Political power grows as domination merges into everyday leisure and consumption

Evidence

If the language of politics tends to become that of advertising, thereby bridging the gap between two formerly very different realms of society, then this tendency seems to express the degree to which domination and administration have ceased to be a separate and independent function in the technological society. This does not mean that the power of the professional politicians has decreased. The contrary is the case. The more global the challenge they build up in order to meet it, the more normal the vicinity of total destruction, the greater their freedom from effective popular sovereignty. But their domination has been incorporated into the daily performances and relaxation of the citizens, and the “symbols” of politics are also those of business, commerce, and fun. — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man, 418

Categorization

• XREF: Directly links to the ‘Grafting & Growth’ article’s infrastructure framing and, more strongly, to attention-economy debates on consumption as control — the reader’s stated purpose. — connects to: Pervasive music extends political domination by breaking down individual resistance — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism: A Marxist…, 571; Ordinary daily experience is shaped by the political powers that rule it. — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the…, 667; Consumption practices have replaced political conviction as ideology — Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic…, 853 (+4 more)
• ADDENDUM: Strong supporting material for the ‘Complaints About Immodesty’ article’s theme that moral/political control operates through bodily and daily practice, here generalized to all daily performances.

Broader Connections

• The state’s power works most effectively when its political nature becomes invisible and everyday #qualifies (0.88) — Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities, 675
• Successful dominant politics must produce recognizable experiences people embrace #expands (0.85)
• Ordinary daily experience is shaped by the political powers that rule it. #expands (0.82) — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man, 667
• Consumption practices have replaced political conviction as ideology #corroborates (0.78) — Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic…, 853
• Unlimited accumulation demands political power and generates a docile subject #expands (0.75) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 400