From Capitalist Realism to Acid Communism: A Brief History of Mark Fisher's Concepts

In this episode, Adam takes us through Mark Fisher's concept of Capitalist Realism, and how the concept developed across Fisher's theoretical writings. Adam focuses on how the notion is deployed in his 2009 book Capitalist Realism, and how it is reformulated in his Introduction to the unfinished Acid Communism text. Adam takes us through the aspects of melancholia and depressive psychology in Capitalist Realism, its psychological and social mechanisms, and how the question of the geopolitics of Capitalist Realism and neoliberalism shifted in Fisher's analysis from a Cold War East-West focus to one that centres the imperialist destruction of communism in Latin America. Reflecting on contemporary social movements such as anti-raids groups and school strikes, Fisher's optimism for a post-capitalist desire is illustrated through the reframing of Capitalist Realism in Acid Communism, a project which reaffirms that all consciousness is malleable and the site of an active struggle, a struggle haunted by the spectre of a world that could be free.

[MxLee]

Glad to see you guys do a video that isn't like an hour plus lol. This is nice, neat and stuff packed in which I can share around.

[ZenBen_the_Elder]

Mark Fisher made me aware of how deeply rooted capitalust realism is in the collective psyche. 1:22
Most importantly, this creator AH recognizes Fisher's key insight that you don’t have to subscribe to the neoliberal capitalist project to remain under its spell.

[bam]

Just a quick note, the double L in Spanish is pronounced as a Y, so Allende’s name is pronounced closer to Ayende instead of Alleyende

[abody]

"[sea zing] the means of the production of consciousness"
perfect. this is exactly the antidote. this is how it works.

[HGZie]

Thank you for supplying a transcript - hard of hearing person

[chrpsh]

can you recommend something to see/read about 60—70's libertarian communism or something relatable to acid communism? i've re-read fisher's acid communism twice and re-watched your video (twice) and really want to explore this point of view more (especially that turn on fighting capitalism — maybe not in fighting, but in the aestheticization of everyday life and how art's denial can be rational)

thank you and thank you for this video

[hansfrankfurter]

If the socialist block wasn’t a threat to global capitalism what was the point of the cold war? The wars of Vietnam, Korea…etc And why did the block collapse to the cheers of “the end of history” in the end?

I also have no idea whats the difference between bourgeois democracy, social democracy and democratic socialism? Allende could easily fit in all these categories at once.

[thenordland]

Where's that book? Marie-Hélène и Janet Acid Communism: A Manifesto

[igdlivj]

"...social democratic welfareism which aims to return to the post-war consensus ... capitalist realism is not neoliberal realism, because neoliberalism does not exhaust capitalism ... it is not impossible that the neoliberalism that proliferates and intensifies capitalist realism may die, and its lingering effects may encode axioms of capitalism within a post-neoliberal future, be it social-democratic or otherwise..."

"...the movements around Corbyn and Sanders in the UK and the US..."

lmfao ok

[hughcards]

It’s hard to replace something as antifragile as capitalism with something as brittle as socialism. IMHO it alternatives to capitalism were actually possible in the real world they would’ve been implemented decades ago. Interesting food for thought, mind. Poor man. He had a tough time of things.

[thetechnostate]

As great of a book as capitalist realism is I really strongly dislike the anti China and anti Soviet Union sentiment in it. Like yeah of course a nation state that consolidates that much power is gonna partake in unsavory shit. That’s how the real world works, don’t let yourself become blinded by ideology. Eggs have to be broken in order for omelet es to get made, and I’m sorry that it’s not perfect marxism but keep in mind when america was the age China is now chattel slavery and native genocide were both still actively happening.

[ToxicToastt]

Jesus this is some next level propaganda