You are
shallow, indeed, if you view
freedom as a choice between
Ford and
Chevy. "
Buy,
Buy,
Buy," urges
society. "Be a
conformist non-conformist. Be a
materialistic
rebel. Wear this brand of
clothing." (See
doublethink.) Such
self-expression is fully
compatible with
the System and provides an outlet for any budding
revolutionary feeling. Will
socialism stifle
individuality? Yes, if you identify yourself by your
jeans, your brand of
cola, the things you buy.
Ah, this node was cooled on
Everything 1 as well. Double cool.. dig it!
As for the nature of capitalism... simply put, capitalism is the wage-labor relationship and the baggage it brings. It would be correct to say that the capitalistic society that was say, 19th century
England, was not very consumerist. However, consumerism is an integral part of the new capitalism (detailed by
themusic in
hypercapitalism.) What do you think would happen to the economy if the populace abandoned consumerism for, say,
Tolstoy-esque Christian
asceticism? Not that I advocate such an extreme course.
As for
socialism, any argument directed against state or public ownership I usually ignore. Socialism is not necessarily
statism. Look into
syndicalism.
(And why am I always confused as a
Marxist?)