Hype for the Future 25H: Does Heteronormativity Result in Capitalism?

Technically, no, heteronormativity does not result in capitalism, nor does the situation occur vice versa. However, if capitalism is not caused by heteronormativity, then what causes it? There could be a few different answers, but perhaps the most commonly recognized one would just be that patriarchy forces traditional gender roles to be enforced rigidly, and since masculinity is associated with dominance and femininity with submission, the masculine energy causes the economic model of the modern day. Therefore, capitalism could be an artifact of an era when women were subordinate to men by law, prior to such feminist movements as the Seneca Falls movement in Seneca Falls, New York. While femininity was often associated with socialism, masculinity was what may have theoretically caused the modern-day burdens of capitalism.

Hype for the Future 25G: Against Capitalism

Capitalism is the system that perpetuates concepts of “test scores,” deadlines, procrastination, exploitation, wages, and the slavery that is necessary for such a system to function. The idea that capitalism makes a nation—or any national system or entity—free is actually a coerced notion, as society has been forced to believe that capitalism was the successful way forward for at least the past several decades, back in a time when speaking of communism or even socialism was most certainly taboo. In reality, capitalism further enforces inequalities between different and especially marginalized groups, particularly on the bases of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexual orientation, disability, relationship status, and more. Even though overt formations of such discrimination may often be illegal, more subtle forms of discrimination continue to exist within the capitalist system.

Discrimination within Capitalism

Unfortunately, the wealth gaps that continue to exist by race and sex are intentionally perpetuated, and even though such gaps may have become increasingly outlawed, institutions continue to identify loopholes to promote racial and sexual supremacy over all other groups. The groups that society has labeled “minorities” are not truly marginalized outliers but have been pushed to the margins by societal forces. Even traditional gender roles are reinforced, with only the masculine-coded ideals even coming close to receiving profit, even though planetary values lean more feminine. Within such a patriarchal system and worldview, anything that deviates from the standards set by society is arbitrarily seen as “less worthy” or “less productive,” thus receiving less attention.