Desire for capitalism is constructed, not natural, hence alterable

Evidence

In addition to the plasticity of organisational form, we need also to pay attention to the plasticity of desire. Freud said that the libidinal drives are “extraordinarily plastic”. If desire is not a fixed biological essence, then there is no natural desire for capitalism. Desire is always composed. Advertisers, branders and PR consultants have always known this, and the struggle against neoliberalism will require that we construct an alternative model of desire that can compete with the one pushed by capital’s libidinal technicians. — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 1744

Categorization

• XREF: Directly echoes the libidinal-economy themes of Fisher and Byung-Chul Han on the psychopolitics of contemporary capital. — connects to: Desire is composed, so capitalism owns no natural claim on it; Capitalist subjection now appears natural rather than politically constructed; Capitalism now pre-formats desires before they can even emerge as subversive — Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism: Is There No…, 24 (+4 more)
• SEED: Angle for an essay: where might counter-capitalist libidinal engineering actually live today (subcultures, unions, doomscrolling breaks), and why has the left outsourced desire to brands?

Broader Connections

• Desire is composed, so capitalism owns no natural claim on it #corroborates (0.90)
• Capitalism’s apparent naturalness is a constructed hoax, not an inevitability. #corroborates (0.90) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 26
• Capitalism now pre-formats desires before they can even emerge as subversive #expands (0.87) — Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism, 24
• Capitalist subjection now appears natural rather than politically constructed #expands (0.85)
• The economic order is a human creation and therefore changeable, not natural law #corroborates (0.78) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 41