It is too cursed to not post about it
this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2024
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Would Marx be opposed to shopping malls in a socialist society? As a transitionary mechanism to communism would Marx not approve of shopping centers or modern market places?
Call it something like "According to Your Needs Outlet"
Idk much about the guy but, I don't think a socialist society would outright oppose a shopping mall. I could see a use for them.
Victor Gruen is widely considered the inventory of the modern shopping mall. He was an Austrian Jew who immigrated to the US when the Nazi's annexed Austria.
I can't find much specific on his political views, but I've seen him described by historians as "far-left" and "socialist".
Shopping was originally a small part of his vision. He wanted to make an indoor, air-conditioned version of European pedestrian areas. Residences, schools, libraries, hospitals, parks, etc. He hated how the mall he envisioned became the shopping mall. He was influenced by Disney Land - trying to make a planned neighborhood that optimized the human experience. In turn, Disney took a lot of influence from him to make EPCOT.
So I don't know that he was a Marxist, but he denounced the capitalist hellscape that his malls eventually became.
How painfully ironic