Capitalism Thrives on Death
In this article, I argue that capitalism thrives on death in an expansive sense. I do so without considering wars or military violence. I address those situations in other pieces linked here and here, as well as in this podcast linked here. In this article, I focus on the forms of death that occur in the course of everyday life. These forms of death are less spectacular than deaths occurring from bombings, but they deserve attention precisely because they reveal that death is a structural feature of capitalism’s drive for constant profit expansion.
I realize that this is an audacious claim, so let me clarify what I mean by the term “death.” I am using “death” to describe processes that destroy the capacity for life to sustain and reproduce itself, whether that life is biological, social, ecological, or institutional.
Death here is the breaking down of bodies under heat and exhaustion. Death is the collapse of ecosystems when extraction reshapes the land. Death is the destruction of the commons when public goods become sites of extraction. Death is the thinning of social life when communities are uprooted and scattered. Death is the draining of emotional life when insecurity inhabits psyches. Death is the slow killing of our humanness when everything is measured, ranked, and treated as an opportunity for control or advantage.
I recognize the risk here: expanding “death” this broadly could drain it of analytical precision, making it simply a synonym for “bad things capitalism does.” Nevertheless, I am firmly adhering to this term because I believe the phenomena I list below all share a specific mechanism. They all involve capitalism systematically extracting value faster than the systems being exploited can regenerate, creating what we might call “conditions incompatible with continuation.” The worker whose body breaks down cannot continue working. The forest that’s clearcut cannot continue providing timber. The community scattered by displacement cannot continue offering mutual support. The person in burnout cannot continue producing at the same rate. These “deaths” are different in form, but they follow the same logic. They arise wherever profit depends on pressure that the body, the community, or the environment cannot absorb without breaking or otherwise mutating into a deformed monstrosity.
The list below takes the most severe outcomes of that pressure and lays them out in concrete terms. It maps the points where the system’s demands hit their outer edge and produce collapse, injury, sickness, despair, or outright social abandonment. None of this unfolds on a daily or weekly timeline. Yet, while fatal injuries and collapsed ecosystems are not constant occurrences, they are inevitable ones.
The examples listed below are the extreme cases, and they do not fall evenly on everyone. People of color, poor people, undocumented workers, and especially the billions who live in the nations that capitalism labels developing or “Third World” experience these harms first and experience them most intensely. They are positioned closest to the machinery that extracts value through shortened life expectancy, unsafe labor, and destroyed environments. Their bodies and lands are what the system runs on.
However, my point is not only that some groups are hit harder. It is also that everyone stands somewhere in relation to this machinery. Everyone is exposed to it to some degree. The distance that feels protective for people in wealthier countries or higher income brackets erodes over time. As Michael Parenti highlights in his polemical book Against Empire, the goal of the capitalist agenda is “the Third Worldization of America, having people work harder and harder for less and less.”
Middle class Americans learned this as manufacturing was offshored to exploit poorer populations abroad at lower wages, leaving those same Americans without the jobs or incomes that once anchored their stability. They thought they had security; it turned out to be temporary access to opportunity during a specific period when the strength of capital was particularly weak. The physical destruction of two World Wars depleted productive capacity and wealth concentrations. At the same time, the crisis years generated powerful labor movements and created political openings that forced capital into concessions. The threat of communism provided additional pressure, making redistribution appear necessary for the survival of capitalism itself.
Thomas Piketty demonstrates how these developments translate into economic terms. In his book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, he explains that when the rate of return on capital (r) exceeds the rate of economic growth (g), wealth concentrates upward and inequality widens. Due to the circumstance mentioned above, the post-war decades represented an anomaly: growth temporarily outpaced returns on capital, allowing broader distribution of wealth. Before long, that interval closed. Through financialization, consumerism, and the permanent war economy, capital reasserted its structural advantage and r > g reestablished itself as the norm.
The stability many had grown accustomed to was not a sign of a more humane capitalism. The post-war period was an aberration, a moment when political pressure and economic circumstance forced capital to share more than it otherwise would. When that pressure lifted, the concession was withdrawn.
