On Page 20 of Capitalist Realism, Mark Fisher wrote “With the triumph of neoliberalism, bureaucracy was supposed to have been made obsolete; a relic of an unlamented Stalinist past. Yet this is at odds with the experiences of most people working and living in late capitalism, for whom bureaucracy remains very much a part of everyday life. Instead of disappearing, bureaucracy has changed its form; and this new, decentralized form has allowed it to proliferate.” What can be done?
Read MoreBut, as Edgar has been saying forever, and said in that prior piece, there’s a problem looking at clothes as a vanity: the way that you dress is the only way that you can influence others’ perceptions of you without actually having to talk to them. Given my conversation skills, I quickly did an about-face and began to work on my wardrobe and hygiene.
Read MoreLook, the assumption that public-facing jobs inherently suck is an outgrowth of the idea that your job should be the locus of personal fulfillment in your life. Americans don’t have hobbies; they have jobs — call it a “calling,” call it a “passion,” call it what the fuck you want, but at the end of the day, it’s just a fucking job.
Read MoreThis is a reference to the Nietzschean idea of the eternal return, which is originally used as a part of a vital and life-affirming philosophy, but when considering that not all of us have agency at all times, it hints at something darker: if you're going to relive every part of your life, you need to make decisions you're comfortable making again – but you're also doomed to re-experience the worst things that happened to you innumerable times.
Read MoreThe problem with railing against nostalgia as a cultural phenomenon is that when you experience it yourself, you feel like a phony.
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