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although mark fisher's capitalist realism was introduced to china a little late, i think it is still one of the more important publications this year. the cultural and political sterility mentioned in the book, the "reflexive incompetence" that exists in young people, the widespread mental suffering under the neoliberal system, and the bureaucratic appreciation in the post-fordist era, these contents that resonated strongly with me back then, still resonate with me today. especially in the post-epidemic era, economic development has slowed down, platform algorithms have hijacked work performance, and a large number of young people have chosen to lie down and involute. the former feel at ease and rely on their parents, while the latter are endlessly anxious. now revisiting this capitalist realism, the "empathy" may be even stronger.

in fact, the popularity of fisher's works has more or less benefited from the development of the internet and blog culture in the early 21st century. it can be said that many of his views are written for the general public, and his sensitivity to popular culture is inseparable from the symptoms of the times. although he has no place in the serious academic circle, it is undeniable that his works have great power to inspire readers' emotions. he is one of the few scholars who can express the kafkaesque helplessness that permeates the grassroots in quite straightforward words, which makes people deeply understand the social ills of the contemporary world. some people also say that fisher is writing diagnostically about the predicament of mankind.

capitalist realism: private emotions and symptoms of the times

starting from the title of the book "capitalist realism"

judging from the title, what is "capitalist realism"? in fact, "realism" is a general term, too general. fisher's intention here is a kind of repressive realism, which can also be understood as an atmosphere that not only affects the production of culture, but also affects the regulation of work and education, and plays a role as an invisible barrier to constrain thoughts and actions. in other words, "realists" will not dream of another world, let alone fight for it, that is, there is a general feeling that capitalism is not only the only viable political and economic system at present, but it is even impossible to imagine its alternative. "it is easier to imagine the end of the world than to imagine the end of capitalism." just like in the world of "wall-e", even if the earth is no longer suitable for human survival, we can still go to other planets to expand capital and feed ourselves with high technology.

why is capitalism the only choice for the western world at present? the defense for this can be quoted from badiou: "our democracy is not perfect, but it is better than bloody dictatorship. capitalism is unjust... we let millions of africans die of aids, but we will not issue racist nationalist declarations. we use airplanes to kill iraqis, but we will not cut the throats of our enemies with machetes as in the rwandan genocide, etc." in other words, compared with capitalism, other choices are worse. even worse, there are also claims that capitalism is natural and an unquestionable physical law. it just reflects human nature, and only capitalism can coexist with human nature.

the subtitle of the book, is there no alternative?, comes directly from margaret thatcher's famous saying and the end of history by political scientist fukuyama. there is no clear answer to this question in the book, but fisher obviously believes that we can have other options, and he actually puts forward constructive suggestions. first of all, we must artificially remove the mystery of concepts such as economy and politics. any system is created by people, so it is natural to question it, or change the way it operates, and oppose the idea of ​​"uncontrollable and irreplaceable". politicizing mental illness (just as environmental issues have been politicized), massively reducing bureaucracy, and "we need to develop new forms of industrial action strategies to oppose managerialism" are all relatively obvious proposals.

Herbie Hancock - Future Shock

how long can a culture last without something new?

i really like fisher's comments on popular culture and related music and film works. in his thinking about neoliberalism, popular culture is an important object of analysis, and he has lamented the regression of culture. in fisher's view, the regression of culture is linked to the regression of society and politics. he once used the anterograde amnesia in the movie "memento" to replace the "lost future". i personally feel that this reflects the current situation of popular culture. this is also the cultural dilemma dominated by neoliberalism. at the formal level, music and movies are framed between imitation and repetition. people no longer try to imagine the world by imagining the future.

i also think of herbie hancock's future shock album released in 1983. it has music that is truly oriented towards the future. if it was put on the timeline 20 years ago (the 1960s), it would be enough to shock everyone at the time. music fans in the 1960s would definitely think that future shock came from the future; if it is pushed back 40 years, in 2024, its freshness will not decrease, and it is no problem to say that it belongs to the present. however, if the mainstream music albums released in recent years are put on 40 years ago or 20 years ago, i am afraid that they will not cause auditory shock. you can imagine that music fans in the 1980s would only think that these music from the future are not much different from the present when they hear musicians with strong retro visual elements such as lana del rey.

