Tuesday, November 22, 2011

To: The Occupy Movement -- The 99% Own The Means of Consumption

Marx thought that Production was the answer: That wresting the means of production from the capitalist class and passing it to the worker would end the exploitation of the 99% But that was never going to happen, even with revolution and bloodshed.

Owning the means of Production: The factories producing, cars, TVs, furniture, and all the trappings of consumerism would set workers free. But it didn't happen.

But, I realized in 2003, we, the 99% own something far more powerful, and far more frightening to the 1% -

We Own the Means of Consumption.

We, the 99%, are the factory of debt. We, the 99%, control the very process of capital creation. We choose to create debt. We can choose not to repay debt. We choose when to purchase products. We can choose not to buy products.

Where we judge the behaviour of a corporate citizen to be antisocial, we can choose not to buy their products or refuse to repay debt.

The 99% Owns The Means Of Consumption. 
Even more powerful than withholding labour power, we have the power to control private capital by choosing not to purchase products or debt.

We Own The Means of Consumption.
What will we do with it?