Anti-capitalist lifestyle?

[panda77]

How best can we live to undermine the control and reach of capitalist corporations? Things like, not hanging out at starbucks, buying second hand when possible, using an ethical bank etc.

What about the use of websites like google or facebook which have been accused of mining data from users? How can we in small, personal ways resist being assimilated into the machine of capitalism?

I'm not suggesting these "lifestyle choices" for want of a better phrase as an alternative to class struggle but as something that can be done on alongside.

[Tablo]

DIY, shoplifting, eating dumpster food, etc.. Won't actually help change anything, but it is cheap and fun. Shoplifting isn't really a good option for people with actual responsibilities and jobs though.

Crimethinc is good for learning about this stuff, as much as I despise the concept of lifestylist anarchism.

[Niccolò Rossi]

Things like, not hanging out at starbucks, buying second hand when possible, using an ethical bank etc.

What would any of this accomplish?

...besides making your life that little bit harder than it already is

Nic.

[Savage]

It's been said before and it'll need to be said again, Communism is not a lifestyle.

[Thirsty Crow]

How best can we live to undermine the control and reach of capitalist corporations? Things like, not hanging out at starbucks, buying second hand when possible, using an ethical bank etc.

Well, I certainly do not hang out with friends at starbucks (or any other fancy service/caffe/bar enterprise) and I often buy second hand. But that's not a part of my anti-capitalist lifestyle strategy, it's a material necessity.
Ethical banks? Seems like an oxymoron.

All in all, I don't think that consumption choices may function as a serious obstacle to the reproduction and accumulation of capital.

[Watermelon Man]

How best can we live to undermine the control and reach of capitalist corporations? Things like, not hanging out at starbucks, buying second hand when possible, using an ethical bank etc.

What about the use of websites like google or facebook which have been accused of mining data from users? How can we in small, personal ways resist being assimilated into the machine of capitalism?

I'm not suggesting these "lifestyle choices" for want of a better phrase as an alternative to class struggle but as something that can be done on alongside.


Yes, boycott unethical companies and corporations. Be a little bit hippie. Grow your own vegetables, use open-source software and run it on Linux, find out about Diaspora as an alternative to Facebook, support independent music, get involved with collectives and co-operatives. Brew your own coffee or seek out an independent and ethical coffee shop. Read the news online. Buy second-hand clothing. Make your own clothing. Don't eat McDonalds or shop at WalMart.

But don't pretend as though you can live outside the capitalist world - it is, for most of us, the heart of the society we live in, and will undoubtedly impact everything we do. You will descend into insanity if you try to avoid everything a capitalist economy touches.

[Tomhet]

Communism WILL BENEFIT the workers and will give us material abundance.. I side with my fellow workers because it benefits me..
Ultimately, this lifestylism seems quite anti-Marxist..

[kafkaesque]

Here you go: crimethinc.com

"shoplifters of the world, UNITE!" :p

[RED DAVE]

How best can we live to undermine the control and reach of capitalist corporations? Things like, not hanging out at starbucks, buying second hand when possible, using an ethical bank etc.

What about the use of websites like google or facebook which have been accused of mining data from users? How can we in small, personal ways resist being assimilated into the machine of capitalism?

I'm not suggesting these "lifestyle choices" for want of a better phrase as an alternative to class struggle but as something that can be done on alongside.Wastes of time. Educate yourself and join a revolutionary organization. Lifestyle is a tertiary question at best.

RED DAVE

[Delirium]

What would any of this accomplish?

...besides making your life that little bit harder than it already is

Nic.

Not necessarily true, if you like living a DIY lifestyle then this could make your life alot easier. For every dollar i save dumpstering, squatting, repairing is extra time that i dont have to work at some soul crushing job.



Wastes of time. Educate yourself and join a revolutionary organization. Lifestyle is a tertiary question at best.

Yes, lifestylism is not an effective to bring down capitalism. But it is and important option when you ask yourself how you personally want to live within the capitalist system.

[Niccolò Rossi]

Not necessarily true, if you like living a DIY lifestyle then this could make your life alot easier. For every dollar i save dumpstering, squatting, repairing is extra time that i dont have to work at some soul crushing job.

