The Anti-Capitalist Thermometre
50 pages, 18.8 Mb
Colección Alter-Natos. N°1
San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, México/2008
Author: Gustavo Castro Soto (Otros Mundos, A.C.)
Drawings and Design: Nieves Capote Figueroa.(Otros Mundos, A.C.)
Translated by: Fernando Calatayud, Nancy L. Serrano and Natalie Long
In general, we find that in social movements, two words keep recurring in the vernacular, in discussions and in the shouts, in the slogans and the declarations: “lucha” (meaning “struggle”) and “contra” (meaning “against”), the Capitalist System, a system of domination, patriarchy, exploitation, etc. We always seem first to be “anti” prior to being “alter”, that is proposing alternatives. Or rather, we could call this position one of “Alter-Nates.” But to know against what we are struggling and from what we seek emancipation, it is important to know what the capitalist system is. Even prior to that, we must understand what a “system” is, and then understand what is Capitalism. In this way, we can diagnose what stage of its existence this system of Capitalism is at, and what the real possibilities of maintaining its momentum are. We can pinpoint any roads that involve anti-capitalism strategies and/or anti-system initiatives, as well as the best strategies to employ in creating an experience or reality that is truly anti-system.
“Anti-“ is a greek prefix that means “protection against,” “prevention against” or “struggle against.” However, we prefer to use the connotation of “opposite’ or “contrary to.” As a result, when we talk of anti-system experiences, we refer to those realities and experiences that are “opposite” or “contrary” to the capitalist system; we refer to the discourse and unified social and political practices in daily life carried out by an individual or a collective, with characteristics different from or diametrically opposed to those that feed into the present system. These experiences, to a greater or lesser extent, reflect an alter-nate, meaning they reflect distinct forms within each community of living their own lives within their own systems.
Our Dream is Not a Dream: A World Without Capitalism!
Gustavo Castro Soto
online: Alter-Nates-English