this front, as short-term profit motives take precedence over long-term sustainability and resilience.

In light of these challenges, the principle of #KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid – offers a clarion call for action. It urges us to confront the fundamental issue at hand: the dominance of capital in our societies. While the solution to this complex problem may not be simple or straightforward, acknowledging its existence is the crucial first step towards effecting change. We must challenge the religiose reverence for capital and advocate for alternative economic paths that prioritize people and the planet over profit.

In conclusion, the supremacy of capital stands as the challenge in the era of #climatechaos. By understanding and addressing this, we can pave the way for a more sustainable future. It is past time to break free from the shackles of capitalist ideology and forge a path towards a world where the well-being of humanity and the environment takes precedence over corporate interests #KISS

Reminder about the hashtag family

A breakdown of the #OMN hashtags and how they are typically used as a social change and challenge project that we need:

  1. #dotcons: This hashtag refers to corporate centralized platforms, such as social media networks, that prioritize profit and control over users, data and content. It’s often used in discussions about the negative effects of centralization on the internet and the importance of decentralization.
  2. #fashernista: This hashtag combines “fashion” and “lifestyle” and is used to criticize trends or behaviours that promote #mainstreaming unthinking consumerist paths, behaver and ideas in popular and counter culture.
  3. #stupidindividualism: This hashtag critiques the current use of the ideology of individualism, which prioritizes individual gain and ignores collective well-being. It’s often used to highlight the negative effects of prioritizing individual interests over those of society as a whole.
  4. #neoliberalism: Neoliberalism is an economic and political ideology that emphasizes free-market capitalism, deregulation, privatization, and limited government intervention. This hashtag is used in discussions about the effects of neoliberal policies on society, such as income inequality and the erosion of public services.
  5. #deathcult: This hashtag is used metaphorically to describe neoliberal ideologies that prioritize profit and power over human well-being, environmental sustainability and social justice. It’s frequently associated with critiques of #climatechaos capitalism, consumerism, and imperialism, its the mess we live in today.
  6. #NGO: This stands for “Non-Governmental Organization” and refers to non-profit organizations that operate independently of government control. This hashtag is used in discussions #mainstreaming roles of NGOs and people who think like NGO’s in not being brave enough to address social, environmental, and humanitarian issues.

And on the positive side:

  1. #openweb: This hashtag celebrates the principles of openness, decentralization, and inclusivity on the internet. It’s often used in discussions about the importance of preserving and promoting a “native” open and accessible web for everyone. This is #web01
  2. #4opens: This hashtag is used to promote transparency, collaboration, and community-driven development in software and technology projects. It should be used to JUDGE projects.

Each of these hashtags serves as a shorthand for broader discussions and concepts, allowing people to participate in and contribute to conversations around these topics on the #openweb and inside the #dotcons it’s about linking.

#KISS

The tech world is in a state of chaos and dysfunction

People don’t like to talk about how the tech world is worshipping a #deatcult to push a state of chaos and dysfunction. It’s KISS That we need to compost this mess, but to do this we need to reckon with the consequences of our past decisions to understand how we arrived at this.

Over the past four decades, there has been an intertwining of #postmodernist social thinking and #neoliberal economic planing. This marriage of #ideologies led to fractured social values and pushed out of sight the ideological divides that used to balance the western world. This “invisible” mess is leading to right-wing polarization and dysfunction in both politics and technology.

In social technology, this translated into the proliferation of centralized platforms building our lives inside #dotcons. We’ve witnessed the rise of platforms that push profit over people’s well-being, exacerbating divisions, amplifying disinformation and hate speech. We now have no choice but to confront existential threats like #climatechange and ecological degradation. Standing in this mess, it is now imperative that we acknowledge our role in shaping the current reality. For forty years, we’ve marched down this dark path, shaping our “human nature” through #blinded choices and actions.

Yes, the next four decades will be marked by growing hardship and suffering as we grapple with the consequences of our actions. But this must not stop us from the path of honest responsibility for the better course forward out of this mess we made. It’s well past time to reject the poisoned philosophies and dogmatic economic doctrines that have brought us to this precipice.

To step away from this, we need to reclaim agency over our future and commit to a path of social healing, reconciliation, by embracing the power of action and solidarity to fix it. In the era of #stupidindividualism it’s not simply to push mess back at this, a first step is #KISS to not view this social thinking as an individualistic moral judgment. The effectiveness of #postmodernism and #neoliberalism in achieving their goals is evident, the next judgment lies in mediating this social choice.