Hold on a sec. I didn't say anything about a 'DIY lifestyle'. I was talking specifically about the examples of an 'anti-capitalist lifestyle' suggested by the OP, namely: "not hanging out at starbucks, buying second hand when possible, using an ethical bank".

If you want to live DIY, go for it. But don't go and claim theirs something 'anti-capitalist' about it or make it a political issue, because it's not.

Nic.

[Ned Kelly]

lifestylism as an anti-capitalist measure is bunk

[Kuppo Shakur]

I do DIY just because it makes me cool and hip.:cool:

[Decolonize The Left]

How best can we live to undermine the control and reach of capitalist corporations? Things like, not hanging out at starbucks, buying second hand when possible, using an ethical bank etc.

Acting as a conscious consumer is important, yes, but it shouldn't be glorified.

In short, you should try to buy local as best you can. This is important for a number of reasons, the last of which has to do with 'fighting corporations.' In general, buying local keeps your money circulating within your community. This means you go to the hardware store instead of home depot. You go to the community market, or farmers market, instead of whole foods or walmart. And yes, it also means going to the local coffee shop instead of starbucks. It's not hard, just an extra minute thinking about where you're going to go.

Buying second hand is a good way of reusing which helps minimize waste. So this is a fine idea. But a better idea is to buy high quality things, which will last a long time, and fix them when they're broken rather than buy a new thing. Often times you can find high quality stuff second hand.

Use credit unions. Don't bank with banks. In general, banks are for-profit institutions so they are looking to make a dime off your dollar. It also means that they are free to invest your money wherever they want.
Credit unions are non-profit institutions, and are only permitted to lend your money to other credit union members. This means that your money stays within your community and helps it grow. They also provide lower rates on credit cards, loans, mortgages, etc.. than banks and provide much better service on the whole.
An "ethical bank" is a credit union.


What about the use of websites like google or facebook which have been accused of mining data from users? How can we in small, personal ways resist being assimilated into the machine of capitalism?

Don't use facebook? Diaspora will be released soon and should be a viable alternative.

As for personal computing, you can use open source (http://www.revleft.com/vb/open-source-resource-t129497/index.html) software instead of purchasing software, and linux instead of a mac/windows platform.


I'm not suggesting these "lifestyle choices" for want of a better phrase as an alternative to class struggle but as something that can be done on alongside.

Nothing that I've stated above will "fight capitalism." It will help you and your community, but capitalism is fought in the workplace, not in the 'consumer lifestyle' (a term invented by capitalists).

- August

[tbasherizer]

I personally think the romantic idea of living "anarchistly" in squats, growing your own food clandestinely, stealing clothes, etc. would be incredibly fun, but it doesn't really contribute to the struggle and is in the end kind of self-defeating as its risks may outweigh its benefits.

To OP: if it make you feel better, use a credit union, only get organic, fairtrade, shadegrown coffee from your local, hip, artsy shop, do all the lifestyle things. But don't let that be a substitute for real action. Revolutions are never won by squatters, and as much as comrade Boots loves Boosters, they're hardly a revolutionary vanguard. Also, seeing as your so new, welcome to Revleft if no one's said that too many times in a different thread...!

[Kuppo Shakur]

I make my own bongs out of water bottles. Take that capitalism!

[Tablo]

I make my own bongs out of water bottles. Take that capitalism!
I smoke from soda cans. It's actually a really bad idea, but when I don't have my pipe it is my last resort since I can't roll. :lol:

[Robespierre Richard]

Buying weed that isn't legally grown is kinda pro-capitalist too because it stimulates both the drug trade (which is run by people who will mostly be against us) and the war on drugs. The latter is funded by a) taking 80% of property that belongs to someone arrested for drugs (possession 4 of 5 times, selling or trafficking the other 1/5) and b) having middle-class suburban moms vote because they're scared of big bad drug dealers selling crack to their kids on the school playground as the local news says.