Even that anomalous period, where stable material conditions existed for many, was not as benign as it is commonly represented. Focusing on the relative material security obscures how people were boxed in through racism, patriarchy, rigid family roles, social policing, and narrow expectations about who they were allowed to be. Male workers were pushed into a narrow idea of manhood that demanded emotional silence, constant stoicism, and breadwinner pressure that drove them to alcohol, emotional unavailability, and obsession with work. Women were steered into unpaid care roles, kept dependent on male wages, and punished for stepping outside prescribed forms of motherhood, marriage, or sexuality. Neighborhoods enforced racial boundaries through zoning, redlining, and homeowner associations that punished any deviation from the norm with social isolation or loss of status. Churches, schools, and workplaces pressured people to dress the same, speak the same, believe the same, and avoid friendships that crossed racial or class lines. Children learned early that being accepted depended on following strict gender rules, hiding vulnerability, and distancing themselves from anyone marked as lower in the hierarchy. These structures gave white families certain temporary material protections while trapping them inside a narrow script for how to live, cutting them off from deeper forms of solidarity, emotional expression, and communal life that a broader human connection would have allowed.
Extreme outcomes never completely disappeared during the post war interval. Now that the material concession has been withdrawn, extreme outcomes are spreading outward, and accelerating.
The existence of extreme outcomes tells us something about the norm itself. Even if different degrees of danger exist, a system that forces warehouse workers to labor in unsafe heat is a system where every warehouse worker lives under the risk of collapse. A system that shuts down maternity wards because they produce less profit than surgical units is a system where every pregnancy becomes more dangerous. A system that strips human interaction down to scores, ratings, and tiers is a system where every relationship becomes shaped by evaluation. The extremes and the everyday are linked by the same mechanisms. The extremes show what daily life can be and is for the most vulnerable on our planet.
The norm is molded by the extremes because the same mechanisms operate in both. They differ only in intensity. This is why I believe it would be misguided to content ourselves with the fact that not everyone dies or breaks or burns out. The pressures that cause these harms define the conditions for everyone, even those who escape the worst of them. They tell us what the system requires to function and what it will sacrifice to keep functioning.
This article aims to make that structure visible. Highlighting the worst outcomes of capitalism shows the often ignored or hidden cost of a social order that organizes everything around profit, efficiency, and competitive advantage.
Death is the foundation of the capitalist system. Thus, reformist attempts to address these harms are impotent since they leave the structure intact while only adjusting the pace at which these deaths accumulate. This will be addressed after the list.
Let’s get to the list, starting with the most obvious form of death. You might want to strap in, it’s quite long. But hey, don’t blame me, blame capitalism!
I. Literal Bodily Death
Warehouses allow temperatures to reach dangerous levels because companies avoid installing climate control that would require monthly electrical costs and slower equipment cycles, and this process causes workers to collapse or suffer heat stroke on the floor.
Coal mineslimit dust controls because proper filtration requires frequent maintenance shutdowns, and this process fills miners’ lungs with coal particles that harden into scar tissue and lead to black lung and early death.
Factory farms use ammonia heavy waste pits because building closed waste systems requires major investment, and this process poisons workers who inhale concentrated fumes.
Meatpacking plants run blades at extreme speeds, which Trump’s USDA recently increased, because payment is tied to volume processed per hour, and this process leads to fingers and hands being severed as workers cannot pull back fast enough.
Construction companies skip full harness requirements because attaching every worker takes time on each level of the building, and this process causes falls from heights when scaffolds shake or boards snap.
Delivery companies set routes that exceed legally safe driving hours because tracking software rewards completion speed, and this process causes drivers to crash after working through the night without sleep.
Refineries keep malfunctioning valves in operationbecause shutting down a unit costs millions per day, and this process exposes workers to toxic gas releases that destroy lung tissue.
Rail companies run mile long trains with minimal crews and this leads to derailments where chemical tankers explode and kill workers and residents.
