COVID19 and The Dark Heart of Capitalism

1 Apr

George Cunningham

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a disease that has taken the world by storm as many countries are forced into lockdown and millions of people face significant health risks. It is more dangerous to the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions; therefore the utmost care must be taken to ensure that the spread of the virus is minimised and that the “curve is flattened”. Many countries and people have responded differently to news of COVID-19, some have taken adequate measures to protect their health and the health of others, while others have completely disregarded the facts of the matter and placed everyone in danger. There is no unified global response. Every country is reacting to this virus in separate ways. Some responses have been extremely effective such as the response from China, South Korea, and Singapore1, while others have been wholly inadequate such as those of the United States2 and Egypt where cases and the severity of COVID-19 is denied3. The ways in which the coronavirus affects society depends on the state’s response, which in Australia has been slow and focused on the economy rather than the people at risk.

“The pandemic severely affects workers and it must be understood that any crises will disproportionately impact those that are struggling in society”

While the coronavirus can be deadly, there are material conditions that contribute to its mortality rate, and this mortality rate is increased because capitalism cannot value the lives of people above that of money. In different countries the mortality rate of covid-19 can differ quite wildly, this is often because of the ways in which the statistics are collected, such that if only sick patients are tested then the mortality rate is going to be higher for those infected. The real difference comes from infrastructure and the response of the state, as well as the spread within a country. This means that better developed countries are generally more able to deal with the coronavirus, however, since many developed countries have been decimated by neoliberalism, they are often lacking crucial infrastructure such as hospital beds4. The response of the state is an important aspect in determining how coronavirus affects each nation not just in terms of lethality and infection but also in socio-economic terms of how the country will look during and after the outbreak. The lethality of coronavirus is one issue among many, there are other follow on effects such as lack of work and potential eviction that can also pose a serious threat to the health and wellbeing of people, not to mention the psychological impact of isolation.

“Fortunately, the government quickly changed Newstart to Jobseeker and increased the payments; however, while this increase was necessary, it merely shows that the previous payments were unacceptably low”

While healthcare may seem decent in Australia, the fact is that we operate on a privatised structure via a public proxy (Medicare), and if we are to tackle coronavirus with the lowest possible loss of life we are going to need some nationalisation of healthcare services and production facilities. Australia is operating at the whim of capitalists to increase production and for others to come forward and produce necessary goods5, however, it must be highlighted how lacklustre the free market has been in producing essential goods. A planned economy would allow public health needs to take precedence over profit. Factories producing unneeded consumer goods could be quickly converted to producing PPE to protect doctors, nurses and patients.

Although it is true that capitalism has placed itself in a sorry state to respond to a pandemic, there is more than mere incompetence at play. It is apparent that workers face significant hardship because of the disease. Many workers live paycheck to paycheck and this crises only exacerbates the hardships that they are facing; meanwhile capitalism enforces an individualist ideology suggesting that people pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. It must be understood that the pandemic is also a crisis of capitalism. Now governments are stepping in to rescue capitalism, not workers. Workers have been placed in a difficult position as many casual workers were screwed over at the start and demands for a people focused approach were met by a business stimulus package6. The push for workers to apply for “sickness allowance” was atrocious; sickness allowance is only for Australian residents over the age of 22 and is similar to a disability claim. Fortunately, the government quickly changed Newstart to Jobseeker and increased the payments; however, while this increase was necessary, it merely shows that the previous payments were unacceptably low. While workers stay at home unable to sell their labour, their landlords enjoy themselves in isolation since they receive income from rent and live their lives in relative stability.

“Workers lives operate like a hamster on a wheel: they are racing through life taking on every challenge there is. Capitalism creates such precarity that nobody can stop”

Capitalism enforces an individualist ideology which is in direct contradiction to what is necessary for overcoming lockdown and isolation. This will have severe psychological impacts the longer that workers are forced into isolation7. Workers lives operate like a hamster on a wheel: they are racing through life taking on every challenge there is. Capitalism creates such precarity that nobody can stop. While it is clear that a main source of anxiety is that many workers live paycheck to paycheck, there are further issues in society that are compounded by isolation. As commodification permeates society, relationships adopt a transactional nature, there is no stability in the lives of workers, and this becomes apparent when they are forced to a standstill. There are some workers that are going against the grain and cooperating to support all members of society; we need mutual aid and a collective ideology to overcome the crisis for our physical and mental health.

The pandemic severely affects workers and it must be understood that any crises will disproportionately impact those that are struggling in society. After all the rich stay rich while the poor get poorer. Moreover, homeless people are struggling the most through the crises and it is because the state systematically discriminates against those without property; many essential services have been closed or told to move on8 as they lack the professionalisation of the well-funded charities. While there is a strain on homelessness arising from COVID-19, it is important that we remember that the policies of the Victorian state government have been to demolish public housing, while building “social housing” which is nothing more than private housing. Furthermore, similar to how the jobseeker payment has been increased, people are forced into an understanding of what life is like for those struggling under capitalism. When we finally overcome this crisis we will emerge into a new society, where the greater portion of society has faced significant hardship directly resulting from the capitalist system.