Depletion: Capitalism’s Unwanted Legacy (article)

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) defines “culture-bound syndromes” as “recurrent, locality-specific patterns of aberrant behavior and troubling experience” that may be linked to a specific DSM-IV diagnosis. The signs and symptoms of our new culture-bound syndrome are clear enough. Many Americans are overworked, exhausted, anxious, and angry. They will frequently attempt to self-medicate this condition with overeating and drug use. This then produces obesity and sleep disorders. Many Americans are chronically dysthymic, or depressed, and feel dissatisfied with their life. Welcome to the primary cultural syndrome of the 21^st century. I suggest that we name this new culture-bound syndrome, the “depleted American.”

As is true for all neuroses, the cause of this syndrome is complex and hard to find. But this should not stop us from trying. In fact, this cultural syndrome has reached such a crisis that it is best described as a psychotic breakdown. Neurosis is something we can function with, but by definition psychosis is far more serious. The global collapse of capitalism is a psychotic breakdown of the worst kind. Indeed, these things do happen.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s we witnessed Communism, the other great social experiment of the 20^th century, collapse and die. The fall of the Communist system was best symbolized by the collapse of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. The collapse of the Wall is an apt metaphor for the breakdown of the system of thought that is no longer viable. It marked the end of the great totalitarian Communist experiment. The system produced too much apathy, dependency,

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ennui, and despair in its citizens. Its time was over.

Now, 19 years later, free-trade capitalism faces its greatest challenge. The world has failed to produce a global system of economic thought and practice as a balancing counterpoint to capitalism. Islamic fundamentalism has emerged as a violent attempt to respond to Western capitalism, but it is unlikely that religious fundamentalism is a viable economic option. Fundamentalism has tried to function as a War on Terrorism opponent to democracy, but it will surely fail to defeat capitalism. But as capitalism becomes shaken from within, the fact that we are now such a global world makes the consequences far more serious and far reaching.

The cause of capitalism may be found in its very success. It is simply impossible to resist the amazing beauty and variety of the free marketplace and its products: the wonderful assortment at a Whole Foods supermarket, the amazing elegance of a new Lexus, the style of a Louis Vuitton handbag, the entertainment appeal of Hollywood films, the multitude of television and radio stations. These products and services are irresistible and highly addictive. When you add a financial industry that knows how to capitalize on these addictions, you have the ingredients for our inevitable exhaustion and breakdown.

The cure for this cultural syndrome of depletion will probably be found in increased governmental regulation, which is exactly what the Obama White House is doing. The greed and amorality of the corporation and banking system was left unchecked and proved to be dangerous to everyone. The compromise position will provide for regulation, which hopefully will protect the consumer from the excessive greed of free market capitalism. The bailout is Obama’s attempt to keep this system alive until it can be ministered to adequately.

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The fact that capitalism produces such captivating products is an ironic danger to us all. Many of us have become like drug addicts, who have tasted this beautiful drug of consumerism. We sense it can kill us if we indulge too often but somehow we seem unable to resist its charms. President Obama said in his inaugural address that we must learn restraint and responsibility. He is right about this, but it is not clear that we will be able to do so. Till then, we must rely on government regulation to control this beautiful beast called Madison Avenue, Banking, and Wall Street.

We will eventually need to learn restraint. This depleted American cultural syndrome is real and all around us. We have been taught that we can find joy and satisfaction in the mall, but this is not at all true. There has got to be a better way to live life. “Restraint,” “renunciation,” and “discipline” are the catchwords of our new era. But there is no way a politician can use them very often. It is a sure way to lose an election. Just ask Jimmy Carter how he did when he suggested this to us in the 1970s. All that did was sweep into the White House Ronald Reagan, who promised us the American Dream through unregulated capitalism. It heated up the financial world for us, but then it nearly killed our economy.

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