Poultry workers are forced to stand in chilled roomsfor entire shifts because warming cycles damage raw meat, and this process leads to hypothermia and circulatory failure in older workers.
Agricultural operations make migrant workers pick crops during high heat because fields must be cleared before spoilage, and this process leads to fatal heat exhaustion.
Private prisons restrict inmates’ medical visits because each appointment requires paid guards and transport, and this process causes untreated infections to turn septic.
Chemical plants delay critical maintenance on volatile solvent tanks because every shutdown cuts into production quotas, and this process leads to preventable explosions that burn workers, release toxic fumes across surrounding neighborhoods, and leave survivors with lifelong respiratory damage and organ failure.
Nuclear plants outsource maintenance to short term contractors because long term staff would require benefits, and this process exposes untrained workers to radiation spikes that shorten life expectancy.
Food processing plants reuse dirty water to wash equipment because new water increases utility bills, and this process spreads bacterial infections that kill immunocompromised workers.
Shipping companies overload containers because inspections slow turnover at ports, and this process leads to container collapse that crushes workers on docks.
II. Ecological Death
Timber companies clear cut forests because selective harvesting requires careful planning and more workers, and this process kills entire ecosystems that cannot regenerate.
Industrial farms drain aquifers because pumping groundwater is cheaper than building irrigation systems, and this process causes wells to run dry in nearby towns.
Fishing fleets use bottom trawls because they capture more fish in fewer trips, and this process destroys seafloor habitats and kills species that cannot reproduce fast enough to recover.
Oil companies flare natural gas because capturing it requires new pipelines, and this process releases heat that kills plant and animal life near drilling sites.
Plastic manufacturers dump waste pellets into waterways because filtration systems require constant maintenance, and this process poisons fish that die in mass numbers.
Mining companies use cyanide to extract gold from low-grade ore because it yields more metal than mechanical methods, and leaks or failures in these leaching systems can release cyanide-contaminated water into nearby streams, killing fish and aquatic insects and making the water unsafe for surrounding communities.
Developers bury wetlands under gravel because preserving them would eliminate profitable building lots, and this process removes flood protection and destroys bird and amphibian populations.
Cattle ranchers burn grasslands because burning suppresses plant diversity and encourages uniform forage, and this process kills soil organisms that maintain fertility.
Industrial agriculture sprays herbicides that kill everything but genetically modified crops because hand weeding requires labor, and this process kills pollinators.
III. Institutionally Induced and Institutional Death
Private hospital chains close maternity wards because childbirth brings lower reimbursement rates than surgeries, and this process forces pregnant women to travel long distances where emergent complications become lethal.
For profit dialysis centers historically and likely still do reuse filters longer than medically recommended because new filters raise supply costs, and this process exposes patients to fatal bloodstream infections.
Cities outsource water testing to private labs because public labs require union wages, and this process produces falsified results that leave families drinking lead contaminated water.
Universities replace full time faculty with adjunct positions because adjuncts receive no benefits, and this process removes stability that supports long term research and education.
Public housing authorities delay mold remediation because contractors charge high fees, and this process causes residents to develop respiratory diseases.
Power companies defer grid upgrades because shareholders prefer dividends, and this process causes wildfires that kill entire towns.
Public transit agencies cut bus routes because outside consultants push plans that redirect funding toward routes with higher fare revenue, and this process leaves disabled and elderly residents in neighborhoods with no service, forcing them to walk long distances along roads without sidewalks or lighting to reach medical care or grocery stores.
Mental health clinics shut down inpatient units because private insurers deny extended stays, and this process leaves unstable patients without care, leading to preventable deaths.
Elected representatives dependincreasingly on large donor contributions and dark-money spending because campaigns cost hundreds of millions, and this process invests corporate interests with effective veto power over legislation, hollowing out democratic accountability.
Political advertising saturates every medium because candidates must pay for constant exposure or lose ground, and this process turns public policy into product placement, reducing voters to consumers and citizenship to a brand loyalty contest.
Legislators routinelyrotate into jobs with the industries they once regulated because lobbying and consulting fees reward former officials, and this process turns regulatory agencies from watchdogs into revolving-door pipelines where enforcement fades and capture becomes standard.
