Capitalism is bad for mental health

Feel the News

Jun 06, 2021

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Sunday, 6/6/2021

Happy Sunday! Let’s talk about mental health.

The News

Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open after she was threatened with expulsion for refusing to speak to the press.

How should you feel about this news?

Inspired to walk away from situations that are not good for your mental health if you have the ability to do so even if capitalism conditioning tells you, you are a loser for caring more about your mental health than making capitalists richer. The people of the French Open thought they could bully Naomi Osaka into bending to their will because like most capitalist organizations they assume we will choose money over our mental health. That’s because, unfortunately, most of us have to.

A lot of us just cry in the bathroom at work and keep working because rent has to be paid. Some of us feel like we have to keep climbing the corporate ladder, damn the consequences to our well being, because that’s just what you do. You start off as a junior associate and you must be vice president by 25 or else you are a loser. Some of us keep toxic jobs because we feel like we have to maintain a certain living standard pushed on us by capitalist propaganda and Instagram ads. If you fall in the last three categories, you don’t have to keep doing that. That’s all capitalist propaganda that keeps us busy so we don’t realize we are being exploited. Why do you have to be a vice president of a company? To buy Gucci shoes? Those Gucci shoes will not get you out of the depression that job will send you into.

For those of us who have to keep working, try to find community support where you can, whether it’s mutual aid groups or family members. There are also other parts of your life that you can refuse to pay credence to the capitalists gods when it jeopardizes your health. For example, you can choose self-care over being “productive” or refuse to give in to the hustle culture or refuse to shave your legs. I have done the latter and it's made me feel so much better.

That’s it for the news but don’t leave yet…

I’m hosting the very first Feel the News live show in Brooklyn on June 11th at 8pm. Grab your tickets here.

I’m also doing a show in Manhattan today at Kabisera

I’m still reading anarchy works and I felt very inspired by the explanation of why we don’t like our jobs. Below is my favorite quote from that section.

“The alienation of labor that is a part of capitalism destroys natural incentives to work such as the pleasure of acting freely and the satisfaction of a job well done. When work puts us in a position of inferiority — to the boss who oversees us and the wealthy people who own our workplace — and we do not have decision-making power in our job but must mindlessly follow orders, it can become excruciatingly odious and mind-numbing.”

I found this very cool video about Black Anarchism.

Lastly, watch this video about union busting at a fake lefty vegan company called No Evil Foods.

If you like my work and you can afford to support it, become a patron please. Patrons can also see my unpublished stand-up set.

❤️

Your favorite anarchist comedian,

Marcela

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