Quote from: abimopectore on July 17, 2007, 08:11:03 PM

Herbert Marcuse analyzed the integration of the industrial working class into capitalist society and new forms of capitalist stabilization and questioned the Marxian postulates of the revolutionary proletariat and inevitability of capitalist crisis. He was concerned about the decline of revolutionary potential in the West. The "advanced industrial society" has created false needs, which integrated individuals into the existing system of production and consumption via mass media, advertising, industrial management, and contemporary modes of thought. This results in a "one-dimensional" universe of thought and behavior in which aptitude and ability for critical thought and oppositional behavior wither away. Against this prevailing climate, Marcuse promotes the "great refusal" as the only adequate opposition to all-encompassing methods of control.

In contrast to orthodox Marxism, Marcuse championed non-integrated forces of minorities, outsiders, and radical intelligentsia, attempting to nourish oppositional thought and behavior through promoting radical thinking and opposition.

Global capitalism is in crisis and morphing into something new. Megabrands are losing market share as people question the values they stand for and the power they have over our lives. Now a new kind of cool is bubbling up. It's about a greener, more local, more politically charged way of living, and it starts with dumping megabrands and flowing your money into the small, indy stores and websites that are now popping up everywhere. Let us unswoosh the swoosh and create a vibrant new kind of capitalism that actually works.