Capitalism and Heteronormativity

From the Breakup of the Commons to the Nuclear Family. Part 1

Morning Comrades.

Todays and Friday’s dispatch are going to be an answers to a question posed in an email following Monday’s email, and I love getting those, so thank you for asking. The question asked how heteronormativity was a social construct and how said construct were the basis of the exploitative nature of Capitalism, especially in relation to the nuclear family. Furthermore, how then, existence outside of these constructs was a threat to capitalism and how it interplays with out revolution.

This is going to get a little historical but that’s ok and important especially in regards to understanding that the way our societies were structured around heteronormativity and the nuclear family was in no shape or form “god-given”, “natural”, or a logical progression within a psychological evolution turned material but quite literally to serve the accumulation of capital. This understanding, the study thereof is a deep subject studied by some of the smartest people our worlds have produced so far and to be clear, I am leaning heavily on my understanding of Federici’s work here - that’s not to say it is all inclusive or all understanding but it is of great interest to me and it applies largely to the above question.

Much of what follows deals with the ideas and realities of property, the commons and society at large. We will start with a few definitions, a little history and how all of the above then plays into our revolution.