The Capitalist Myth of Independence
Spoiler: we’re all dependent on each other.
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We’re barely out of the womb when we are bombarded with messages that sing the praises of an independent lifestyle. One is never truly an adult until they can live by themselves and do everything on their own, are they? That’s partly what the whole college experience is supposed to be about; to learn how to grow up through the process of the whole relying on ourselves thing. Except, that’s a false narrative.
Independence is defined as “not requiring or relying on something else.” Yes, maybe you can do your own laundry and can cook yourself breakfast, but there’s a reason that so much of modern life involves buying goods and services from other people. We don’t necessarily have the time to make our own food, and neither do we have the resources to be creating our own things, such as clothes, toothbrushes, and other objects we need to stay alive. So, we go to various stores and acquire these things that were made by other people. Other people who make your things for you. Other people who perform labor so you can survive. You could even say that you rely on these people, that you depend on them. For without them, you would have to figure out a way to independently source things, which you almost certainly cannot do. Thus, we establish that we are not, in fact, independent beings. We are very dependent on an ecosystem of people who aid us in our pursuit of existence.
So then; why the idea of independence?
Not to be that person, but drumroll please- capitalism!
It’s not too difficult of an equation to work out- so called “independent living” equals independently owning things. Now that you’ve moved away from home, you need your own microwave, your own toaster, fridge, drapes, car, apartment etc… You get it. It was Dubya who said it best when he ordered Americans to shop to recover from the tragedy of 9/11. That was what was required to be a “contributing” member of society. And what do we need to in order to be able to support our contributing, independent lifestyle? Why, a job, of course. A job that they need you to compete for.
Perpetuating the ideals of independence is beneficial to a consumer economy. In this model, less consumption is obviously detrimental, and thus we cannot have people knowing that it is okay to be dependent. It is okay to share things. It is okay to be reliant on people. In fact, as mentioned, we already are. We always have been, and we always will be. It is fruitless to try and pretend that we humans can exist independently. We are social creatures, as well as pack animals. There is a reason that one way or another, we try to find belonging in groups, whether it be through religion or through D&D leagues.
There is another reason that is is important for us to remember all this; through a capitalist model, it is easy to forget about the people we are dependent on. When you do not see the people picking your strawberries and avocados, you don’t need to be concerned about their well being. You are dependent on them, and yet they could be abused for all you care. And who can blame you? They are too far removed for you to able fully understand what it takes for your life to continue as it is, for you to fully comprehend the complexities of the modern economy. I have no time today to discuss exactly how deliberate or not this system is, but I do have to inform you that this model is unsustainable, for both the environment and the humans entrenched in it.
Realizing that you are dependent on at least a few hundred other people just for you to be able to stay alive is the first step in figuring out how to rework our currently broken system. Being alienated from others is one of the dimensions included in Marx’s theory of alienation, and this is more crucial to note than ever. We cannot achieve class solidarity if we cannot even see the struggles of our fellow workers. You cannot live without them, and they without you. Theirs is our struggle.
Here is where I want to place a call to action; support unionization, join grassroots movements, eat local, and make an effort to empathize and understand the people who you are dependent on. We move forward together.
