I always find this one interesting. I think Capitalism as en entire system isn’t necessarily cancerous in total. Marx probably didn’t have the vision of cancer we have today, but I think his analogy about the vampire was still better. Capitalism as a system is hard to just call a cancer because it is productive, because its laborers are productive. Capital as cancer in the system is closer, but still not as good. So saying that capital is a vampire, and so capitalism is a society dominated by vampires, is a better analogy. It is dead, but can only keep itself moving and growing by consuming the living (labor). In doing so, it grows and gets more hungry, and continuously needs to balance a need to consume more versus to let the living (labor) produce (so that it can be consumed). Cancer has no such mechanism to protect itself and no desire to stay alive and growing. Capital is mindless but the system gives it interests and mechanisms to act within the system in its own interest.
I guess my point is that cancer as an analogy underestimates capital and the system in which capital functions as the organizer of labor.
Long rant, no real reason I wrote this out except I was kinda bored. Calling it cancer is fine too lol
What about the individual people who participate in this social practice? Surely their individual consciousness, their ideas, and their behaviour matter, and make a difference?
To a certain extent they do of course. But individuals come and go, but capitals live much longer than any individual human. The people controlled by the capital — that is the workers that supply labour to firms, and capitalists that exploit them and extract profits — are mere replaceable components in the control loop, mechanically performing prescribed functional roles.
I think this is actually my disagreement, because I think capital in itself would do so, but capitalism as a system has systematized class collaboration between capitalists to prevent them doing this
You’re right and this is why vampire stories originated from the Fear of The Rich/Ruling Class. Capitalists live by sucking the life force out of the working class (labour power) keeping them subjugated. Like vampires.
I always find this one interesting. I think Capitalism as en entire system isn’t necessarily cancerous in total. Marx probably didn’t have the vision of cancer we have today, but I think his analogy about the vampire was still better. Capitalism as a system is hard to just call a cancer because it is productive, because its laborers are productive. Capital as cancer in the system is closer, but still not as good. So saying that capital is a vampire, and so capitalism is a society dominated by vampires, is a better analogy. It is dead, but can only keep itself moving and growing by consuming the living (labor). In doing so, it grows and gets more hungry, and continuously needs to balance a need to consume more versus to let the living (labor) produce (so that it can be consumed). Cancer has no such mechanism to protect itself and no desire to stay alive and growing. Capital is mindless but the system gives it interests and mechanisms to act within the system in its own interest.
I guess my point is that cancer as an analogy underestimates capital and the system in which capital functions as the organizer of labor.
Long rant, no real reason I wrote this out except I was kinda bored. Calling it cancer is fine too lol
Marx on Capital as a real god
Ian Wright is great. Vampires live longer than humans (but canonically are dead right?), just like capital. Good addition
They’re also parasitically dependant on humans and would eventually use up all of humanity if left lo g enough.
I think this is actually my disagreement, because I think capital in itself would do so, but capitalism as a system has systematized class collaboration between capitalists to prevent them doing this
Precisely
You’re right and this is why vampire stories originated from the Fear of The Rich/Ruling Class. Capitalists live by sucking the life force out of the working class (labour power) keeping them subjugated. Like vampires.