Carry on consuming

Capitalism and Schizophrenia is the title of Deleuze and Guattari's epic social deconstruction theory published in 1972. It is a monster of a book, written in bombastic style, critiquing capitalism's moral climate. It is not a sensible book in many ways. But its recklessness heightens one's awareness of how sensible, and therefore immune to argument, contemporary capitalism has become. The problem with this, is that it leads to a perversion of ethics in a system that is fundamentally inhumane. It promotes a society that only celebrates and rewards the materially greedy. As Deleuze and Guattari show, with capitalism, not only does existence become a fight against human atrocity, it becomes a fight against a State that does not even acknowledge the existence of its oppressed people. We realise that we are in the grips of a newer form of fascist totalitarianism. By being in favour of productivity and graft, somehow society evades the argument that it must provide a level of care for its citizens in a way that the dollopping out of capital cannot supply.

Charlie Parker - Hipster breaks the mould

Jerry Coker defines hipster as someone who rejects wealth and personal success in order to expose the farcical nature of existence.
In many ways Parker epitomises this ethos: He is self-destructive, socially (outrageously) inclusive, satirically witty, suspicious of establishment and he actively seeks out vices to an extent that goes way beyond decadence.
Yet where he both transcends the Hipster identity, (yet also immortalises it) is manifest in his monumental achievement, impossible to discredit, as a true innovator of art. He becomes utterly brilliant in spite of these tremendous efforts to thwart himself.
Is Parker therefore the ultimate ironical Hipster, intent upon non-achievement, or does his immortal significance make him someone who ultimately exposes the fraudulent aspect of a passé cult philosophy?
Whatever his initial intentions, what he does so poignantly, is show that for someone destined for greatness, even the most boisterous attempts to screw things up cannot prevent the paradigm shift occuring. If he starts out as a Hipster, highlighting life's essential tragedy, he finishes up showing us that life's anguish and ridiculousness, is also what gives it meaning and richness.
Charlie Parker is a reluctant hero.