The disintegration of social norms and the widening gap between the rich and the poor are natural outcomes of the path we’ve chosen. It’s not just about moral judgment; it’s about recognizing the consequences of our choices and taking steps to course correct towards a more sustainable future. And away from the current “common sense” mess.

Yes, if you hear the shouting “don’t be a prat” it’s likely needed 😉

A positive view of Postmodernism in tech

In the postmodernist mess of the last 40 years, this is a balanced positive from the negative view. In the context of projects of the #OMN (Open Media Network), #OGB (Open Governance Body), #indymediaback, and #makinghistory.

Postmodernism/modernism influences the approach to media, governance, and historical narratives:

  1. Distributed and Decentralized Media: Postmodernism challenges the idea of centralized control over media and information. Projects like #OMN and #indymediaback embrace a decentralized model where content creation and distribution are open to communertys, rather than controlled by a select few. This approach reflects postmodern skepticism towards grand narratives and authority, allowing for diverse voices and perspectives to be heard.
  2. Open Governance: Postmodernism’s emphasis on skepticism towards authority and power structures informs the approach to governance in projects like #OGB. Instead of traditional hierarchical structures, open governance bodies work for transparency, inclusivity, and participatory decision-making processes. This reflects a postmodern rejection of centralized authority in favour of distributed forms of power.
  3. Alternative Historical Narratives: Postmodernism challenges dominant historical narratives and encourages the exploration of alternative perspectives and counter-histories. Projects like #makinghistory aim to democratize the production of historical knowledge by allowing communities to share their own stories and experiences. This approach recognizes the subjective nature of historical interpretation and emphasizes the importance of diverse voices in shaping our understanding of the past.
  4. Emphasis on Multiplicity and Pluralism: Postmodernism rejects the idea of a single, objective truth in favour of multiplicity and plurality of perspectives. Projects like #OMN, #OGB, #indymediaback, and #makinghistory embrace this diversity by providing platforms for a wide range of voices and viewpoints. Rather than privileging one perspective over others, these projects aim to foster dialogue and exchange between different communities and individuals.

Overall, postmodernism shapes the philosophy and approach of these projects by challenging traditional notions of authority, truth, and history. By embracing decentralization, openness, and plurality, the projects seek to empower communities, promote inclusivity, and challenge dominant narratives in media, governance, and historical discourse.

The negative history of this movement and its role in the current #deathcult

The negative aspects of postmodernism, particularly when intertwined with #neoliberalism, have had detrimental effects on society, including influencing projects like #OMN, #OGB, #indymediaback, and #makinghistory:

  1. Fragmentation and Atomization: Postmodernism’s emphasis on deconstruction and skepticism towards grand narratives has contributed to the fragmentation of society. Instead of fostering solidarity and collective action, it has led to atomization, where individuals prioritize their own experiences and perspectives over communal goals. In projects like #OMN and #OGB, this fragmentation can hinder effective collaboration and decision-making, as individuals prioritize their personal interests over the common good.
  2. Relativism and Truth Decay: Postmodernism’s rejection of objective truth has paved the way for widespread relativism, where all beliefs and perspectives are considered equally valid. While diversity of thought is important, this extreme relativism leads to a breakdown in shared understanding and consensus. In the context of #indymediaback and #makinghistory, this can result in the proliferation of competing narratives and a lack of accountability for factual accuracy, undermining efforts to construct a progressive cohesive historical record or media landscape.
  3. Crisis of Authority and Expertise: Postmodernism’s skepticism towards authority and expertise erodeds trust in social institutions and grassroots experts, leading to a crisis of legitimacy. In the absence of trusted sources of information, conspiracy theories, misinformation, and disinformation thrive, further contributing to societal polarization and distrust. In projects like #OMN and #indymediaback, this crisis of authority can undermine efforts to establish credible media platforms or governance structures, as participants may question the legitimacy of leadership or expertise.
  4. Commodification of Identity: Postmodernism’s focus on individual identity and difference has been co-opted by neoliberal capitalism to commodify identity and diversity. In this neoliberal/postmodern paradigm, diversity and inclusivity are reduced to marketable commodities, used to sell products and services rather than challenge systemic inequalities. In projects like #OGB and #makinghistory, this commodification of identity can undermine efforts to address structural oppression and promote genuine social justice, as diversity and inclusivity become mere branding (lifestyle) exercises rather than catalysts for systemic change.

