Pain Thresholds
The American abolitionist Frederick Douglass once stated that: “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” This statement was made in relation to the struggle for black liberation in the United States during the late 19th century, but I think it is equally relevant today given the current state of society and the intersectional crises we are facing under global capitalism.
These days, it seems that everywhere we look, we are constantly surrounded by the pain, suffering, and despair of others. This suffering can take many different forms, from the negative impacts of climate change such as extreme natural disasters (e.g., floods, fires, droughts, hurricanes), the destruction of wilderness and biodiversity at the hands of industrial development, unnecessary wars fought for resources and political dominance, to the daily struggle of working class people who are tired of monotonous 40-hour (or greater) work weeks where their labour is exploited for the benefit of the ruling class. These are just a few examples of the injustices created by, and inherent to our society under capitalism.
The impacts of these injustices on a person’s daily life are experienced disproportionately depending on their circumstances, since our society privileges cisgender, heterosexual, able-bodied, neuro-typical, property owning, christian white men and it structurally discriminates against any deviations from this norm. Systemic discrimination means that our society has been built to privilege an arbitrary norm, which often results in unfavourable outcomes for minorities. This means that our society willingly makes life more difficult for some people because of circumstances outside of their own control, resulting in the devaluation of human life. The devaluation of human life is a necessary component of both capitalism and colonialism, as both benefit from the subjugation and exploitation of people and the environment for the accumulation of profits in the hands of the ruling class.
Environmental destruction, climate breakdown, systemic racism, discrimination, Indigenous genocide, homelessness, wealth inequality, precarious employment, police brutality, and military conflicts are all symptoms of a society which devalues the lives of the working class for the benefit of the few. These are products of colonialism and the capitalist economic system forced onto the world by global empires (previously) and maintained by corporations (today). The working class is seen as an expendable resource only necessary to ensure the continued growth of profits, and we are needlessly sacrificed to protect the economy at all costs. Covid-19 has served as a perfect example of this as workers were forced onto the frontlines of the pandemic to ensure the continued production of wealth while billionaires increased their wealth by roughly $4-trillion in a single year.
How many more people have to die before we say no more? What is our collective threshold for pain and suffering? If the limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress, then we must be a very enduring people. Either that or our collective apathy and the general business of daily life is preventing us from standing up to these injustices and demanding for change. I come from a background in environmental conservation, and I want to protect our world for future generations, but we cannot pass down a greener future without addressing these intersectional crises together. It’s not just about solving climate change, or dismantling systems of oppression, or ending homelessness, it’s all of the above.
It would be a tremendous achievement for humanity to unite and “solve” the climate crisis, but I would be immensely saddened if my children and grandchildren still had to spend 40-years working 40-hours per week at racist institutions in order to survive. Class consciousness is required to see how all of these issues fit together, and why a revolutionary shift away from capitalism is the only way to begin on the path towards a more just and equitable future for both humanity and our environment. What will be the final straw that convinces us to act with the urgency required of this moment?
