Facing Our Own Capitalism
By: Jennifer Dobbin
Tags: Capitalism, Consumerism, Coronavirus, Suffering, Economy

Adobe Stock Photo #311852022

Like many people my initial response to the US Congressman’s recent statement that dying from [Corona] virus is the ‘lesser of two evils’ if we can save economy was to recoil in disgust and frustration.

However upon further thought, it occurred to me that my response was so strong because of the cognitive dissonance it had created: What we want to believe about our virtuous selves and comfortable lives slams up against the truth of the cost of our lives on others.

We feel revulsion and strong emotional responses to this political position because it forces us to face a truth we have actively ignored for a long time: capitalism has always required sacrifice and suffering and is, at its heart, a near-religious practice of idolizing the self above all others at any cost.

Strong negative emotions can be triggered by undesirable traits we see in others that we believe are not a part of us. These traits, or characteristics, make up our shadow. Since most of us are blind to our shadow, we strongly react to our undesirable characteristics in others … this bias may arise due to the projection of our undesirable traits, or shadow, onto the other person in an unconscious attempt to keep from seeing it in ourselves.[1]

Even those of us who are somewhat more magnanimous tend to include and defend only those who are extensions of ourselves: who share our genes; or share our beliefs; or share our political views; share our skin color; or a similar social standing (all simply acceptable reflections of ourselves). There is little consideration for others outside of hatred and distrust, ever amplified by political divisiveness and religious “teachings”. If others suffer, that is wholly acceptable so long as they are out of sight and can be easily defined as ‘others’ unlike ourselves.

If we were forced to experience and accept the suffering of others directly, would we be less accepting of our capitalist economy and its widespread toll on others? If you knew that a child died mining the exact diamond on the beautiful ring you wear each day, would that price be acceptable? I believe that deep inside we know the truth, that we have long accepted the price others pay as acceptable.

As we consume our cereal, neatly packaged, marketed and delivered to our doorstep, we fail to consider and value the suffering that possibly brought it to our table. It may have been the suffering of an illegal immigrant who toiled for hours a day in the baking sun, for dollars a day, to support a family far away, to harvest some of the content of your cereal, so you can easily fill a bowl and your belly. Would you appreciate that bowl of sustenance more or less if you knew this to be true? Or would you forgo it for something else sourced ethically?

When politicians give voice to our greed and the capitalist contract with suffering, it makes us uncomfortable and well it should. This pandemic has forced us to see the fine-grained suffering that makes our greedy, easy, oversupplied lives move along smoothly. Consumerism is the grease that lets the mechanisms of self-denial and our own pointless servitude to capitalism more tolerable. We work without passion to purchase, without regard to the cost, the products we are cajoled into “needing”.

As our little worlds now grind to a temporary halt, we have but a moment to stop and really see the mechanisms and cost of our lives on others. To see what really gives value and fuel to our economy. We have grown blind to the costs of our lifestyles on the environment and other people as it has been deliberately far distanced from us so we may willfully ignore it.

For those of us who are safe at home, with our consumer nature intact but blunted, our beloved goods just a click away, deliveries right to our door… I urge you to stop and carefully consider those who are giving us this gift of safety. Those same people have served us with little thanks and even less reward for our entire lives. This whole system of capitalism is our religion and the tithes we pay to the idol of self are all made in measures of suffering. Sometimes it is ours, mostly it is others.

When we talk about returning to our normal lives, we speak of returning to this suffering and disconnection. It is no wonder that some politicians see the price of capitalism as simply an acceptable death toll; they are simply closer to the truth. We have always accepted that as long as it is someone else (far away and unseen) who suffers, then we are complacently comfortable lacking that knowledge. Out of sight, out of mind, not our problem, certainly not our responsibility.

If we pause for just a moment to consider it, would we repulsed? I hope that the take-away from this experience is a desire to change how and what we consume, who we reward for serving us and how high the cost of our convenience and comfort really is. Then, perhaps, we can do better and make better decisions with our dollars and our choices.

[1] R.S. Adler, B. Rosen & E.M. Silverstein, “Emotions in Negotiation: How to manage Fear and Anger” (1998) 14:2 Negotiation Journal 161.