Overall, the negative aspects of postmodernism, exacerbated by its alignment with neoliberal ideology, have contributed to social/economic disintegration, truth decay, erosion of trust, and the commodification of identity. In the context of projects like #OMN, #OGB, #indymediaback, and #makinghistory, these dynamics hinder efforts to foster any genuine collaboration, construct meaningful historical narratives, and promote social justice. Recognizing and addressing these negative influences is crucial for building a working #openweb

We need to bridge the balance between these stresses, “don’t be a prat” is a start to this path.

#dontbeaprat is a positive statement of what’s next?

In activism (and interestingly less so in #mainstreaming life now) #stupidindividualism is a constant poison. With #blinded, people treat critical social thinking as ONLY personal criticism. This has the effect of #blocking that spreads mess over the very needed social change and challenge. Am increasingly using the  #dontbeaprat hashtag to communicate on this problem.

I think another useful hashtag on this behaviour is #blinded, which is in part self-inflicted and in part a general social outcome of the last 40 years of worshipping #postmodernism and #neoliberalism. The hashtag #deathcult is a useful “uncomfortable” way of expressing this.

Why is this such an issue, people are directly responsible for this mess making, as both of these ideologies are actually dead themselves now. It’s an intellectual zombie block.

So #dontbeaprat is a positive statement of what’s next?

Please #dontbeaprat on this, thanks.

Talking to friendly people who have built their careers on and in #postmodernism

I have been at the coal face of affective direct action for a progressive change/challenge of the current mess for all my life, well this is a family history going back 3 generations. And this makes meany issues obvious as they keep happening, they circal, and if we are to be the change we need to be, we need to mediate some of these bad circles #KISS

This is one #blocking

Q. Dude will tie themselves into knots rationalising their desire to be selfish by citing everything between Aristoteles, John Dewey, and utilitarianism, in lengthy hyper-complex intellectual posturing that basically just boils down to: “But I wanna!”

A. This is true, with the #postmodern default we would end up with mess. What happens if we try not to do the postmodernist default? What would that looklike #nothingnew

Q. This has nothing to do with postmodernism and everything to do with dudes rationalising their own selfishness.

A. You are not wrong, but step back for a wider view to try and see and talk about the root of this mess. I would say this is an example of #blocking from the #postmodern path. Can we look at this from a #modernist view to take a different path? Good faith question.

Q. So, I did a PhD that focused on the application of Derrida’s ideas to interactivity. I’m not the guy you come at trying to blame postmodernism for all the world’s ills.

A. can understand that, trying to highlight the bad use of the #mainstreaming of #postmodernism and highlight this in the current social mess of the last 40 years. And yes, understand that #postmodernisam and #neoliberalism are dead ideologies. But they have both deeply shaped the last 40 years of #mainstreaming culture. The mess we work in today, thus it is useful to ask questions on good paths out of this mess.

Q. Yeah, that’s nonsense. Sorry, not sorry. It’s all capitalism all the way down. Philosophical movements such as postmodernism or modernism are just window-dressing on an amoral, anti-intellectual capitalist hellscape. Any philosophical movement, even the ones that power actually pays attention to such as utilitarianism, is just completely irrelevant. Deck chairs on the Titanic.

Q. OK we can leave this here… if ideas and thinking do not matter then mess it is. Mess can be good, and it can be bad, in the current social mess it’s VERY bad https://visionon.tv/w/gq6qCiUoC2J8RqhYHgpmzq how to deal with this is a good faith question.

Q. Also, I always have an extreme scepticism about those who blame postmodernism for society’s ills because a lot of the anti-postmodernists are bedfellows with reactionaries who think these cultural ideas have mainstreamed moral and sexual degeneracy, which is just code for homophobia, transphobia, and misogyny.

A. Can continue this if you like. Let’s put this one into the #mainstreaming miss use of #postmodernisam the is a lot of this, kinda of a natural outcome, it’s a mess. Am with Chomsky on this one https://visionon.tv/w/p/kaafmbuLWyASifGg7DZ9y3 What would a #modernist path out of the current mess look like? And yes, I understand there is a bad history. Let’s not re tread that path. What is a good path? An example is #XR “tell the truth” is a modernist path. Tell the “truths” it is not.

