Folks are running out of money. But not just money, they are running out of the productive infrastructure to be useful to our market and civil society in general. This is terrifying, especially in a private sector that was already capricious and with the security and power of organized labor at a low.
If this were merely a matter of cash, we could just give everyone 1,000 dollars a month and be done with it, but we are talking about an industrial civil society with global supply chains, so we have to ask ourselves whether and how we stock the stores and warehouses if there is no internal mechanism for production. How do we have the interactions that secure meaning in our lives in the time of social distancing?
We should be asking ourselves first whether these global dependencies for production are really the most effective way to secure self-determination. The fact that we are having a hard time producing enough Covid-19 test kits suggests that we may need more national control over our supply chains.
Should we nationalize Zoom or SKYPE? Or just send everyone a voucher to get teleconferencing premium services, and also devices and internet service.
Productivity is a matter of structuring power certain kinds of interactions. These interactions take a physical infrastructure. I am lucky enough to be able to move my video studio into my house, which means I have a big enough house and ready access to the technology and internet.
In terms of cultural infrastructure, there is a learning curve to learning how to use all of the gear I have for my minor videos. And I don’t even know how to administer zoom, and it took a LONG time to hook up my cameras and sound equipment so that it works with skype in a way that’s not a horrible experience.
I filmed this segment on Rising with Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti this weekend:
But we should look into the production and distribution of devices to facilitate remote interactions because one-sided actions alone are not sufficient; rather, we need a physical and cultural infrastructure for secured, quality interactions. But that entails an infrastructure and systems of accountability.
Remote, productive interactions are not impossible, but we need to start thinking about setting up the required infrastructure to facilitate quality interactions, with an emphasis on both quality and “inter-” in quality interactions.
This is only one sort of industrial production. The service industry in the time of Covid-19 is a different political struggle, but one we are up to tackling if we put our minds and political will to it.
