Culture: The Antidote to Capitalism (?)

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I have an idea. It's new, at least to me, so I haven't had the time to work out the kinks. But here it is: 

If capitalism, inevitably, alienates its workers from themselves, their labour and each other, its antidote is something that draws people closer together. Something that creates, fosters and deepens the bonds we share. 

Therefore, what if culture, is the antidote to capitalism? 

From here, allow me to present my thoughts in bullet points:

  • Oxford defines 'culture' as "the beliefs that people hold about reality, the norms that guide their behaviour, the values that orient their moral commitments, or the symbols through which these beliefs, norms, and values are communicated." Inherent to this definition is that culture is a shared activity/practice; developed communally and practised collaboratively. This suggests that culture can be, and often is, a binding agent. Even capitalism, if construed as a cultural system, binds humanity together in service to short-term, and the unreasonable expectation of inevitable,  growth. The difference between capitalism, as a culture, and Agikuyu culture is that while the impact of Agikuyu cultural expression is a deepening of ties, the impact of capitalistic cultural expression is ever greater alienation and a greater emphasis on individualism. Put simply, the latter binds people to each other, while the former binds them only to profit (i.e. themselves). As Wilhelm Röpke - a Swiss economist who coordinated the rebuilding of Western Germany after WW2, noted: “any more certain way of desiccating the soul of man than the habit of constantly thinking about money and what it can buy?" 
  • Given the role culture can play in remedying some of the worst elements of capitalism, it makes sense why the latter is attempting to co-opt and appropriate cultural artefacts/objects. Capitalism is quite good at coopting things that threaten it; stripping them of their public, community-oriented nature. Whenever culture is appropriated, this happens. The objects, which represent binding rituals and shared history, are removed from their contexts and treated as commodities. Stripping them of their meaning, and their capacity to bind people together in the name of profit. 
That's all folks! That's what I've got right now. 

Until next time *flies away like Thor riding Stormbreaker like a broomstick*

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