Voting rights protections are weakened because state legislatures pass laws that restrict who can vote and how votes are counted, and this process ensures that power remains concentrated, that majorities are muted, and that institutional death proceeds by attrition.
Public ethics oversight bodies are dismantled or underfunded because oversight is costly and threatens elite interests, and this process allows corruption to proliferate openly, making democratic institutions performative shells rather than guardians of public interest.
IV. Social Death
Employers schedule workers for unpredictable shifts because scheduling software maximizes sales coverage, and this process destroys family routines and community involvement.
Corporations relocate factories overseas because weak labor laws reduce wages, compliance costs, and taxes, and this process kills the social fabric of towns built around those jobs and destabilizes families whose breadwinner held that job.
Tech companies design addictive apps to harvest more behavioral data from users which they can sell to advertisers, and this process pulls people away from face-to-face relationships that sustain communal life.
Real estate investors buy entire blocks of homes because this bulk purchase model delivers increasing profits by charging high rents, adding fees and ancillary service payments, and cutting costs by increasing scale through technology and communications applications, and this process empties neighborhoods as tenants, mom and pop shops, and first time buyers are pushed out.
Employers demand relocation for promotions because moving costs reduce workers’ outside options, increasing employer wage-setting power, and reducing employee bargaining power, and this process pulls people out of cities where they have family, long-term friends, neighborhood ties, and shared routines, leaving them stranded in unfamiliar places without the support networks that once anchored their lives.
Big box stores undercut local shops because they negotiate supplier discounts, and this process eliminates the daily social interactions those shops once hosted.
Hedge funds buy newspapers because they can cut staff and sell assets, and this process removes local reporting that keeps communities informed and cohesive.
Fast food chains push late night hours because extended operating time increases daily revenue, which pulls workers out of evening hours when families gather and neighborhoods organize, makes their time unpredictable enough that they can’t commit to recurring obligations, and the exhaustion it produces degrades whatever social time remains.
Warehousing companies require constant overtime during peak seasons because demand spikes are cheaper to meet with existing staff, and this process forces parents to miss school events and holiday celebrations, disconnecting them from their children’s and family’s lives.
Universities raise tuition annually because of a combination of administrative expansion, state disinvestment, and rankings-driven amenity competition, a cost spiral made possible by federal loan availability that lets institutions charge whatever students can borrow. The debt graduates carry include repayment schedules that demand income levels that only exist in a handful of dense labor markets, which scatters young adults across distant cities after graduation instead of staying connected to their hometowns.
Logistics companies move distribution centers to remote industrial zones because land is cheaper, and this process strands workers far from their own communities for twelve-hour shifts where they form no lasting social ties.
Financial firms convert apartment buildings into short term rentals because daily pricing brings higher returns, and this process floods neighborhoods with transient visitors who do not invest in the long term life of the block.
Supermarkets replace human cashiers with self-checkout machines because machines cut labor costs, and this process removes one of the last casual human interactions many residents have in their weekly routines.
Call centers outsource jobs to distant regions because wages remain lower elsewhere, and this process shuts down local workplaces where friendships formed across desks and break rooms.
Employers promote remote work as a permanent model because office space is expensive, and this process leaves workers isolated in apartments with no coworkers, no shared meals, and no casual social interactions that made otherwise mind-numbing work bearable.
Gig platforms encourage constant availability because the algorithm rewards workers who stay online longest, and this process keeps people tethered to their phones during hours when they would normally gather with friends, councils, or neighborhood groups.
V. Emotional and Psychological Death
Fast fashion brands release new lines weekly (sometimes even daily) because constant novelty increases sales, and with each new trend implicating rendering last week’s line out of date, consumers experience their wardrobes as failures in presentation and this process keeps people locked in insecurity about appearance.
Social media platforms use algorithms that amplify whatever gets the most engagement and because posts that spark outrage are particularly engaging, this process floods users with constant arguments and hostility that raise stress levels, shorten attention spans, disrupt sleep, and leave people too overwhelmed to handle conflict or maintain steady relationships.
