What is strange about recognizing that global capitalism is here to stay, given the track record of the other two ideologies he mentions?
What is strange? The complete failure to imagine anything other than capitalism, communism, or fascism, to think outside “things we have already tried” despite the observation that the things we’ve already tried all suck.
Personally speaking, I could give you a long, detailed proposal for a significantly different economic system, which, notably, does not require human beings to begin behaving in radically different ways, nor requires throwing anyone in camps of any kind. What I cannot do is give you a neat, one-word name for my proposed system (which is, of course, open to revisions and improvements, blah blah blah), because anything with a one-word name is already so fixed and set-in-stone as to be either the status quo or non-novel.
A rational individual, and especially a trans-whatever individual, should no more believe there are only three economic systems than he believes there are only three flavors of ice-cream.
What is strange? The complete failure to imagine anything other than capitalism, communism, or fascism, to think outside “things we have already tried” despite the observation that the things we’ve already tried all suck.
I think you’re projecting; it’s by no means a mutually agreed observation that these things all suck. Plenty of people think that capitalism is great. Some, despite the evidence of the past century, still think communism is great—the author of that quote, Slavoj Zizek, prominent among them. And while few openly call themselves Fascists, there’s actually no shortage of people holding views that fit broadly in that spectrum.
To change your analogy:
Alice: Chocolate ice-cream is the best.
Bob: No, vanilla is the most delicious.
Eli: Look, we’re all agreed that chocolate and vanilla ice-cream both suck. So let’s all try pistachio!
What is strange? The complete failure to imagine anything other than capitalism, communism, or fascism, to think outside “things we have already tried” despite the observation that the things we’ve already tried all suck.
Personally speaking, I could give you a long, detailed proposal for a significantly different economic system, which, notably, does not require human beings to begin behaving in radically different ways, nor requires throwing anyone in camps of any kind. What I cannot do is give you a neat, one-word name for my proposed system (which is, of course, open to revisions and improvements, blah blah blah), because anything with a one-word name is already so fixed and set-in-stone as to be either the status quo or non-novel.
A rational individual, and especially a trans-whatever individual, should no more believe there are only three economic systems than he believes there are only three flavors of ice-cream.
I think you’re projecting; it’s by no means a mutually agreed observation that these things all suck. Plenty of people think that capitalism is great. Some, despite the evidence of the past century, still think communism is great—the author of that quote, Slavoj Zizek, prominent among them. And while few openly call themselves Fascists, there’s actually no shortage of people holding views that fit broadly in that spectrum.
To change your analogy:
Alice: Chocolate ice-cream is the best.
Bob: No, vanilla is the most delicious.
Eli: Look, we’re all agreed that chocolate and vanilla ice-cream both suck. So let’s all try pistachio!
A&B together: No!!!
That’s a very good point. However, I would still call it a failure of rationality if it went like this:
Alice: Chocolate is best.
Bob: No, vanilla is delicious.
Me: I don’t really like either of those, so let’s get pistachio.
A&B together: There’s no such thing as ice-cream flavors other than chocolate and vanilla. Now hurry up and cast the tie-breaking vote!