Capitalism profits by manufacturing inherent dissatisfaction that can be sold to indefinitely

Evidence

The normalisation of cosmetic surgery, Botox, etc., is part of this bio-power regime and this constant anxiety about appearances, etc. Cosmetic surgery is not good — it’s not good! People are concerned about their appearance, but they are measuring by the standards of this depressing normativity. Neuroses is highly productive, and very useful for capitalism. What’s better than inherent dissatisfaction? Inherent dissatisfaction can be sold to endlessly. — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 2250

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the ‘One Square Inch of Silence’ chapter logic about manufactured need — and to Fraser-style critique of affective capitalism. Echoes Fromm and the Frankfurt School on manufactured needs. — connects to: Unlimited consumption produces misery, making rationing a workable solution rather than immiseration. — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 2194; Inherent dissatisfaction is endlessly sellable to capitalism — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 2250; Capitalism requires perpetually unsatiated desire to maintain civilizational growth — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 3420 (+4 more)
• SHARE: The line ‘Inherent dissatisfaction can be sold to endlessly’ is a crisp formulation of consumer capitalism’s dependence on neurosis that would land with a friend in marketing or cultural studies.

Broader Connections

• Inherent dissatisfaction is endlessly sellable to capitalism #expands (0.97) — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 2250
• Capitalism requires perpetually unsatiated desire to maintain civilizational growth #corroborates (0.85) — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 3420
• Profitable capitalism must forever discover new uncommodified emotions to exploit #corroborates (0.82) — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism, 129
• Capitalist need-satisfaction depends on suppressing needs #corroborates (0.80) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 383
• Capitalism must keep finding uncommodified experience to profit from #qualifies (0.78) — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism, 129
• Capitalism’s total subsumption paradoxically requires unsublated exteriors to exploit #complicates (0.73) — Grant Bollmer, Katherine Guinness, The Influencer Factory, 353