Job markets demand unpaid internships so companies can fill entry level roles without paying wages, and this unfairly pushes high performing poor students who cannot afford unpaid labor into paid service sector and retail jobs that hinder their career advancement. In law school, public interest and government jobs are almost always unpaid and this pushes poor students into corporate law tracks with high salaries, which reshapes their path not because of desire but because survival leaves no other option and steadily drains their sense of possibility.
Employers monitor emails and keystrokes because surveillance increases compliance, and this process destroys any sense of trust in the workplace.
Debt collectors call multiple times a day because constant pressure increases repayment rates, and this process keeps people in continuous fear.
Productivity apps use streak counters because loss aversion drives daily engagement, but when the streak breaks, the psychological penalty is so disproportionate to the actual setback that users typically abandon the habit entirely rather than start over.
Cosmetics companies convince you that ordinary features of your body are flaws because manufactured insecurity sells, and this process builds lifelong dissatisfaction with the body.
Gig platforms rate workers through customer stars because numerical scores control behavior, and this process makes workers anxious about every interaction.
Dating apps use endless swiping because rapid evaluation keeps users engaged for longer periods, and this process encourages people to treat each other as disposable profiles, which makes forming steady romantic bonds harder and leaves many feeling replaceable.
Credit card companies raise limits automatically because higher limits increase interest revenue, and this process leads people into balances they cannot repay, creating a long-term debt anxiety that shapes every daily decision.
Streaming services auto play the next episode because uninterrupted viewing hours increase subscription value, and this process pulls people into late nights that disrupt sleep, weaken concentration, and is associated with an erosion their capacity for patient social interaction.
Food delivery apps push surge pricing because it extracts more money during peak craving hours, and this process creates guilt and financial stress that attach themselves to basic acts of eating.
Diet programs sell rapid weight loss plans because return customers drive profit, and this process traps people in cycles of initial success followed by regain, a cycle sometimes referred to as yo-yo dieting, which deepens shame and dependence on the program.
Alcohol companies target ads to stressed populations because overwhelmed people drink more, and this process turns coping into consumption and leaves individuals with fewer tools to face real emotional strain.
Self-help influencers promise dramatic life changes because bold promises attract followers, and this process sets people up for disappointment when reality moves slowly, which increases frustration with themselves rather than the economic pressures shaping their lives.
Big law firms demand billable hours at levels that consume evenings and weekends because time equals revenue, and this process leaves young associates with less emotional energy to maintain friendships or relationships, let alone reflect on how their work facilitates industry consolidation, tax and regulatory avoidance, and the evasion of white-collar crime prosecution.
Student loan servicers extend repayment periods because longer repayment terms create more interest, and this process keeps graduates locked in a sense of permanent indebtedness that shapes their self-worth.
Pharmacy chains lock basic medications behind glass because theft prevention is cheaper than hiring staff, and this process forces sick people to wait for help and feel powerless in moments when they already feel weak. Further, retail stores’ choice to lock products primarily bought by minority communities behind glass reinforces implicit biases that presume minorities are more likely to steal.
Insurance companies require prior authorizations for even routine care because denials reduce payouts, and this process forces sick people to argue for treatment while already in pain, draining hope and dignity.
Influencer culture encourages constant posting because engagement builds algorithmic reach, and this process pushes everyday people who want to be influencers to curate every part of their lives, making genuine moments feel inadequate unless they are documented.
Recruiting software filters resumes by keywords because automation lowers hiring costs, and this process rejects skilled applicants who cannot afford or simply do not know how to tailor every resume perfectly, leaving them doubting their competence rather than the system that excluded them.
VI. The Death of Humanness Through Quantification and Status Competition
Employers demand constant self-evaluation through performance dashboards because numbers appear objective, and this process often reflects self-stereotyping and social pressures while forcing workers to treat their own worth as a score that must be raised rather than a life that must be lived.