as for the science fiction movies in recent years, although the shooting technology has been upgraded, the core is still reproducing the classics of the past, and they are eager to retain the "memories" of the past. as for the themes of copying people and people and machines, it can be said that most works can never get rid of the shadows of "metropolis" (1927) and "blade runner" (1982). "back to the future" (1985) is still the best work on the theme of time travel. the nostalgia for past popular culture is also the reason why music styles such as "vaporwave" are repeatedly generated in different forms. "we are trapped in the last century. what is the 21st century? it is to have the culture of the 20th century on a higher-definition screen." these comments on the "disappearing future" and popular culture are further elaborated in fisher's other book ghosts of my life.

i first became interested in fisher because of his exquisite interpretation of children of men at the beginning of this book. alfonso cuarón is my favorite of the three mexican masters, mainly because he is more restrained and does not deliberately magnify metaphors, but his works also have a lot of room for interpretation. fisher proposed that the anxiety in the film needs to be interpreted from a cultural perspective. the specific scene in the film is that against the background of human infertility, the masterpieces of art such as michelangelo and picasso are kept in a building without viewers. without descendants, there is not only no future, but also the cultural creation of the past has lost its power. in response to questions such as "how long can culture last without new things? what will happen if young people are no longer able to produce surprises?", the characters in the film answered: "i try not to imagine this."

stills from children of men

for many people, "there is no alternative to capitalism" is no longer even a problem. the emphasis on cultural infertility and creative stagnation is a response to the cultural atmosphere in the first decade of the 21st century and even the later period. although the current human beings are not childless, young people have been deprived of the ability to become future bearers in terms of concepts and actions. this is the so-called "reflexive incompetence". everyone knows that the current situation is bad, but they are powerless to change it. regarding this point, combined with his own work (as a teacher in a college), fisher has a very realistic description in the book.

why does postmodern capitalist society seem free, but youth culture in the 21st century is stagnant?

by today's standards, it seems difficult to define youth culture. fisher proposed that capitalist culture pre-designs and shapes people's desires, aspirations and hopes. the so-called alternative culture is not outside the mainstream culture. alternative is just a style within the mainstream. even the most niche bands will live on platforms such as spotify and youtube with popular big bands; although fast-moving clothing brands such as uniqlo and h&m are still popular among young people, they will never represent personality. looking back at the 1990s, kurt cobain's pain and frustration under the huge success of nirvana (today's independent bands will not worry about this problem at all) were enough to make him a martyr of youth culture.

in addition, fisher's citation of heat made me re-examine michael mann's films. under the strong visual style, mann's works also show some important themes with strong social observations. "in heat, in los angeles, which is full of polished alloys and interchangeable designer kitchens, featureless highways and late-night diners... it is a world without landmarks, a mess with names, a world that does not need to be expanded..." macaulay, played by de niro, is "a screen, a code, without depth, professional and cold, stripped of everything, leaving only pure preparation, research, and methods." the creed of the criminal team in the film is the opposite of coppola and scorsese-style (the godfather, goodfellas) family loyalty, and family ties are not allowed here. in michael mann's subsequent film "collateral", such city scenery and characters were reproduced. there are a large number of long-range shots of the city in the film. along with the horizontal roaming journey of the taxi, the night of los angeles presents a three-dimensional sculptural sense. the cold-blooded killer played by tom cruise shattered jamie foxx's american dream overnight.

los angeles in collateral

as mark fisher's famous work, "capitalist realism" covers a wide range of knowledge, but it is not difficult to read. i always think that fisher is a writer for the general public. if you are interested in popular culture, he is also a very good reading material. at least it will make people miss the early 21st century, the era of internet knowledge sharing before the emergence of smartphones.