Q. No, let’s retread that path. You’re repurposing the argument of the religious right. They blame society’s decline on postmodernism having mainstreamed moral relativism. You don’t get to gloss over the fact that this is specifically an attack against gay rights, trans rights, and women’s rights. There is no causal link between the state of the world and postmodernism. It’s all about power and money. Blaming postmodernism sides you with the most hateful reactionaries around

A. Think this is easy to answer.
Nop,
Nop,

And worth talking about, there are overlaps between the economics of #neoliberalism and the use of #postmodern philosophy over the last 40 years. We have a HUGE social mess, and no social language or thinking to compost this mess. We need a way of thinking, #Modernism is a shovel, we have lots of mess to compost.

Q. You are not making any sense whatsoever. What matters is who is in power. If you want change, you need to change who is in power using whatever nonviolent, peaceful means available. Blaming postmodernism and “social mess” sounds to me like you’re just a reactionary who wants to walk back gay rights, reproductive rights, trans rights, women’s rights, and civil rights in general. It sounds like bigotry. Postmodernism and “moral relativism” is a favourite punching bag of the religious right and fascists. When you come at me with the same kind of rhetoric, I have to assume that you’re sympathetic to their ideas on society and culture.

A. Am obviously not talking about that. Defensiveness and personalizing this is not useful, apart from it illustrates what I am talking about. https://visionon.tv/w/sNo39CPaX7MswQ57tVy2TR mess and more mess. Is #modernism useful for taking a different path is what I am asking.

UPDATE: Sorry the video links are offline the was not any money or resources to keep the video project online after 20 years, it’s sad and dysfunctional, if anyone has a big donation we could put it back online https://opencollective.com/open-media-network

You are making a mess of social technology

From my prospective, a lot of people are being prats on social/technology. This should be obvuse statement, but it’s not. If you think about this we can take two paths, the first is to #block this, obviously making more pratish behaver. The second is to ask questions and grow, thus reducing pratish behaver. In this era of #stupidindividualism which path do you think people take, and yes they ARE oftern being prats on this 😉 Get off your knees comes to mind, and please be less of a prat.

The last 40 years of worshipping the #deathcult (#neoliberalism salted with #postmodernism poisoned our communities by making individualism toxic. I am all for freedom, that people can be stupid if they want to be, but I keep using my freedom to tell them that this is often pratish behaver that is toxic and self-destructive. It’s up to them if they want to act on this communication, and yes, the #stupidindividualism thing to do is to #block this communication.

In this, it’s up to YOU to get off your knees, to stop worshipping the #deathcult (neoliberalism salted with postmodernism) and to look up to see you are making a mess of social technology.

Why would you be the right person to build the #OMN

The social change/challenge project of an organic intellectual is an act of love and a gift economy, each toot and each hashtag is a gift. The #OMN hashtag story is designed to make people who often unconsciously worship the #deathcult (an obvious metaphor for #neoliberalism) and have internalized the last 40 years of the dead philosophy of #postmodernism uncomfortable.

The idea is that from these small openings, people can try to step outside this mess and challenge the status quo. To build the #OMN, we are looking for the tiny minority who can still think outside this mess and are willing to challenge the #mainstreaming narrative. The project is a call to action for those who want to create a more equitable and just society.

#boatingeurope at anchor for a few days on the Medway. Metaphorically, am  taking the piss outa #stupidindividualism. The reality picture would have 4–5 boats rafted up with a disparate crew having a barbi.

The social change/challenge project of an organic intellectual

The social change/challenge project of an organic intellectual is an act of love, a gift economy, each toot, each hashtag is a gift. The #OMN hashtag story is designed to make people who (often unconsciously) worship the #deathcult (an obvious metaphor for #neoliberalism) and have internalized the last 40 years of (the dead philosophy) #postmodernism uncomfortable. From these small openings, they can try to step outside this mess.

To build the #OMN we are looking for the tiny minority who can still think outside this mess, is this you?

A balancing of spiky/fluffy to see and act outside the current #mainstreaming mess.

What is the value of “bounded” projects

We need to build “bounded” projects because we live in the era of the #deathcult based on the dead ideologies of post-modernism and #neoliberalism. Both deny the possibility of the world we want to build, so “common sense” is not our friend.