[Reznov]

CrimeThInc.com

Is always a fun place to read and do some of the stuff they suggest. Other then for some entertainment or you want to try something new lifestyle wise, thats about it.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

I think it's really important to draw a distinction between a lifestyle (a consumer preference, a fashion) and a form of life, or way of living (the actual means by which one feeds and houses themselves, the type of relationships one has, etc.). What I find most frustrating about people who deride lifestylists, is that they are often the people for whom "politics" is something of a hobby, or just another way to spend their leisure time in the dreary commute between sleep, work, and death. The activist. The union steward. Their politics only go so far as they never have to risk exclusion by capital, the state, or any of the other systems they claim to oppose (but never with too much passion). The suburban kids turned gutter punx, by no means the idealized proletarian revolutionary subject of Karl, nor something to aspire to, at least have the benefit of putting something on the line - I've seen many more mohawked, studded, drunks fighting the police than so-called "Militants" fighting the police (with the notable exception of anarchists and Maoists).
What, though, about anticapitalist forms of life? Not simply buying "fair trade" or whatever the latest greenwash scam is, but actually finding ways of expanding the posibilities of autonomous community. I think this is an avenue worth exploring. Here in Canada, it's no surprise that indiginous communities which have maintained some degree of traditional community organization are often the ones who fight most seriously: They have everything to lose. Various squatter communities often show us similar examples - with no bosses or landlords, fighting to continue living without bosses or landlords takes on a dynamic that is sorely lacking in countless reformist struggles to tweak this or that aspect of shitty daily life. Of course this isn't to say that revolutionary violence is the sole province of those who have already thrown off the drudgery of everyday capitalist life . . . but it certainly seems to help.

[youpeople]

Ths)

[Wanted Man]

I know people who live in a communal lifestyle on a farm. From what I hear, it has to be one of the worst experiences in the world. They're constantly at each other's throats, there is more backbiting and (emotional) blackmail than anywhere, even in comparison to this forum.

There is one girl who does all the cooking and cleaning cleaning and is the fuck toy for all the guys. Even when she's with them at some other place, she instinctively cleans up after them because that's just what she does. Happy women's day!

[gorillafuck]

using an ethical bank etc.You mean like a sock behind your dresser?:confused:

[Ravachol]

I know people who live in a communal lifestyle on a farm. From what I hear, it has to be one of the worst experiences in the world. They're constantly at each other's throats, there is more backbiting and (emotional) blackmail than anywhere, even in comparison to this forum.

There is one girl who does all the cooking and cleaning cleaning and is the fuck toy for all the guys. Even when she's with them at some other place, she instinctively cleans up after them because that's just what she does. Happy women's day!

That is because these kind of housing-forms aren't communes at all. For a living collective to be a commune there must be, obviously, communal bonds amongst the participants of the commune. Such bonds would exclude a division of labour (especially a sexist one) and the narrow-minded sexist individualism implicit in the relationships you describe.

Just because some people live together and share some found doesn't mean it's a commune. The commune exists on the basis of a certain qualitative relationship amongst the participants and the whole possibility of Communism is founded on the possibility of such a qualitative relationship.

[Tim Finnegan]

You mean like a sock behind your dresser?:confused:
Oh, come now, the co-operatives aren't that bad. Hardly perfect, but, as the posters here have observed, chasing perfection within capitalism is a mug's game.

[Amphictyonis]

What would any of this accomplish?

...besides making your life that little bit harder than it already is

Nic.

I think paying 5 dollars for a cup of coffee is making your life harder than it needs to be :) I also think the sort of consumerism capitalism has implanted in us is a real problem as far as keeping many of us docile. Do you think a healthy capitalist system will be overthrown or will it more likely be a capitalist system in crisis? Capitalism must perpetually expand to exist and the thing driving modern expansion is this amplified sense of consumerism capitalism depends on - that and credit card debt. I don't so much mind liftesylists so long as they understand socialist theory. So long as they understand we can't rid ourselves of capitalism by simply not participating. It will take more than that :)

[Hoplite]

Not necessarily true, if you like living a DIY lifestyle then this could make your life alot easier. For every dollar i save dumpstering, squatting, repairing is extra time that i dont have to work at some soul crushing job.
Or you could find a job that ISN'T soul crushing.

I work as a counselor for adults with special needs (Aspergers and other autism-spectrum disorders) and I find it quite rewarding, even if it is working under a boss.

If you want to live leftist, then live responsibly. Dont just buy things for the sake of buying them and ask yourself if you really need or want to buy something before you do. Use a credit union instead of a bank. Pay your taxes. Help out with the homeless and join a Socialist or Communist political movement. Be an educated citizen; research the news and do your best to stay informed. Read books instead of watching TV or at least dont watch the commercials.

