Capitalism’s coercion is impersonal market dependence rather than personal domination.

Evidence

In the feudal system, a serf had independent access to their means of production and would surrender part of the product of their labor to the lord because of the status of the latter and out of fear of personal retaliation. Today a Starbucks employee signs a work contract without facing personal pressure; rather, the pressure arises from their economic need. The peculiarity of capitalism stems from the fact that, unlike in previous class-based societies, the coercion it exerts is impersonal: there is no hierarchical figure compelling us to sell our labor. It is much simpler: if we don’t enter the labor market, we don’t survive. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 77

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Consumer-capitalist integration threatens rather than benefits individual freedom. — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the…, 7; Capitalism’s break from earlier systems is market dependence, not markets themselves. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 62; Capitalism’s coercion is impersonal, operating through economic need rather than direct command — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 77 (+5 more)