Capitalism vs. The Perception with Our Livelihoods
Humans and the incessant need to always change the way we want to be perceived.
Image Via Clear Space.
As humans, there is a certain image we have created in our minds, a certain perception we have granted ourselves. Our past experiences, bad or good, traumatic to the happiest days of our lives, are all small pathways that have guided us to who we are now. How we deal with situations, interact with loved ones, and associate with strangers are all little indicators to a glimpse of who we are. It is natural to want to be perceived as a good person.
Someone who is remembered by their good attributes. Rather, the entire concept we follow in funerals is to remember the ones who have passed, by the good contributions they made in life. Voicing how they were funny, kind, selfless, giving, specifically not dwelling on the negative. Though the natural instinct to want to be seen as a good person is generally a harmless and healthy goal in life, this desire could also be an issue created by external forces. The problem lies in society and its institutions that play a whole different game, a game we are often unaware of playing.
We live in Canada, a historically-run capitalist country. A system that has been critiqued and analyzed heavily over the years for relevant reasons, since it is now common for so many to be a part of the system. To define what capitalism is, it is essentially a system that fulfills society’s needs through production, which is controlled by private owners and/or organizations. Decisions on pricing, distribution, and production are determined by the competition in the free market. The main critiques that have been voiced about capitalism are the injustices of economic inequality, detriment to the environment, race and gender imparity, and many more systematic issues. Naturally, it is no wonder why the topic of being the greatest and the best version of “you” is consistent throughout life, as the underlying need to be profitable and in control are the same characteristics required in order to succeed within capitalism.
As we live in a society that is driven by capitalism, maintaining positive self-perception is difficult, as the system demands us to be marketable, expandable, productive and in a way, turn ourselves into machines with hopes of success. With our self-worth always equated to our material and commercial success, there has been a dangerous precedent withholding us for decades on decades. It is so dangerous, we have been losing ourselves, being overcome with anxiety, perpetuating an unhealthy cycle of competition, as our value would be measured on others successes as well. Not only are we aiming for the highest level of achievement, we are also taught to overthrow those around us, whether we are conscious of it or not.
Image Via Mad in America.
Social media is a key factor in both our self-perception and capitalism as well. There is this influx of information being fed to us on a daily basis. With Tiktok, we watch people living their lives constantly, whether that be celebrities doing a day in a life, politicians debating on an all-male podcast, the rich influencers promoting brands that most cannot afford, etc. The variety and versatility is valuable in a way, as viewers are learning new information and perspectives almost everyday. However, the problem lies within what is “successful” on Tiktok or Instagram. We are constantly aware of what beauty, money, success and achievement seems like by simply looking at one picture or video.
These platforms are amplifying this capitalistic narrative, as every post is constructed clearly in a way to be seen as perfection and happiness, representing just exactly what the “ideal” life should look like. In return, it is human to critique and compare “our” life to “theirs.” Perfection is now seen as an obsession, allowing the unhealthy cycle to keep repeating. This can create an us-and-them competition, which is what happens in a capitalistic system—we are insecure until we reach a certain upper tier in the hierarchy.
The pressure from societal and systematic values in productivity and success is the reason for this incessant need to be known as a good human. We want to be perceived as this, subconsciously, because we are aware this system might require us to lose our essence. As we scroll through the endless photos or Tiktoks that seem to define beauty and success, it is important to remind ourselves that we often know little about the strangers on our screens. We might not be able to control what we view, but we do have control over ourselves.
Honesty, kindness, empathy, and self-love are all important attributes that we must not lose, because the forces of capitalism can distract from these beautiful attributes. In the act of being radical (some would say), we must choose to see ourselves as worthy, not because of how much money we have, or how good looking we are, but because we are human.
