Favourite anti-consumerist artists

[EvilRedGuy]

Combichrist.

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GRRZZZ.

ERtiMfefexs I love anti-consumerism.

[Across The Street]

Those were the stupidest piece of waste-your-time bullshit videos I've ever encountered. I didn't finish either of them. How can you acquire a camera without being a consumer? May seem like a stupid question, but your ignorance assumes stupidity. FUCK YOU

[MellowViper]

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[EvilRedGuy]

Those were the stupidest piece of waste-your-time bullshit videos I've ever encountered. I didn't finish either of them. How can you acquire a camera without being a consumer? May seem like a stupid question, but your ignorance assumes stupidity. FUCK YOU


Go fuck yourself, right-wing consumerist-scum troll. And dont post anymore, in RevLeft, unless actually contributing.

[MellowViper]

Those were the stupidest piece of waste-your-time bullshit videos I've ever encountered. I didn't finish either of them. How can you acquire a camera without being a consumer? May seem like a stupid question, but your ignorance assumes stupidity. FUCK YOU

Well, the anti-consumerist critique isn't necessarily against buying things. You pretty much have to to live in a modern republic. Its just I'd like to make sure the people assembling my cameras or shoes or whatever are being paid right have safe work conditions. It has to do with not letting profit and cheap goods taking precedence over the well being of other human beings. Anti-consumerists are really against consuming goods as being the main pass time of society. They're not against buying things or owning nice things altogether. Instead of empty materialism being seen as a path to happiness, living for each other and helping each other and developing our selves spiritually would be a more sure way of finding fulfillment in life. That's just the truth.

[EvilRedGuy]

Why did you bother reply to that asshole, hes just a troll. And i think hes a right-wing.

[bailey_187]

Anti-consumerism is a petty bourgeois ideology.

[bailey_187]

And i think hes a right-wing.

Communism is about increasing consumption, you know, the abolition of scarcity and all them things there.

Right wingers are often anti-consumerism e.g. "Red Tories"

I like consuming shit, buying stuff. I just think the production of that stuff should be carried out in a different way

[MellowViper]

Why did you bother reply to that asshole, hes just a troll. And i think hes a right-wing.

Yah, you're probably right, but I like confronting peoples' stereotypes and assumptions. I just did it on the off chance he'll read it and become more informed, even if it doesn't change his position.

[gorillafuck]

I'm not an anti-consumerist or anything like that (I don't even see it as leftist, it's basically apolitical) but don't you think that in a more communal culture that personal consumption of at least some things would probably go down and sharing of goods would be more prevalent?

I mean, in a socialist society individuals would probably be more connected and be less atomized, and even still in this highly atomized society that I live in, me and my friends share our stuff all the time.

[Thirsty Crow]

Anti-consumerism is a petty bourgeois ideology.

Not necessarily.
It may be constructed as a critique of the way culture functions in capitalism. For example, it may be pointed against one way subjectivities* are being formed, and that way is based on commodity fetishism (fetishism to the point of actively identifying one's aspects of personality/personality traits with consumer choices/commodities)

*subjectivity: most broadly conceived as personality, the image we construct of ourselves, the sense of ourselves being different from others; for example, the contemporary phenomenon of marketing does not simply invent another phenomenon - identifying with brands

IMO, anti-consumerism, in this form, is revolutionary (when coupled with a critique of capitalist social relations and revolutionary theory and praxis).

[Widerstand]

In itself, anti-consumerism is neither revolutionary nor petty bourgeois. It can be petty bourgeois, when it is understood in it's most prevalent manifestation as is the sibling of western environmentalism and anti-globalization: A co-opted feel good rebellion against symptoms of the system.

Anti-consumerism however becomes revolutionary "when coupled with a critique of capitalist social relations", as Menocchio noted. Consumerism itself is the ultimate application of the 'trade' principle to all forms of social and individual life, to the point where our very identity as a subject becomes defined by 'trade' (consumption): We are no longer what we think or do, we are what we wear and consume (notice how this is fundamentally different from national/racial/sexual/gender/ethnological/cultural identity, since it allows for rapid changes and therefore a perceived freedom) - many leftist movements are guilty of this form of capitalist co-option, however this is not necessarily a bad thing, as removing ourselves from the most widespread organ of communicating ideas (consumerist identity politics) would be disastrous at best. As such, consumerism is a strong force in the "naturalization" of capitalism, and ultimately, in it's consolidation despite inherent contradictions.