If you feel like being rogue, engage in culture jamming. Buy or five-finger a pack of CDs and burn a bunch of leftist literature on them, then take them somewhere and leave the CDs where people will find them (library is a good place to start). Organize protests, get involved with a labor union, distribute "Know Your Job Rights" fliers.

There are plenty of things you can do.

As for living out of a dumpster and squatting, that's fine if you really want to do that, but dont operate under the assumption it's going to change the world.

[bcbm]

Or you could find a job that ISN'T soul crushing.

because we all enjoy such a luxury


If you want to live leftist, then live responsibly.

"live leftist?" i was going to make a remark but actually "leftist" is probably mostly a consumer identity.


Dont just buy things for the sake of buying them and ask yourself if you really need or want to buy something before you do.

why should i save my money instead of randomly deciding to buy a record or a book or a jug of wine?


Use a credit union instead of a bank.

the state league of credit unions here supports our union busting governor. progressive


Pay your taxes.

...why? i mean, besides getting a tax refund or low income benefits


Be an educated citizen

i don't want to be a citizen


Read books instead of watching TV or at least dont watch the commercials.

who cares if you watch the commercials? surely a "leftist lifestyle" would include critical thinking skills and likely a distaste for advertising anyway?


If you feel like being rogue, engage in culture jamming. Buy or five-finger a pack of CDs and burn a bunch of leftist literature on them, then take them somewhere and leave the CDs where people will find them (library is a good place to start).

yeah i know i'd be pumped if i found a free cd with a bunch of texts on it...


As for living out of a dumpster and squatting, that's fine if you really want to do that, but dont operate under the assumption it's going to change the world.

but if you pay taxes and stop watching commercials...

[Tim Finnegan]

the state league of credit unions here supports our union busting governor. progressive
His point was that credit unions and other mutualist entities are less socially damaging than private banks. That's hard to dispute.

[bcbm]

my point is that the entire thing is fucked and our individual consumer choices mean exactly shit

[Public Domain]

Real World: I go to stores and other capitalist institutions an an unbelievably minimal basis. I don't really have the money to buy with a preference, I get the cheapest load of bread there is. So I basically have a value consumer mentality I suppose. I don't really go for a 'lifestyle'... Just a life. Take something from a store. Go through the store's garbage bin. Like others here have recommended, CrimethInk is a lovely anarchist 'organisation'. I recommend their book 'Recipes for Disaster' for just some tips on things like shoplifting, spraypainting, wheatpasting, and fighting white supremacists.

Internet: I use Firefox and adblock all ads and logos. I don't use Facebook or any other crap like that. Oh, and torrents. Hundreds. I've considered switching my computer to Linux because fuck Windows.

I use google, it gets the privilege of being my monopoly of choice...

I don't know, it's really hard to have a 'lifestyle' since most lifestyles are in the bourgeois sense of wearing specific branded clothing and acting a certain way. Just live your life man. Lifestyling for the sake of it is a distraction...

Avoid the stores (or clean their shelves), don't watch TV, find some sort of credit union or small local bank (or none at all!), steal from work. Build a commune.

Believing that your consumer choices make you independent seems to be a class antagonism to me. Just remember what system you're in, and that you won't find real revolution for sale at any store.

[Hoplite]

because we all enjoy such a luxury
You may have to settle for a lower paycheck and fewer work hours (I did) as well as being unemployed longer to find a job you can work at and not hate, but it is possible.


"live leftist?" i was going to make a remark but actually "leftist" is probably mostly a consumer identity.
Our market system has made EVERYTHING a consumer identity. There are marketing schema set up to target people like us, EVERYBODY is considered.


why should i save my money instead of randomly deciding to buy a record or a book or a jug of wine?
Never said you had to. Just resist the temptations of mindless consumerism.


the state league of credit unions here supports our union busting governor. progressive
Be that as it may, banks are far worse offenders in that arena.


...why? i mean, besides getting a tax refund or low income benefits
Because it's ultimately better for the whole if we pay our taxes. Taxes fund programs that help keep people off of things like welfare and they go towards keeping the infrastructure we use in shape.


i don't want to be a citizen
Erm...then...move? What do you want me to tell you?


yeah i know i'd be pumped if i found a free cd with a bunch of texts on it...
Even if it just reaches one person, would you consider that a win?

