Apocalypse Chic

by Therese

(Note: I use capitalism and colonization as synonyms in this article because they are. If you disagree you are wrong, come kill me about it, pussy)

A friend of mine posted on their story the other day— basically lamenting the fact that somewhere here in KC, there had been a party, or event, or some such shit—that was themed around the apocalypse. They mentioned that artists who play at these kinds of things are sell outs, and the hosts are engaging with capitalism (colonization) in a way that is both awful and also exactly how this system is designed.

Let’s talk about it.

Colonizers exist to exploit and sell all things. To continue the cycle of money changing hands and eventually reaching a dragon’s gem pile, to be hoarded—not a social token that can be used to improve lives—the dollars are by design meant to end up in some pile somewhere. They are not representative of any fiat currency, they are representative of the fact that they do not belong to you, that the exchange you make continues an economy and promises that dollar to some billionaire somewhere, at some point. And once it reaches the billionaire, that is where it stays. Capitalists, capitalism is by design meant to be the end of all things, the end of the dollar, the end of the lives of those without dollars to hoard, the end of history and humanity. We know this.

Colonial capitalism is and of itself, apocalyptic. Inherently, is the end of life for the majority of humanity built into the system. Systems and concepts that support and enable the capitalist practice as well—Subjugation, social hierarchies, supremacy—all concepts built in and outside of, all designed, in some way or other, to influence and destroy individuals. Fascism, Racism, Sexism, Patriarchy, Transphobia, Homophobia, Discrimination and Greed and Ignorance. Yes, we’re all very clever, we know our enemies well and can generally discern that the hydra has multiple heads.

Many such words, same evil. All apocalyptic in nature.

Capitalists sell us, living in the imperial core, the things that they export to the rest of the world. The apocalypse. To the colonizers subjects inside the core and outside (most of the world)—it is either imagined or experienced. Fantasized or mourned. Romanticized or immediately, terribly, tragically lethal. The end of the world is sold to us in many forms, in Music (boomed during the cold war), Video Games (Fallout), TV (Fucking Fallout), Movies (thank God there isn’t a Fallout movie), as well as plenty of other media.

By extracting every ounce of engagement (money) they can with apocalyptic media, they shift the focus away from the very real climate, military, and corporate apocalypses actually happening to living people in the world, to instead focus on empty aesthetic of the apocalypse. The Apocalypse chic. And they make a penny while doing it.

By creating an aesthetic of the apocalypse also, they dehumanize the actual people affected by the conditions America exports-- Actual apocalyptic conditions. Here and abroad, we see those affected by the apocalypse dehumanized, ignored, and reduced to fodder and a number. A statistic on a chart while some (white) (male) (heterosexual) (conventionally attractive) protagonist kills zombies by the hundreds (and we don’t think about how they were all humans and died a tragic death before their time) or escapes some global calamity (while we ignore the very real climate apocalypses being created by, yes, corporate greed, but also by the casual consumerism of the American/Western individual—yes, individual—or did you think not pirating that apocalyptic game was okay because you read some Marx? Girl, the microplastics), we can have our Avengers level threats, but God forbid 1 (one) piece of media attempts to depict how accurately America and Israel are ravaging Palestine. This is because the apocalypse, in modern culture, is repackaged and sold as an individualistic fantasy, you get to go off on your little adventure, and shoot a gun, but the thousands/millions/billions of lives lost? Who?

So—what am I trying to say here, besides the doomerism of apocalypse chic is a cancer? Well, that part. But also—WE have to change. We have to stop to do this from love if anything’s going to change, and yes that means loving our fellow humans enough that we STOP dehumanizing them. In our media, and in our lives. The homeless people at the bus stop are PEOPLE. The scary boogeyman you’ve created in your head isn’t real and the trauma you’ve experienced is not guaranteed to repeat. The world is not ending—it’s not ever going to end. And yes, moving from love means enacting violence on those who would perpetuate these conditions—either the thought patterns of the oppressor, AND the physical apocalypse being thrown across the globe. More than protest, more than strike—we must look inside our hearts and change. Focus on building—because the apocalypse is not coming to destroy you, and it isn’t a wonderland to retreat to—the one selling you those ideas is the one who needs to be destroyed.

I will repeat this one last time. The world is not ending, we will all be okay, as long as we remember:

We save us.

I hope you have a good day, dearies.