Wildfire as Catalyst

Reflecting on Fisher’s Capitalist Realism that it is "easier to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism". Wondering about the wildfires in LA. Thinking that those with lived experience of it may well be imagining both with a heightened sense of acuity right now.

Fisher’s observation that “it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism” reflects how deeply entrenched capitalist realism has become, especially in wealthy countries. In Los Angeles, where fires have destroyed neighborhoods and displaced residents, many firsthand accounts suggest that people are wrestling with both the tangible possibility of an ecological apocalypse and the seemingly unshakable hold of capitalism. Wildfire survivors describe dysfunctional infrastructure, budget cuts to public services, and a system that diverts resources toward corporate or high-profile interests, leaving poorer communities more vulnerable. These crises can heighten the “fatalistic acquiescence” Fisher identified, whereby the scope of what seems politically possible is narrowed down to reforms within the existing system, rather than a wholesale reimagining.

Yet, for those living through the fires, the immediate need to protect lives and rebuild communities can also sharpen awareness of capitalism’s limits. The illusion that a profit-driven system can indefinitely respond to, or even tame, an escalating climate crisis begins to fray when entire neighborhoods are reduced to ash, fire hydrants run dry, and insurance companies walk away from high-risk areas. In this context, people may more vividly sense that business-as-usual cannot address emergencies that now feel almost perpetual, thereby creating an unintentional opening to envision life beyond capitalism—no matter how difficult it is to imagine on a broader scale.

For many locals, the end-of-the-world feeling is not abstract: the fires have shown how quickly support systems can vanish. At the same time, the stumbling response to these disasters underscores that capitalist realism stands in the way of larger structural solutions, from public investments in climate adaptation to a more equitable distribution of resources. Ultimately, the heightened acuity of those with lived experience of these fires may challenge the belief that there is no alternative, even as the system clings to the status quo and deepens the sense that we are at the brink—both environmentally and socially.

OpenAI o1

The above conveys my thoughts pretty well and much more articulately than I could have done. AI slop? I think it would be dismissive to call it that. At odds with the subject? Probably. An example of convenience and availability over principles. And so we shall all burn.