The Myth of Normal: How capitalism profits from the problems and illnesses it creates

Friday, 10 February 2023 - 10:00am to 10:30am

Jennifer and Jacques talk about the social malaises and illnesses that capitalism generates, and how corporations then profit from an array of 'remedies' like alcohol, gambling, junk food, pharmaceutical products, and a wide array of consumer products. Often these 'remedies' are addictive,leading to a deepening of ailments and problems.

According to Gabor Mate, in his book The Myth of Normal, political and economic processes and systems translate into a 'toxic normal' that we inhabit and suffer from.

Just as the goods and opportunities of capitalism are not distributed fairly or equally, ill health is not distributed equally either. For example, while the capitalist system generates stress which has an adverse effect on our bodies over time, the stress is felt disproportionately by those with least economic power.

 

References

Mate, G & A (2022) The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture London: Vermillion/Penguin.

Albrecht, G. (2012) The Age of Solastalgia. The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/the-age-of-solastalgia-8337.

Stengers, I (2015) In Catastrophic Times: Resisting the Coming Barbarism. Translated by A. Goffey. London: Open Humanities Press.

Blaser, M., & M. de la Cadena. (2018). 'Pluriverse: Proposals for a World of Many Worlds' in A World of Many Worlds, edited by M. de la Cadena, and M. Blaser, 1–23. Durham: Duke University Press.

Borrell, J. (2008) Understanding Problem Gambling: The Interaction of Personal and Structural Processes. 

 

Friday 10:00am to 10:30am
Think Again offers weekly conversations and reflections about current events, trends and public pronouncements on contemporary and emerging issues. The show moves beyond what we read and hear via the public and ‘social’ media, to invite alternative possibilities to guide our thinking, living and organising.

Presenter

Jennifer Borrell & Jacques Boulet

Topic