"The Happy Consciousness- the belief that the real is rational and that the system delivers the goods- reflects the new conformism which is a facet of technological rationality translated into social behavior."
Herbert Marcuse One Dimensional Man published in 1964
I was reminded of this Happy Consciousness the other day when some friends expressed optimism a Universal Basic Income could become a reality. The hollowed out democracy, the soap opera politics, the rape and pillage around the globe, could all be put aside. As long as the system "delivers the goods", a check in the bank account each month, we could put up with a lot. And since so much work is just redundant bullshit anyway, Capital may just decide it's easier to cut out the middle man and just have us consume our way to happiness. Or if not happiness exactly, at least complacency and oblivion. Who needs sticks when you have carrots?
Marcuse also foresaw "massification", the process by which individuals are absorbed into the crowd.The best fictional account is Mao II by Don DeLillo. It's not hard to see how UBI lends itself to this process as well. The checks will come with certain strings attached, whether they are visible or not. It might seem like a free lunch at first...but the conformism is the cost. Of course, conformism is the new religion anyway, so maybe it doesn't matter.
Our local politicians are all running on a unique, clever platform of slowing the creep of Big Government and lowering taxes. Despite the checks everyone is getting from Big Brother and the fact the Central Bank preserved their sacred profit system. And these conservatives will win in a landslide as they raffle off assault rifles and parade around with flags. Hard to say how long they will resist the UBI as the Depression unfolds. Hard to say if they would be upset to hear about all the food being destroyed as their children go hungry.
There was a recent poll that showed people's "religious faith" was growing stronger during this pandemic. Because there is no better proof of God than a plague?
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