Buffy Jamsion
(Fae/Fem/Faers)

Cap Rules Everything Around Me: The Myth of Freedom Under Capitalism

Getting coffee with a friend. Walking your dog in the park. Seeing your kid in the school play. Vacationing outside the home. Seeing the doctor. Owning clothes that fit. 

What is the determining factor for access to the aforementioned? C.R.E.A.M.

https://youtu.be/PBwAxmrE194?si=vy8QxW7LHB7lmcuT

Access to basic joys and freedoms of life costs money. In such a case, what is freedom? Can more than a few enjoy it in a capitalist society? During the pandemic, people asked existential questions: Why 40 hours of my week? Why couldn’t I work from home before? Why aren’t I paid more? Is this (or any) job worth the costs?

What is Freedom?

In the U.S., AKA the home of the free, all citizens purportedly have access to freedom simply because it was granted to them by a government that controls the narrative of what freedom is. The narrative that is perpetuated depends on what agenda is being pushed by which major political fraction at a given time. The reality is, it was decided upon the government’s inception that only some deserved freedom. The U.S. economy was built on the genocide and displacement of Native Americans and the kidnapping and extortion of enslaved Africans. Although circumstances have changed, this legacy of violence prevails today. For most, a key part of freedom is not living under the continuous threat of violence, but violence is something that capitalism encourages.

Capitalism is Traumatic

Capitalism requires a few to be at the top while benefiting from the exploitation of those remaining at the bottom. It was predetermined who would belong where. Therefore, capitalism and racism are inherently tied together as are capitalism and any other -ism for that matter. Let’s explore this further: 

Why the obsession over who sleeps with who? A key part of sexuality that benefits capitalism is the reproduction and rearing of workers to replace those that retire or die, thus ensuring the reproduction of the social and economic system itself. Why obsess over preventing and “fixing” disabled folks rather than preventing and dismantling ableism? So capitalism can have more workers able to produce under its pressures. Why the obsession with genitalia? Same answer. The humanity of intersex, trans and nonbinary folks is denied because their existence forces questions about sexuality and gender roles.    According to Wilkinson and Pickett, in hierarchical societies, the tendency is to “show respect and deference to superiors and treat inferiors with impunity and disdain”. Even if not spoken aloud, these ideologies drive how capitalism functions.

“By reclaiming empathy as a core value, freedom can become a collective reality instead of a personal goal.”

Such ideologies breed hostility and violence towards those deemed undeserving especially those with multiple marginalized identities. How do we know? The statistics regarding the disabled community, the transgender community, domestic violence, and poverty are prime examples that speak for themselves. Remember, use of power against a group or community resulting in deprivation is a form of violence. The same government programs that keep many disabled folks alive also have policies that keep disabled folks impoverished. Over a third of respondents in the preliminary report from the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey were experiencing poverty at the time the survey was taken. In all of these examples, we see that deprivation is more prominent among those who are multiply marginalized.

Life Doesn’t Have to Be This Damn Unfair, Tho

Capitalism is a structure that has been inflicted upon life and distorts our view of it by forcing us to see the world through its lens, lest we perish. Life is something we don’t have control over. Social constructs, on the other hand, are erected, maintained, and/or dismantled by a collection of actions from individuals working towards similar goals whether those goals be nefarious or altruistic. Together, we can decide to go in a different direction. Until then, we can work to change the ways our workplaces and industries are run. By reclaiming empathy as a core value, freedom can become a collective reality instead of a personal goal.

Where do we begin? We must view our workplaces as public health spaces and support one another as we work to provide goods and/or services for the public. Implementing trauma informed practices, pushing for equitable pay and hiring practices, honing conflict resolution skills, using nonviolent communication, and pushing back against DEI restrictions are all great starting points.

If you are at the top of your industry or organization, these are steps you can take now. That said, everyone else should remember those on top usually don’t relinquish control unless compelled. It’s imperative that everyone organize and hold those in power accountable by unionizing, lobbying, forming class actions, coalition building and practicing community care. Above all, it means recognizing that access to basic human needs is freedom. As activist Adeline Wanatee once said “The only way a culture can be measured is to measure its ideas against its realities”. It’s time reality matched the ideal.

