We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries. We contend that for a nation to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that, when nations are strong, they are not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are no longer strong.
The ideological blackmail that has been in place since the original Live Aid concerts in 1985 has insisted that __aring individuals_ could end famine directly, without the need for any kind of political solution or systemic reorganization. It is necessary to act straight away, we were told; politics has to be suspended in the name of ethical immediacy. Bono__ Product Red brand wanted to dispense even with the philanthropic intermediary. __hilanthropy is like hippy music, holding hands_, Bono proclaimed. __ed is more like punk rock, hip hop, this should feel like hard commerce_. The point was not to offer an alternative to capitalism - on the contrary, Product Red__ __unk rock_ or __ip hop_ character consisted in its __ealistic_ acceptance that capitalism is the only game in town. No, the aim was only to ensure that some of the proceeds of particular transactions went to good causes. The fantasy being that western consumerism, far from being intrinsically implicated in systemic global inequalities, could itself solve them. All we have to do is buy the right products.
Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?
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The ideological blackmail that has been in place since the original Live Aid concerts in 1985 has insisted that __aring individuals_ could end famine directly, without the need for any kind of political solution or systemic reorganization. It is necessary to act straight away, we were told; politics has to be suspended in the name of ethical immediacy. Bono__ Product Red brand wanted to dispense even with the philanthropic intermediary. __hilanthropy is like hippy music, holding hands_, Bono proclaimed. __ed is more like punk rock, hip hop, this should feel like hard commerce_. The point was not to offer an alternative to capitalism - on the contrary, Product Red__ __unk rock_ or __ip hop_ character consisted in its __ealistic_ acceptance that capitalism is the only game in town. No, the aim was only to ensure that some of the proceeds of particular transactions went to good causes. The fantasy being that western consumerism, far from being intrinsically implicated in systemic global inequalities, could itself solve them. All we have to do is buy the right products.
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