[Thirsty Crow]

As such, consumerism is a strong force in the "naturalization" of capitalism, and ultimately, in it's consolidation despite inherent contradictions.Absolutely agree. In fact, I'd say that such cultural practices, and their corresponding psychological consequences, represent somewhat of an obstacle for the workings of revolutionaries. What is a logical outcome of the drive to consume (i.e. spend money and take on credit), which is the fuel of the late capitalist economy, is that there is a manifest tendency of internalization of this drive, which takes on the form of fetishism of commodity preference.

And I think that revolutionaries should address both aspects of reality - structurally social/economic and culturally subjective. But that is not to say that people should demand less and less, to live like hermits - hell, I'm a proud consumerist when it comes to certain goods, and sure as hell that I would like to acquire the power to expand of my consumption of these. However, there is more to consumption than mere satisfaction of different needs.

[EvilRedGuy]

In itself, anti-consumerism is neither revolutionary nor petty bourgeois. It can be petty bourgeois, when it is understood in it's most prevalent manifestation as is the sibling of western environmentalism and anti-globalization: A co-opted feel good rebellion against symptoms of the system.

Anti-consumerism however becomes revolutionary "when coupled with a critique of capitalist social relations", as Menocchio noted. Consumerism itself is the ultimate application of the 'trade' principle to all forms of social and individual life, to the point where our very identity as a subject becomes defined by 'trade' (consumption): We are no longer what we think or do, we are what we wear and consume (notice how this is fundamentally different from national/racial/sexual/gender/ethnological/cultural identity, since it allows for rapid changes and therefore a perceived freedom) - many leftist movements are guilty of this form of capitalist co-option, however this is not necessarily a bad thing, as removing ourselves from the most widespread organ of communicating ideas (consumerist identity politics) would be disastrous at best. As such, consumerism is a strong force in the "naturalization" of capitalism, and ultimately, in it's consolidation despite inherent contradictions.

This is fucking what i meant, so why does people not research their stuff instead of whining "petty-bourgeois idealogy"

[gorillafuck]

In itself, anti-consumerism is neither revolutionary nor petty bourgeois. It can be petty bourgeois, when it is understood in it's most prevalent manifestation as is the sibling of western environmentalism and anti-globalization: A co-opted feel good rebellion against symptoms of the system.

Anti-consumerism however becomes revolutionary "when coupled with a critique of capitalist social relations", as Menocchio noted. Consumerism itself is the ultimate application of the 'trade' principle to all forms of social and individual life, to the point where our very identity as a subject becomes defined by 'trade' (consumption): We are no longer what we think or do, we are what we wear and consume (notice how this is fundamentally different from national/racial/sexual/gender/ethnological/cultural identity, since it allows for rapid changes and therefore a perceived freedom) - many leftist movements are guilty of this form of capitalist co-option, however this is not necessarily a bad thing, as removing ourselves from the most widespread organ of communicating ideas (consumerist identity politics) would be disastrous at best. As such, consumerism is a strong force in the "naturalization" of capitalism, and ultimately, in it's consolidation despite inherent contradictions.
I honestly don't think anything you said in this post makes sense.

[Widerstand]

I honestly don't think anything you said in this post makes sense.

Try to reread it until it does.

Or tell me what you don't understand specifically.

[gorillafuck]

Consumerism itself is the ultimate application of the 'trade' principle to all forms of social and individual life, to the point where our very identity as a subject becomes defined by 'trade' (consumption): We are no longer what we think or do, we are what we wear and consume
I think you'll need to back this up. A lot.

[Widerstand]

Look at the new green-alternative/anti-globalization/fairtrade movement for example. It becomes really obvious there. Or look at any of the sub cultures. The skater subculture buys "skate brands" (Billabong, Carhart, Ezekiel, Vans Off The Wall, etc.), eats at Subway, consumes a specific type of music, etc. Thing is, modern society is made up of different subcultures. There is no clearly definable mainstream. And most of these subcultures nowadays differ from each others PRIMARILY, not exclusively, but to very large proportions, in consumption. Not the mode of consumption, but WHAT they consume. Identity is mostly made up of the brands you wear, the food you eat, the movies you watch, etc. The "left radical" scene follows a similar scheme. In Germany: Carhart trousers, The North Face windbreakers, The North Face backpacks, Eastpack fannypacks, New Era baseball hats.

