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The Politics of Repair
Schwalbe, Michael
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/04/17/the-politics-of-repair/Date Written: 2015-04-17 Publisher: CounterPunch Year Published: 2015 Resource Type: Article Cx Number: CX22159 The politics of repair are often invisible, hidden by the idea that repair is no more than the mundane practice of putting what is broken or worn-out back in good working order. Abstract: - Excerpt: The politics of repair are often invisible, hidden by the idea that repair is no more than the mundane practice of putting what is broken or worn-out back in good working order. But against the background of an economy driven by compulsive consumption and heedless waste that enrich the capitalist class, repair is more than a matter of sensible thrift. It is a form of dissent. Consumerist ideology, fueled by relentless advertising, tells us to seek relief from our pains and insecurities by buying more and more of what we don't really need. To practice repair is to resist cooperating in this process. It is to oppose the throwaway mentality that drives capitalist societies toward environmental destruction. Repair is, in this way, a small rebellion against an ecologically suicidal form of economy. Subject Headings |