Thread by @BikoMandelaGray

Power went out where we’re staying. Sitting in a car for warmth and to charge my phone.

So here’s a thread for everyone:

1. It’s striking how quickly people shift blame. For some, it’s wind. For others, it’s the grid. For others, it’s the power companies. And for others, it’s the state. The answer is that it’s all of these things except wind—which is to say, it’s capitalism.

2. And I don’t mean capitalism in the typical twitter sense—as in, people use the word, but aren’t fully sure what they mean by it. I mean capitalism as a moral philosophy, as a way for people to make sense of what’s right and wrong.

3. That entire structure is built upon the most vile of individualist logics. It is not simply that the capitalist subject seeks surplus and makes a profit; it is that the capitalist subject is DEFINED by its fidelity to profit. Profit is a moral—not economic—good in capitalism.

4. When profit is a moral good, it competes with ethical deliberation about the well-being of others. @ERCOT_ISO knew well in advance that a winter storm was coming. So did the power companies. So did @GregAbbott_TX and a host of other officials who could have made adjustments.

They didn’t—not because they couldn’t, but bc it was cheaper to keep things as they are. Fuck people who need power to literally live (those on ventilators, etc); it’s cheaper—and therefore profitable (and therefore RIGHT)—to neglect the grid in order to save money.

They tell us that the wind turbines went down. But Only idiots argue over which source of power is the reason why we don’t have power. Anyone who is somewhat aware knows coal and natural gas are trash resources. Those arguments are foolish. And they are distractions.

they distract us from the fact that this state has, for decades, allowed capitalist development to run rampant and dispossess communities. FOR DECADES.

We’re always “unprepared” for natural disasters—but this is because the lack of preparation is intentional. A hurricane hits and Houston floods; We get less than a foot of snow, and the state—the energy capital of the world, mind you—is overwhelmed. GTFOH

These aren’t unforeseeable or overwhelming circumstances. The stress and death they cause are highly preventable. Houston floods poor and black communities because it’s built—literally built—to do so; this energy grid failed because it has been structurally neglected...

In the name of deregulation.

And this happens under both parties. So miss me with the “I’m making a liberal claim” bullshit. At the end of the day, Dems are capitalists, too. And everyone was getting while the gettin was good.

Why? Bc profit was and is a moral good. It forms subjects. It defines what a good life is. And it shapes the perceptions and decisions of those who abide by its dogmas. Profit is to be gained in any way possible—whether by saving money or by possessing people or both.

In Texas, this moral philosophy has driven people up top to rob us dry for decades, killing us through development and “advancement.” Texas has been profiting from death since... well, forever.

And Houston is no different. 288 is built to hold floodwater. It is right next to where a lot of black people (used to) live; so when 288 floods, a lot of Black people are flooded out. It also made backdoor deals with dev companies, requiring people to move from their homes.

So make no mistake: Greg and Sly may be from different parties, but they have no problems courting profit. And they are not alone. And the fact that they are not alone is precisely what allowed @ERCOT_ISO to be as shitty as it is.

So yeah, there’s a lot of people to be blamed.

But while people are out here blaming other people, what I’m watching is the continued dispossession of black lives, poor lives, marginalized lives. That dispossession is intentional—it is not an accident.

And sadly, in the end, no one will be fully held accountable. The grid will remain—unregulated and unmaintenanced. And the politicians will remain—unscathed and re-electable.

That’s what profit gets you—Shifting blame so that noone has to be ethical. It’s a helluva strategy for re election and profitability. But the cost is people’s lives.

How disgraceful & evil.

But for capitalists, i guess it’s all good.

Or, better: it’s the right thing to do.