The “boundaries” of #4opens and #PGA keep focus vs this “common sense”, we are lost without something like these “historical” working bounders.

The #OMN are building tools for the “other” that’s us. “Them” are hostile, especially if they don’t understand who “they” are, this is #mainstreaming liberals, and right wing crew.

#PGA is about, horizontal paths giving us a shared space of practice, understanding and working for “politics” and the #4opens gives us the same for tech.

They together create the boundary for us to focus. Without this boundary we have a tendency to fight and create mess. So it’s a soft/pours “us” and “them” to provide focuses and direction. In a bad sense, it is the badges of the tribe, in a better sense, it’s the banners we fly at our gatherings, but this starts to sound a bit nationalist, so let’s not do this…

The subject of “branding”, flags, banners is a real balance, they have power… And we need power in horizontal movements.

This podcast is an interesting look at this https://media.blubrry.com/novarafm_radio_for_a/audiofiles.novara.io/acfm/2023/230212_ACFM_Trip_32_Myth_2.mp3 as background thinking.

Anarchist economics

Anarchism, in #OMN language, is not chaos. It’s the long historic struggle to build social paths growing trust, mutual responsibility, and shared power instead of fear, hierarchy, and extraction.

At its root, anarchist economics is simply the idea that people should have more direct control over the things that affect their lives. Workplaces, media, communities, land, tools, and infrastructure should be held more in common or managed cooperatively by the people actually using them, not owned by distant states, corporations, landlords, or bureaucratic classes.

This is the opposite of the current #deathcult path where power concentrates upward into institutions that claim ownership over everything while the majority are reduced to consumers, tenants, workers, and data sources. The important distinction is between use and ownership.

In capitalist logic, ownership means control without participation. You can own land you never touch. Own housing you never live in. Own platforms you never contribute to. Own factories you never work in. Then extract rent, profit, interest, and power from the people who actually do the labour. This is the normalised logic of the #closedweb and #neoliberalism.

In anarchist and mutualist thinking, possession comes from use and participation. If you use something, care for it, maintain it, and contribute to it, then you have a natural relationship with it. This is a living social process rather than an abstract legal claim enforced through violence or bureaucracy. That’s actually how many healthy human systems worked historically before everything became financialized and enclosed.

The #openweb originally functioned much closer to this model. People built websites because they needed them. Communities moderated spaces because they cared about them. Developers shared code because collaboration worked better than enclosure. Infrastructure was often maintained through trust networks, volunteer labour, and shared responsibility.

The problem is that over time the #dotcons enclosed this commons. Social relationships became platforms, sharing became monetized content, participation became engagement metrics, human communities became extractable data flows. This is why the #4opens matter:Open data. Open source. Open standards. Open process. These are not abstract technical values, they are practical social tools for preventing enclosure and concentration of power. Without them, projects quietly drift toward hidden hierarchy and soft authoritarianism even when they use radical language.

This is also why thinking about the #geekproblem matters, too much alt-tech still thinks freedom comes primarily from technical architecture while ignoring social power. But history shows that purely technical fixes usually reproduce the same social hierarchies in new forms. The problem is not only bad code, it is social relations. A decentralized system can still become socially authoritarian. An open protocol can still become culturally closed. A cooperative can still become dominated by informal elitists. A “horizontal” project can still be controlled by hidden networks of influence. That’s why anarchist economics focuses so heavily on mutual aid, federation, and self-management.

Mutual aid is simply people organizing together directly to meet shared needs without waiting for permission from markets or states. Food sharing, community defence, free software, skill swaps, radical media, housing networks, protest kitchens, neighbourhood repair groups, grassroots publishing. These are not side projects, they are the foundations of another economy already existing inside the shell of the old one.

Projects like #Indymedia worked because they embedded technology inside living social networks and shared political cultures. The value was not just the publishing software, it came from trust relationships, collective process, and common purpose. This is the same path #OMN is trying to reboot for the #openweb era. Not by inventing endless new startups and pointless platforms, chasing #fashernista tech trends or feeding the #NGO funding machine.

But by rebuilding commons infrastructure that people can actually use, shape, and govern together. The goal is not perfect ideology, the goal is reducing domination. Less extraction, hierarchy, enclosure, passive consumption. More participation, transparency, shared responsibility and more collective agency.

