Why Capitalism, Feminism, and the Climate Crisis Demand a Revolution
From personal responsibility to collective action: how dismantling power structures can save the planet and empower us all
A few days ago, I was watching cottagecore videos on YouTube when I found one that led me to an analysis of Bumble and the Sexual Revolution. The video, by Alice Cappelle, explains how Bumble, the sexual revolution, and feminism are connected to capitalism and the patriarchy.
I don’t shy away from talking about feminism and the patriarchy here, because my views on those topics are evolving. Over time, I’ve come to see how connected they are to capitalism and the damage we’re doing to our planet.
The video covered many topics, but one idea stuck with me: the original radical feminist movement aimed to break down the power structures that oppressed women. Today, much of that movement has shifted to focusing on personal responsibility.
My first thought was, what a clever move by those in power to shift the blame onto individuals. This allows them to divide us into smaller groups that are easier to exploit and sell to. It sure is easier to sell Subarus to “can-do” Lesbians when you can create a group of like-minded individuals.
Take recycling as an example. On the surface, it seems like a great idea. But instead of holding water bottle companies accountable for their plastic waste, we’re told it’s our job to recycle.
Another example is greenhouse gas emissions. Instead of holding fossil fuel companies responsible, we’re told to drive less or buy a more fuel-efficient car.
This focus on personal responsibility is a trick to distract and divide us while letting corporations off the hook. To fight back, we need two strategies: 1) opt out of harmful systems when we can, and 2) come together to demand big changes in laws and policies.
Of course, that’s easier said than done these days. With identity politics at the forefront of our world right now, we’re arguing over what box we want to fit in.
I have a dear friend from college who’s a lesbian. In the late 80s and early 90s, she would march for equal rights. We met up one evening last year to discuss the state of the world and she said something interesting.
She said, “I don’t get why kids today want to be labeled. They want to be put into a box, called cis-het normative aromantic, or whatever. When we were marching for our rights we just wanted to be recognized as another ordinary human who loved differently, that’s all.”
While I don’t know too much about the gay rights movement in the late 80s, I feel that they got more done because they were a larger power block that demanded change. Today? We’ve put ourselves neatly into a box, labeled it for consumption, and are watching the world burn.
The corporations and existing power structures figured out how to divide us, keep us divided, and continue to take advantage of us. Nothing will change until we make it so. We need to smash the labels and figure out how to take apart the systems that keep us trapped.
I believe that something big is brewing under the surface of our society and culture. One day it will boil to the top no matter how much the GOP, Project 2025, or crazy evangelicals try to suppress it.
We’re entering a perfect firestorm that could remake the world, or what’s left of it, into something better for all people. I’ve often said and written that one way to save the world is by empowering women.
Not in the sense that we ask them to do the heavy lifting by themselves, no, but for us men to realize the heavy lifting they’ve done all their lives and help them.
It’s a call to action for men like me to see how messed up these systems are and how we’ve played a role in creating them. It’s time for us to step up, share the load, and fight for the freedom of everyone and the future of our planet.
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