[bcbm]

You may have to settle for a lower paycheck and fewer work hours (I did) as well as being unemployed longer to find a job you can work at and not hate, but it is possible.

not everyone can "settle" in this way


Our market system has made EVERYTHING a consumer identity. There are marketing schema set up to target people like us, EVERYBODY is considered.yes


Never said you had to. Just resist the temptations of mindless consumerism. if i buy something i usually have to think about it, find it and exchange some form of currency for it, all of which involve my mind


Be that as it may, banks are far worse offenders in that arena.its basically inevitable that our lives will in some way (like, by existing and working) support fucked up things, i'm not sure how useful drawing arbitrary lines is. i will go with the bank or credit union or whatever that offers me free money for opening an account and a good interest rate with the least fees and other crap


Because it's ultimately better for the whole if we pay our taxes. Taxes fund programs that help keep people off of things like welfare and they go towards keeping the infrastructure we use in shape.and wars, cops, politicians, national debt... and i doubt me not paying my taxes makes much of a difference compared to the countless corporations and wealthy individuals who never do.


Erm...then...move? What do you want me to tell you?not a lot of places to move without "citizenship" until states don't exist


Even if it just reaches one person, would you consider that a win?no, i'm not an evangelist though

[Tim Finnegan]

not a lot of places to move without "citizenship" until states don't exist
Sure there is! We're called "subjects of Her Majesty". ;)

[Ocean Seal]

There is a communist lifestyle, but it has nothing to do with avoiding capitalism. The communist lifestyle should be about respect for your fellow worker and teaching others that they are not being fairly treated, and that ONLY they can make changes to the world. That is far more dangerous to capitalism. Be kind to your fellow worker, treat your fellow workers with respect. When going to buy something say thank you; for it is not a bourgeois norm, but rather something that helps people realize that they are valuable. Making people feel as if they are worth something (especially at work) is something that will eventually stop them from being objectified by the market system. Once they realize that they have value as workers and as people its game over for capitalism.

[Tim Finnegan]

When going to buy something say thank you; for it is not a bourgeois norm, but rather something that helps people realize that they are valuable.
I raised an eyebrow to this at first, given the ubiquity of such niceties in bourgeois society, but on reflection I think that you may actually have a point. A sincere "thank you", is, however fleeting, a moment of genuine human contact which is fundamentally anathema to capitalism's inhumanity: a recognition of the value of labour as a human quality, and not merely as a commodity. The seed, if this isn't too sentimental, of socialism.

An odd way to have your faith in humanity nourished, but one I can't help but thank you for! :lol:

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Alright, I'm just going to begin by defining, specifically, by my understanding of a few words. I think that we're all coming from different places, and some of my usages might seem a little obscure, but it's meant to be precise.

Work, I use to mean wage-labour. "Working" in a garden, for example, I wouldn't call work, in a theoretical sense. Capitalism, I use to refer not only to the economic system of capitalism, but the whole world of capitalism including its culture, technology, its geography, etc. By communism, or communist project, I mean the realization of life unmediated by commodities (classless, statelesss, having obliterated capitalist ways-of-life), and I don't mean some socialist bullshit.




There is a communist lifestyle, but it has nothing to do with avoiding capitalism.

I would concur, except insofar as evasion can be tactical - an outflanking maneuver. At the very least, a communist form of life is not what you've described here:


The communist lifestyle should be about respect for your fellow worker and teaching others that they are not being fairly treated, and that ONLY they can make changes to the world.

Majoritarian politics are total shit. Wait for democratic legitimacy, and you'll die waiting. In any case, it's not that people don't know life is unfair - it's a fucking cliche. Rather, the issue is a form of resistance that resonates.


Be kind to your fellow worker, treat your fellow workers with respect. When going to buy something say thank you; for it is not a bourgeois norm, but rather something that helps people realize that they are valuable. Making people feel as if they are worth something (especially at work) is something that will eventually stop them from being objectified by the market system.

More than thanking fellow workers when shopping, thank them for violating their sacred duties as wage slaves: thank shoplifters. Thank loiterers and flailing incompetents. A wink when they "forget" to scan that block of cheese. Emphasize, whenever possible, that they are valuable as people, not as moving parts in this death machine.


