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Others are fully committed; they know that the struggle will be neither short nor clean. The losses will be heavy, and victory, if it comes, will be slow and incomplete. But small victories matter: saving a school, reclaiming a neighborhood, publishing a printed book that circulates clandestinely. These restorative acts catalyze the reconstruction of a common sense, of a non-commercialized political language.
L’ Empire des Tendances
It all began with a promise: to change the world through style. The oligarchy understood very early on that rebellion could no longer be fought through censorship, but through fashion. So they created“ alternative” worlds in kit form— clean, sponsored, delivered with a protest soundtrack and analog filters. Indie musicians became the new priests of ironic consumerism: tremulous voices, lo-fi guitars, slogans of emancipation calibrated for streaming algorithms. Independent festivals were bought out by entertainment conglomerates, alternative labels by global platforms; even melancholy became a derivative product. Counterculture was swallowed, digested, recycled— converted into measurable dopamine. People no longer sang to disturb, but to engage; they no longer dreamed of escape, but of a premium subscription to nostalgia. Art, once a refuge, became an emotional trap: a simulation of authenticity, an illusion of resistance carefully designed by the very architects of the system.
Flashmag! Edition 166 Novembre 2025
The Mirage of Goodness
Then came the new manufactured virtues: ecology, sobriety, algorithmic compassion.“ Green” cars promised redemption without sacrificing comfort,“ clean” energies consolidated the monopolies of financial giants, and veganism, born of an ethical cry, was transformed into a morally profitable market.
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