Citations

1. Alfonseca K. Map: The impact of anti-DEI legislation. ABC News. Published April 5, 2024. https://abcnews.go.com/US/map-impact-anti-dei-legislation/story?id=108795967 
2. Andara K, Neal A, Khattar R. Disabled Workers Saw Record Employment Gains in 2023, but Gaps Remain. The Center for American Progress; 2024. Accessed May 25, 2024. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/disabled-workers-saw-record-employment-gains-in-2023-but-gaps-remain/ 
3. Armstrong, Elisabeth, “Marxist and Socialist Feminism” (2020). Study of Women and Gender: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA. https://scholarworks.smith.edu/swg_facpubs/15
4. Austin A. Understanding the U.S. Economy for Racial Healing. Health Equity. 2023;7(1):70-75. Published 2023 Jan 20. doi:10.1089/heq.2022.29020.aus 
5. Bowdler J, Harris B. Racial Inequality in the United States. U.S. Department of the Treasury; 2022. Accessed May 25, 2024. https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/racial-inequality-in-the-united-states 
6. De Dijn A. ‘Freedom’ means something different to liberals and conservatives. Here’s how the definition Split—And why that still matters. TIME. https://time.com/5882978/freedom-definition-history/. Published August 25, 2020.
7. Dr. Marshall Rosenberg on Nonviolent Communication. PuddleDancer Press. Published November 4, 2022. https://www.nonviolentcommunication.com/learn-nonviolent-communication/nvc-workplace/
8. Erasing Indigenous history, then and now. Origins. Published September 1, 2021. https://origins.osu.edu/article/erasing-indigenous-history-then-and-now?language_content_entity=en
9. Goltz SM. On Power and Freedom: Extending the Definition of Coercion. Perspect Behav Sci. 2020 Jan 6;43(1):137-156. doi: 10.1007/s40614-019-00240-z. PMID: 32440648; PMCID: PMC7198671. 
10. James SE, Herman JL, Durso LE, Heng-Lehtinen R, National Center for Transgender Equality. Early Insights: A Report of the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey. National Center for Transgender Equality; 2024. https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/2022%20USTS%20Early%20Insights%20Report_FINAL.pdf 
11. Maps and Graphs — Trans Formations Project | Defend Trans Folks. Trans Formations Project | Defend Trans Folks. https://www.transformationsproject.org/maps-and-graphs
12. NCADV | National Coalition against Domestic Violence. https://ncadv.org/STATISTICS#factsheets
13. Ross K, Dorazio J. The latest poverty, income, and food insecurity data reveal continuing racial disparities. Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-latest-poverty-income-and-food-insecurity-data-reveal-continuing-racial-disparities/. Published December 21, 2022.
14. Shukla S. Racial disparities in access to public green space. Chicago Policy Review. Published January 24, 2023. https://chicagopolicyreview.org/2020/09/23/racial-disparity-in-access-to-public-green-space/
15. The Social Model of Disability | Information Technology Systems and Services | UMN Duluth. Published January 23, 2017. https://itss.d.umn.edu/articles/a11y-social-model-disability
16. The VPA approach. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/groups/violence-prevention-alliance/approach
17. Timmons G, Timmons G. How slavery became the economic engine of the South. HISTORY. Published April 2, 2024. https://www.history.com/news/slavery-profitable-southern-economy 
18. TOOLKIT: Trauma-Informed Workplaces. CTIPP. Published April 17, 2024. https://www.ctipp.org/post/toolkit-trauma-informed-workplaces
19. Wilkinson RG, Pickett KE. The Enemy Between Us: The Psychological and Social Costs of Inequality. https://www.law.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/upload_documents/EJSP%20WilkPick%20final.pdf 
20. Willingham AJ. What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? A psychology theory, explained. CNN. Published online August 15, 2023. Accessed May 30, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/world/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-explained-wellness-cec/index.html [Original source: https://studycrumb.com/alphabetizer]
21. WuTangClanVEVO. Wu-Tang Clan – C.R.E.A.M. (Official HD Video). YouTube. Published online January 21, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBwAxmrE194

Stay in Touch with Buffy Jamsion

Linkedin

ABOUT THE THOUGHT LEADERSHIP FOR
PUBLIC HEALTH FELLOWSHIP

The mission of the Boston Congress of Public Health Thought Leadership for Public Health Fellowship (BCPH Fellowship) seeks to: 

• Incubate the next generation of thought leaders in public health;
• Advance collective impact for health equity through public health advocacy; and
• Diversify, democratize, and broaden evidence-based public health dialogue and expression.

It is guided by an overall vision to provide a platform, training, and support network for the next generation of public health thought leaders and public scholars to explore and grow their voice.

RETURN TO THE THOUGHT LEADERS