Once they realize that they have value as workers and as people its game over for capitalism.

On the contrary, they have value, outside their fetishistic character, as people who can stop working. The key is to not lose sight of the communist project - the abolition of the working class as such.


Or you could find a job that ISN'T soul crushing.

I work as a counselor for adults with special needs (Aspergers and other autism-spectrum disorders) and I find it quite rewarding, even if it is working under a boss.

I think this is conflating things. What you value is your interactions with autism-spectrum folk, not the job-as-such. This distinction is structurally pretty significant.


The delusion that you could live outside of the capitalist system is its own belief in capitalism.

Not only does this make no sense, it grapples poorly with the location of capitalism. You could live outside capitalism, if you were to flee to the deep woods or whathaveyou (even now, there are traditional peoples living outside of capitalism). Strategically, of course, I think this is a terrible idea, but it misses the point in any case. The real question is about where and how we interact with capitalism: simply put, how we live. I know this seems obvious, but it's kinda the crux of this discussion, which yr opening sentence just . . . misses. Of course, your post goes on to celebrate the worst bourgeois values.


accept responsibilities and jobs

Accepting the daily practice of capitalism is, necessarily, the renunciation of communism. We might suffer it, if we are hopeless; sabotage it where possible if we are able, but we should never accept our lot.


find value in hard work

Reproducing and retailing capitalism? Fuck that.


earn enough for basic needs

Again, the point is that we should avoid "earning" our humanity (as though its possible) whenever possible. We should endeavor to meet our needs without wage-labour wherever possible, and, ideally, at the expense of the wage system.


read/afford books (such as those by the British Marxist historians) instead of squatting

I can't see how this is either/or . . . I also wonder if you've ever heard of a library, or sharing. And for that matter, one is likely to develop a more valuable analysis than any Marxist historian on the basis of reading and writing among ones contemporaries.


be nice to people, find some sort of contentment in natural beauty or in women or men or in poetry or paintings etc. (being patronising sorry)

Actually, this may be the only part of your post I agree with. More than anything else you've suggested, this is likely to mean you'll have neighbours who won't call the police on you, friends to feed and be fed by, a community you can trust, etc.


I raised an eyebrow to this at first, given the ubiquity of such niceties in bourgeois society, but on reflection I think that you may actually have a point. A sincere "thank you", is, however fleeting, a moment of genuine human contact which is fundamentally anathema to capitalism's inhumanity: a recognition of the value of labour as a human quality, and not merely as a commodity. The seed, if this isn't too sentimental, of socialism.

An odd way to have your faith in humanity nourished, but one I can't help but thank you for! :lol:

A SINCERE THANK-YOU IS AN IMPOSSIBILITY IN THE EXCHANGE OF COMMODITIES. GENUINE HUMAN CONTACT IS NOT MEDIATED BY CAPITAL. SAY THANK-YOU AT RIOTS, OR WHILE FUCKING.

[Tim Finnegan]

A SINCERE THANK-YOU IS AN IMPOSSIBILITY IN THE EXCHANGE OF COMMODITIES. GENUINE HUMAN CONTACT IS NOT MEDIATED BY CAPITAL. SAY THANK-YOU AT RIOTS, OR WHILE FUCKING.
Just because th- oh, I'm sorry, JUST BECAUSE THE INSTIGATION FOR A GIVEN INTERACTION IS COMMERCIAL, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT EXISTS EXCLUSIVELY AS AN EXCHANGE OF COMMODITIES. HUMAN CONTACT IS POSSI- ah, Jesus, this is making my throat sore- is possible in commercial environments, even if it is repressed.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Just because th- oh, I'm sorry, JUST BECAUSE THE INSTIGATION FOR A GIVEN INTERACTION IS COMMERCIAL, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT EXISTS EXCLUSIVELY AS AN EXCHANGE OF COMMODITIES. HUMAN CONTACT IS POSSI- ah, Jesus, this is making my throat sore- is possible in commercial environments, even if it is repressed.

I concur, but I think it has to occur against the functioning of that environment.
Once I watched a bunch of hippies storm a clothing store and offer people free hugs. The employees, instead of chasing them out, gave them coupons for free yoga that were for customers.
This example is silly, but so am I.
I suspect you are too. Cute post.