[gorillafuck]

Look at the new green-alternative/anti-globalization/fairtrade movement for example. It becomes really obvious there. Or look at any of the sub cultures. The skater subculture buys "skate brands" (Billabong, Carhart, Ezekiel, Vans Off The Wall, etc.), eats at Subway, consumes a specific type of music, etc. Thing is, modern society is made up of different subcultures. There is no clearly definable mainstream. And most of these subcultures nowadays differ from each others PRIMARILY, not exclusively, but to very large proportions, in consumption. Not the mode of consumption, but WHAT they consume. Identity is mostly made up of the brands you wear, the food you eat, the movies you watch, etc. The "left radical" scene follows a similar scheme. In Germany: Carhart trousers, The North Face windbreakers, The North Face backpacks, Eastpack fannypacks, New Era baseball hats.
That's called fashion and culture. Those things won't stop existing.

[Widerstand]

That's called fashion and culture. Those things won't stop existing.

Fashion and culture isn't the same as consumption habits. I mean I admit that my post was really bad and didn't at all get across what I meant, but I am not talking about fashion nor culture.

[Thirsty Crow]

I'll try to respond,yet again, to claims that "anti-consumerism" is a bankrupt position.

Definition: consumerism (or "consumptionism", as Die Neue Zeit insists) is the cultural practice of forming a value judgement of one's position in life on the basis of buying power. In other words, consumerism necessitates an emphasis on the possibility to expand this buying power, to expand one's needs and desires (for commodities) and to acquire new kinds of commodities.

Specific situation: when coupled with the bourgeois liberal ideology (and thereis good reason for this "combination"), consumerism is likely to result in the acceptance of the existence of exploitation, and moreover, it is likely to result in a specific attitude towards scaling the ranks of the machinery of exploitation. In other words, people are likely to tend towards acquiring the status of the capitalist, even though they were not born into a bourgeois family.

The question is: how could an individual, who has placed himself/herself within this framework, become an agent of historical revolutionary transformation of society? Yes, material situation is very much important, but I think that revolutionaries ought to fight the bourgeois cultural hegemony, and consumerism is a part of this hegemony nowadays.

[EvilRedGuy]

These were the replies i needed. Thanks.

[gorillafuck]

Fashion and culture isn't the same as consumption habits. I mean I admit that my post was really bad and didn't at all get across what I meant, but I am not talking about fashion nor culture.
Oh. What you were describing was fashion and subculture, so I don't know what to tell you.

[Ovi]

Consumerism is one of the ideas made to keep the status quo alive, along with religion, patriotism and nationalism. It equates happiness with consumption, thus the more we consume, the happier we are. That's one reason why in a consumerist society, people will never be relieved by the burden of doing 40+ hours a week of productive labor. Increasing productivity means increasing needs, by inventing new ones. It's a good thing for the upper class; the more we work, the more surplus value they extract from our labor.

However, as the Easterlin paradox stipulates, happiness increases with economic development up to a certain point, when people have enough to live a comfortable live. Afterwards, no correlation between happiness and economic development has been observed. Of course, it's a comparison between capitalist countries. If the higher productivity of better developed countries would be available at the rate of consumption needed to assure a comfortable life, more leisure time would be available, thus happiness would most likely decrease with increasing consumption, since we would be working to buy things that don't make us happy, instead of living our lives.

[Ovi]

kBBiuhP-YaM
One of my favorite anti-capitalist and anti-consumerist song. It's not in English, but the video shows the message pretty well.

[ʇsıɥɔɹɐuɐ ıɯɐbıɹo]

Atari Teenage Riot is great, Skinny Puppy has good dystopic lyrics, Otep is awesome and I like Static X, and have a sweet spot for The Vandals. Also, GOB, a Canadian punk band.

[EvilRedGuy]

^Precisely. :thumbup: