"It's easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism," say Frederic Jameson and Slavoj Žižek.

Capitalist liberal democracy is construed as the "end of history"—the culmination of millennia of civilizational progress, the inevitable outcome of a long march toward justice and freedom. But is it? And if it's not the best system for our economic and political needs, what is the alternative?

It's almost impossible to imagine. But, despite what Margaret Thatcher said, there is an alternative—many, in fact. We just haven't dreamed them up yet.

This is the argument of Mark Fisher's Capitalist Realism, a great little book that wrestles with big questions and ends on a surprisingly hopeful note.

In this episode, I'll share some reflections on our identities as consumers and the nature of capitalist realism. Then, you'll hear the latest episode of the Books Applied Podcast with Iggy Perillo. Iggy and I discussed the book for her podcast and I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you, too!

Footnotes:

Iggy Perillo and WSL Leadership
Books Applied Podcast
Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher
"Media Frames UPS Strike as Harming You, the Consumer and Protagonist of Reality" by Adam Johnson in The Column

As always, you can find my opening essay, plus a condensed transcript of my conversation with Iggy, at whatworks.fyi

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Special Guest: Maram Taibah, author of Weathernose