The concept of inclusion comes up all the time today, in conversations about diversity and equality. But it also sort of defines the way we live. Humans are social animals; throughout history we have survived interdependently, from our forager ancestors who formed small bands that moved around together to the consequent societal structures that came after the agricultural revolution, the formation of the capitalist State, and so on. We have always been atleast partially dependent on the acceptance of those around us – even in the days of foraging, those who were unable to keep up with the band were left behind, often to die.

But inclusion today must be understood differently, because our urban cultures are now shaped primarily by the drive to profit rather than the drive to survive. We are constantly surrounded by categorisations and generalisations which fundamentally serve to create clear market targets. This might sound a little vague, so let’s take the example of fashion. How we dress creates a whole range of assumptions around us, and we make the same assumptions about other people. There are clear style divisions set by the industry; you can look “chic”, “artsy”, “classy”, “preppy” and so on, and a whole range of categorisations that are based entirely on market constructs. Ethnically diverse dressing styles are often labelled “exotic” by markets catering to white people. So how you dress is tied to who you are, and allows for vast assumptions about the other things you consume; if you dress in one of the “alternative” styles, you probably go to certain pubs and eat certain foods and consume certain media, and the same goes for the other “types.”

I use “alternative” specifically to bring up an important point: a capitalist system will always take every cultural shift and turn it into a market trend. “Alternative” styles each began with the intention of subverting and rejecting various social structures, but then turned into their own markets, and now it’s just the same type of consumption under a different guise. We can see the same thing happening with veganism, a philosophy that seeks to exclude the exploitation of animals as far as possible, but has been picked up and turned into a personal health and wellness trend by businesses and the media. So now the vegan-organic-health-conscious market is its own niche, and the philosophy is exploited to encourage a new category of consumption. Similarly, the body positivity movement has been endlessly exploited to serve commercial interests, even though it came about purely from the rejection of commercial standards. What’s important to understand here is that the same exploitative, profit and growth driven methods are being used to push products and services to all of these markets, regardless of the ethical philosophies they exploit to do so.

An ad for a vegan-yoga-cleanse retreat experience. Johnnie Walker as a symbol of class and good taste.

So everything is turned into something consumable, including us as individuals; we must package ourselves and align ourselves with the right consumer patterns to be included by that target group. Corporations use the concepts of shame and aspiration to create needs. We want to be seen a certain way in order to be accepted; we do not want to be seen a certain other way, in order to be accepted. So categories are created, and we can choose which one we want to be included in, and then consume in order to get there. Eat at the right restaurants, buy from the right brands of clothes, devices, furniture, even food; consume the right media (TV shows, movies, magazines, music, etc.) and you will be a part of the story that surrounds your chosen group.

So we unconsciously sell ourselves out to these labels and essentially typecast everyone around us, to some degree. Most importantly – and the biggest win for the corporations profiting off these standards – we identify ourselves by the things we consume. Where do you like to shop? What do you like to eat and drink? Which pubs and restaurants and supermarkets do you associate yourself with? Did you watch that film? Have you heard that song?

What can we consume together in order to identify with each other, love and help one another?

Our ideas, beliefs and feelings, which are abstract, are pushed to be translated into something tangible and saleable, and marked as otherwise invalid. The capitalist narrative puts market value ahead of any personal or interpersonal satisfaction, and convinces us that the market is in fact where we must look for that same elusive satisfaction. We are surrounded by promises of joy, acceptance or ethical correctness through engaging products or services. And this is by no means a choice; since this narrative has structured urban cultures, we are left facing isolation and social exclusion if we do not follow trends. And this, more than anything, is what enables this exploitative, unsustainable system to retain and continue to gain power. The blatant lie that we need it, and it can solve our problems, when in reality, it is the problem.