I have had some time to rethink what Koch & Elmore wrote about Baudrillard’s elaboration on Marxist ideas and the pervasiveness of capitalism. I have two or three Baudrillard texts, but it has been so long since I have read them, I could not tell you if they discussed these issues, so keep in mind that I am only going off Koch & Elmore.
Of course, one should never do that. Always read the source texts.
My idea was that a deeply ingrained degrowth community, one that starts local and still has connections nationally, and more importantly, internationally, can combat capitalist intrigue, and by that I mean the caught-up, perpetually floating reality for reality’s sake of existential capitalism. But, perhaps that is a pipe dream. Even with degrowth there is the necessity of mutual support, trade, a form of commerce that does not reach the science fiction dream of a post-capitalist society. And take extracurricular interests. What does that involve? It is material based? It seems technically possible that material interests within a degrowth community can lead to a form of solarpunk resemblance of reaching out towards to the technology required for independence, if it is even required, for a post-scarcity existence. It is a tall order.
There are a great many elements in my life that are in line with a degrowth philosophy, but even for me, a proclaimed anti-capitalist, it is not 100% escapable. I recall when I was younger and attempted not to buy anything that came from trade with a nation that had human rights abuses. It was impossible to do. At least for me. It is still worth trying, but I could not make it work. I can feel the transfixed “networking” and double meaning of DNA sequencing tied inside my mind. And if I can’t let go, how many others can? Are they leaders? Who are they leading? Who hears their voices? Why are not making themselves available to all of us? Almost 100% of the time those who do make themselves available to us are not the right people to follow.
No, perhaps degrowth practices alone will not defeat capitalism. It will need to be paired with something else, what I do not know. I come to this realization in the same way that I came to realize that all my arguments for a collectively reformed education system would not un-teach violence in society. It takes more than that. I do not want to encourage the stacked lists of agendas like how the Green New Deal was presented. That was tarnished from the start because the psychological motivations of a stacked plan inspired the wrong kind of people to assert themselves as “leaders,” which hurt the very purpose of the plan to begin with.
It is unfortunate, but society must overcome obstacles of division before mass violence, misogyny, greed, misguided use of technology, transportation, education, and capitalism can be addressed. I am reminded of Babylon 5, when Delenn states that something contrary to what we are all taught to believe. She states that it takes only one person to change the course of history. We think it is all of us, but perhaps it is true that we need that one right person to guide us.