The irony is that this is often more practical than capitalism itself. Mutual aid networks regularly respond faster than states during disasters. Open-source infrastructure powers huge parts of the internet. Informal community care keeps millions alive under collapsing systems. The future probably won’t arrive as one giant revolution, it grows more like compost.

Small living networks.
Shared tools.
Open processes.
Federated trust.
Commons infrastructure.

That’s the real anarchist economy in practice, messy, human, relational, and alive.

Anti-capitalism

Anti-capitalism is a political movement that challenges the current economic system, it is based on the understanding that capitalism is unjust and creates inequality, concentrates power in the hands of the few and nasty corporations, and exploits workers and resources for profit.

One alternative to capitalism proposed by anti-capitalists is socialism. Socialism advocates for public or direct worker ownership and control of the means of production, as well as an equal distribution of resources and an egalitarian method of compensation. This would lead to a society where all people have access to resources and decision-making power.

Socialists argue that capitalism unfairly concentrates power and derives wealth through exploitation. That capitalism generates wasteful industries and practices that exist only to create demand for products, which contributes to environmental degradation and the overconsumption of resources. Socialists contend that private ownership of the means of production imposes a tremendous waste of material resources.

Anarchism and libertarian socialism are two closely related ideologies that share a common goal of creating a stateless, classless society, organized along democratic and egalitarian principles. Both of these ideologies have their roots in the 19th century, when the Industrial Revolution was transforming society and capitalism was becoming the dominant economic system.

At its core, anarchism is a philosophy that rejects all forms of hierarchical authority, including the state, capitalism, and organized religion. Anarchists believe that people are capable of governing themselves through direct democracy and voluntary cooperation, without the need for a centralized authority to tell them what to do. Anarchists reject the idea of private property, which they view as a tool of oppression that allows a privileged few to control the resources and means of production that are necessary for life.

Libertarian socialism is a more specific form of anarchism that emphasizes the importance of collective ownership and control of the means of production. Libertarian socialists believe that workers should control their workplaces, and that economic decision-making should be decentralized and democratic. They reject the idea of a vanguard party or a centralized authority that would guide the revolution or manage the economy after the revolution.

One of the central criticisms of capitalism from the anarchist and libertarian socialist perspective is the concept of wage slavery. This refers to the idea that workers are not truly free because they depend on wages to survive, and because their labour is exploited by capitalists who profit from their work. Their lives being dictated by the market and a small group of wealthy individuals.

Anarchism and libertarian socialism have a rich history of theory and practice. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, anarchism was associated with militant activism, such as the Haymarket Affair in Chicago in 1886, which resulted in the execution of several anarchist labour organizers. The anarchist movement was also involved in the Spanish Civil War, where anarchist militias fought against fascist forces.

In more recent years, anarchism and libertarian socialism have experienced a resurgence of interest, particularly among young people who are disillusioned with the current political and economic paths. Some contemporary anarchist and libertarian socialist movements include the antiglobalization movement of the last 30 years, Zapatista movement in Mexico, the Rojava Revolution in Syria.

These movements offer a powerful critique of capitalism and state power, and they provide a living visions of a world where people are free to govern themselves, work collectively to meet their needs, and create a more sustainable and equitable world.

Marxism is a social, economic, and political theory developed by Karl Marx in the mid-19th century. It argues that capitalism is an unjust and unstable system that will be replaced by socialism. Marxism sees capitalism as a historical stage that was once progressive, but has now become stagnant due to internal contradictions. Marx claimed that the capitalist mode of production creates a class struggle between the bourgeoisie, who own the means of production, and the proletariat, who must sell their labour to survive.

Marx believed that the contradictions inherent in capitalism would eventually lead to a political revolution, where the proletariat would overthrow the bourgeoisie and establish a socialist society. In this society, the means of production would be owned by the workers, and wealth would be distributed more equally.

Contemporary anti-capitalist movements are often influenced by Marxist thought. Anti-globalization and alter-globalization movements also criticize capitalism, particularly #neoliberalism and pro-corporate policies that have spread internationally.

However, the visablierty of anti-capitalism has shrunk since the end of the Cold War and the globalization of capitalism. Postmodern philosophers pushed the mess, of identitie politics. Many on the left have shifted their focus to multiculturalism and partisan culture war issues, leading to capitalist realism – the idea that capitalism is the only viable political and economic system.