*26-10-2025*

for a long time, i have been thinking of participating in what could be a small act of resistance against hyperconsumption.. buying second hand, used, items from platforms like ebay, etsy, and other international second hand markets. a humble step toward anti-consumption, toward reclaiming value from objects instead of constantly feeding the bourgeoisie machinery of endless production and waste.

but no.. the state and its apparatus, the so called chomus "customs authorities", stand in the way. they act as the militant national security wing/arm of global and domestic capital, imposing enormous taxes and customs duties on anything that might bypass the endless cycle of corporate profit. even in trying to break the chain of consumption, even in trying to participate in an anti capitalist ethic of reuse, this mode of production will find a way to suck capital like parasites.

folks like me who attempt to get modest/small items from abroad.. a book, a vinyl, a tool, a 25 year old camcorder, an used musical instrument, a piece of cloth.. are told they are "hurting small scale industries". a minor act of personal thrift or sustainable consumption is framed as a crime against domestic capital. and yet, when the bourgeoisie chintus imports massive quantities of goods, often exploiting global supply chains and underpaying labor abroad, they are celebrated as investors and job creators, their actions posing no apparent threat to anyone. or that's what the state says.
जुग जुग जियो पूंजीवाद.

what should have been a personal, MICRO scale rebellion against the logics of profit, growth, and overproduction is instead serving the very same same i'm trying to resist. the state, in its role as a royal guard of meruem, i.e, capital accumulation, ensures that every act of anti consumption or whatevfer.. no matter how small.. is punished, monetized, and turned into a revenue stream for the capitalist machine. i've got a few questions..

is anti-consumption even possible under a system that monetizes scarcity, and commodifies resistance itself? even acts of frugality, reuse, or thrift become avenues for capital extraction. what seems like an ethical choice.. buying pre owned goods.. is absorbed into the endless machinery of capitalist profit. welcome to my son, welcome to the machine.

in this country, the promise of anti consumption is just.. any attempt at resistance against overproduction and consumerism is effectively transformed into a pro capitalist control. the revolution starts at the level of the individual, but the state ensures it ends in the register of profit.