Mencius Moldbugman

Depression & burnout follow overexcited, overdriven, excessive self-reference that has assumed destructive traits. The exhausted sociopathic status seeker grinds itself down. He becomes tired, exhausted by himself, and at war with himself. Entirely incapable of stepping outward.

Narcissists exhaust themselves in rat races they run against themselves.

Digitalisation is making this worse. There’s very little “reality” or consequence online which in meat world would warn a sociopath when their narcissism is getting out of control. Online, the narcissistic ego encounters itself first and foremost in everything it sees.

The real world makes itself known through resistance. Act like a dickhead and someone is likely to beat you or fire you. But our ridiculous overly-positive society is removing this resistance to the sociopathic.

I’m definitely waffling now so let me try and wrap this up...

Capital absorbs everything. What is capital but relentless competition? Our positive achievement society has created absolute competition because now we have narcissists competing with their own egos to produce/consume more. A destructive compulsion to outdo itself over and over

“You can do anything!” “Just do it!” These slogans of positive achievement create a society of self-exploitation, which is all good for capital until the obedient little narcissist exploits itself too much and finally burns out.

Auto-exploitation is more efficient than standard exploitation because it gives a deceptive feeling of freedom. The exploiter is also the exploited. Exploitation now occurs without domination. That is what makes self-exploitation so efficient. And in this way capital accelerates.