Networking events sort participants by badge color because organizers want to match people with higher revenue potential, and this process teaches everyone to scan chests before faces to decide who matters and who does not.
Professional conferences also sell premium access passes because tiered pricing boosts profit, and this process creates hallways where people glance at lanyards before deciding who to talk to.
Apartment buildings create tiered amenity levels because premium access brings higher rents, and this process divides residents in the same building into ranked groups that rarely speak to one another.
Credit scoring companies track every financial move because lenders base decisions on numerical risk models, and this process makes people fear doing ordinary things like applying for a credit card or an auto loan since dips in their score can block them from renting an apartment, getting a mortgage, or securing basic financial stability.
Fitness platforms display leaderboards because competition increases daily activity, and this process subtly influences people to view exercise as something that has value only when it can be broadcast, measured, and compared.
Music streaming services push weekly ranking charts because charts help predict news cycles publishers can plan campaigns around, and this process teaches listeners to follow popularity instead of their own taste, flattening the emotional landscape of music into a scoreboard.
Universities publicize acceptance rates because scarcity raises brand value, and this process makes high school students treat life as an inventory of trophies instead of a search for direction.
Online marketplaces rank sellers by response time because faster replies drive sales, and this process forces sellers into constant vigilance to avoid losing their place in the hierarchy.
Clothing brands release limited drops because artificial scarcity increases demand, and this process turns basic garments into markers of belonging that people chase at the expense of community.
Car insurance apps monitor driving habits because behavioral data reduces payouts, and this process replaces trust with constant surveillance that treats every user as a potential liability.
Job applications often require personality tests because prescreening saves time, and this process makes people shape their answers to match an ideal worker profile rather than their genuine temperament.
Ticketing platforms use dynamic pricing because demand driven algorithms maximize revenue, and this process turns simple joys like concerts into bidding wars that reward those willing to play the game.
Professional networking platforms reward users for posting career wins because engagement drives advertising, and this process traps people in a cycle of self-promotion that hides struggle and silences vulnerability, cutting them off from genuine human connection.
… at last, I digress.
This list shows a social order that feeds on death in every sense, from the heat that kills workers on warehouse floors to the data metrics that hollow out our interior lives.
Which major politician can you name that talks about any of this with real clarity or responsibility? Which so-called leader tells the truth about capitalism’s death drive? A small few may gesture at these symptoms when convenient, speaking of vague concepts like “worker’s rights” and “children’s mental health,” but who in power is willing to confront the fact that our entire system functions according to a logic that demands these deaths, relies on them, and expands through them?
Of course, in neglecting to name this structure honestly, politicians also cannot and do not admit the deeper truth that a system that thrives on death cannot be reformed. It is not designed to shift course. In fact, in the United States, it was explicitly designed to do the opposite. The U.S. Constitution itself was written to prevent equitable wealth distribution and refine the popular will to protect the interests of a wealthy minority. James Madison admitted as much at the Constitutional Convention, stating that government must be structured to protect “the minority of the opulent against the majority.” This foundational framework ensures that even when reforms happen, they are piecemeal, indirect, and never truly threaten the systems of domination.
For example, consider the decades it took to pass civil rights legislation, all so systemic racism could shift its shape without losing its force. The victories for Black communities came while banks drew red lines around entire neighborhoods and drained them of investment. Schools in those same neighborhoods fell into disrepair as property tax funding locked segregation in place through a different route. Employers claimed equal opportunity while maintaining hiring screens that filtered out applicants by address, diction, or arrest record. Police departments embraced drug abuse prevention as a public safety mission while saturating Black neighborhoods with patrols, stop and frisk tactics, and aggressive raids that filled courts with minor cases. Legislatures passed harsh sentencing laws that turned addiction, poverty, and survival strategies into long prison terms. The prison system grew into a national industry that absorbed millions of lives while claiming the legacy of civil rights as proof of progress. Credit rating systems expanded during this same period and established a financial shadow of old racial hierarchies, blocking families from mortgages, small loans, and stable housing. Every one of these shifts preserved the core structure while changing the language around it.
Just as Madison and his rich friends who wrote the Constitution intended, an elite class of detached leaders and representatives took the demands that rose from below and reshaped them into reforms that eased public pressure for change without altering the foundations of an order that serves the interest of the “opulent.” Politicians consistently absorb the popular will, refine it, and return it in a form that simulates progress while protecting the very systems that produce division, exploitation, hierarchy, violence, and death. They present the reform as meaningful while avoiding any confrontation with the operational logic of capitalism itself, a logic that depends on these harms to expand and seeks new ways to reproduce them when challenged.
Even accepting the full truth, which is that landmark victories like the Civil Rights Act really do improve lives in measurable, even if limited, ways, we cannot ignore that they are delivered in a way that alienates participants, since they offer change from above rather than fostering empowerment from below. The result is a political landscape designed to protect the wealth of the elite, who now hold more power than at any point in modern history and who command surveillance tools, militarized police forces, data tracking tools, and political machines far stronger than anything past generations faced.
Against this backdrop, the idea that it is more practical to work through the system than to build something outside it is misguided. How long would it take to solve each of the issues listed above through legislation? There isn’t even any traction in that direction right now.
We are pushed to select the lesser evil every election cycle, and each time that choice pulls us further into wars, genocides, ecological collapse, and a daily life shaped by calculation and fear. We watch candidates who call themselves the “safer option” run careless, seemingly bound-to-lose campaigns while people across the country raise alarms they refuse to hear, and then we watch them lose to the very forces they claim to protect us from. Yet, we are told if we can just work harder and smarter through this system to elect these less evil representatives they might be able to pass a few reforms per four year administration that will slow the harm, even though history has shown us that the harms have only accelerated under reformist strategies that simply redirect anger back into institutions built to absorb it and keep everything intact.
Even when those lesser evil candidates do win, when they step into office, we witness them treat their political opponents, whom they called “existential threats,” as routine colleagues. They chat on the floor, co-sponsor bills, strike committee deals, and speak of them as if fascism is simply another policy position. They tone down their rhetoric, defend the civility of institutions, and reassure the press that everyone shares the same democratic values, all while taking donations from the same corporate lobbies, the same weapons manufacturers, the same real estate firms, and the same fossil fuel giants.
Does it not seem as if their campaigns and rhetoric are mere theater? A managed conflict staged for voters to distract us while the underlying alignment remains intact? We are told working through the system is practical, yet it keeps delivering the greater evil through a process that drains hope, dulls public strength, and binds us to a path that grows increasingly more destructive at an accelerating pace.
Proponents of reformism may argue that the rate of collapse does matter and that my analysis risks treating all timelines as equivalent. They might argue that slowing ecological collapse by even five years could mean millions of lives saved while we build alternatives. Yet, this logic neglects the concept of opportunity costs. Reformism may appear to be slowing the rate of harm, but in expending energy on that strategy, we lose energy we could spend pursuing another strategy. Meanwhile, as we repeatedly engage in lesser evil strategies our capacity for radical imagination atrophies; this is what Mark Fisher called Capitalist Realism, which is the widespread sense that alternatives are impossible, that it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.
Perhaps it is time to consider the prospects of a strategy rooted in direct action, peer led education, the building, prefiguring, and incubating of cooperative relations, and the cultivation of ways of being that make another form of life possible. Such a strategy would require us to practice steadying our attention, deepening our questioning, and strengthening our compassion. These capacities would better enable people to resist the pressures that keep them afraid and isolated, allowing us to finally consider a social order that exists to promote the flourishing of all.
We know the reformist strategy fails. This is no longer a theoretical question; it is an historical one. Given the level of death that capitalism demands and the degree to which reform has pacified revolt and rechanneled it into the same electoral traps, we have to ask whether the more realistic project is not the one that clings to this collapsing order, but the one that tries to loosen its grip and create something capable of sustaining human life.
Peter S. Baron (http://www.petersbaron.com) is the author of If Only We Knew: How Ignorance Creates and Amplifies the Greatest Risks Facing Society.
