How do those in power stay in power? In the world of global capitalism, those at the top are naturally incentivized to keep things the way they are even as resistance grows from below. While we write a lot about how we can organize ourselves as a single global working class, it’s equally as valuable to understand the tactics that will be used against us. There is a wide range of different techniques, but they generally fall into 3 categories:
- Repression - violent police crackdowns, suppression of free speech, banning opposition parties, voter disenfranchisement, etc.
- Infiltration - when government agents or bad actors enter a group to sow division internally and discredit the group publicly.
- Co-optation - the selective absorbing of revolutionary ideas, symbols, and leaders into the mainstream to neutralize opposition and renew faith in the status quo
Ruling classes in any autocratic regime around the world will use a mixture of each of these categories. In this article we want to focus on co-optation because it is often the most subtle process of the 3, one that is happening all the time in all areas of life and is just as effective at squashing social movements.
What is Co-optation?
Co-optation is how those in power adapt to the changing times. Dissenting voices and anti-establishment ideas are incorporated into mainstream culture, but in the process are effectively declawed and separated from their original revolutionary intent. This gives the illusion that the ruling class is listening to us and is responsive to our needs, while nothing is actually done to address real systemic issues. Sociologist William Gamson defined co-optation as "challengers gaining access to the public policy process but without achieving actual policy changes.”
Within capitalist societies, the most prevalent place we see co-optation happening is in advertising, art, and the media, as corporations try to match their language with the latest trends of the moment to sell more products. A few examples:
