lj idol week1

"commodity fetish is a sociology term coined by karl marx after the industrial revolution as an explanation for how our relationship to capital & consumption is a stand-in for our relationships with people. as more & more items became mass produced, it became easier & normalized to mass purchase more products. by enforcing that people desire purchased objects to relate to each other, capitalism continues to thrive on consumption & has led us to the point of over consumption even if we still feel empty inside."
"i know. you talk about this all the--"
"as we reach end stage capitalism, consumption evolves to overtake all of our needs. it is no longer solely tangible purchased items that individuals feel the desire to consume in order to relate to one another, it is now expected that the desire to consume each other falls to the wayside as our desire for consuming items grows."
"yeah i get it! can we move on to something else?"
"sorry, you know end stage capitalism is my special interest."
"yeah i do, you're so weird."
"thanks. we don't have to talk about commodity fetish anymore. we can walk about commodities or fetishes, you choose."
"oh brother, making me talk dirty in public must be your special interest, too. let's switch to spanish so less people clutch their pearls."

we're on a crowded bus in thailand, somewhere between a small town & a beach, which could be almost anywhere in thailand. this is my first trip abroad, but not jake's. we are 30 years old, single (though many people think we are an item), & he invited me to tag along on this cross planet road trip; of course i said yes. not only because we're thirty years old & i've never left north america; or because we're single but everyone thinks we're an item (including me sometimes); but also because i had had enough of our country, i wanted to go far far away; because i love thai food, i could eat it every day. to prepare for the trip, i learn some thai vocab. "hello." "thank you." "vegan". i struggle with the tones of a tonal language. i struggle with the gender of a gendered language. but most people speak english so i get along just fine.

the bus continues bumping along, so does our spanglishmostlyspanishbutsometimesmadeupwords dirty talk. "¿cómo te gusta cojer? ¿cúal es tu liquido de cuerpo favorito, el pis o el sweat o la saliva? ¿prefieres pan o verga? ¿eres un bajo o un top?"

as much as i am enjoying consuming the foods & cultures & beaches & life in general in thailand, i am enjoying consuming jake even more. we share a bed in the punk hostel in bangkok; we get around the no stop light island of ko tao on a motorbike, me riding bitch; i drink in the color of his eyes (dirty green) at sunset & the scent of his body wash (clean but still sweaty) after a shower & the sound of his guitar & clarinet (both tinny) that of course he brought from continents away. it's just the two of us for weeks, doing everything together-- minus that one night he was in a bad mood so i fucked the russian punk i met on the roof in an alley between the hostel & the 711. afterwards i go back to the bar on the ground floor where i hope to find jake. there he is, drunk, chatting with the workers in his broken thai & their broken english. we do whip its until we can't stand, then we somehow make the trek up the four flights of stairs in the staggering humidity, where we crash all morning until we're woken up by the russian punk fucking his girlfriend in the room next to ours.

"you know, 'fetish' no longer holds the same definition or denotation as it did when the phrase was coined. a 'fetish' used to be a tangible item that held important spiritual significance & was worthy of worship, nowadays it has overt sexual connotations, but i think the evolution of the word makes sense."
"that's actually a fun fact that you haven't told me yet. it does kinda make sense. people worship tangible & intangible items all the time for sexual & not sexual reasons."
"yeah, now 'fetish' is more like the object of desire, a part of a body or identity that is seen as sexual when it inherently isn't. people fetishize feet, trans people, BALLOONS & all kinds of other things that are just normal in most contexts. it is dehumanizing for some people to be the object of fetishization, which can either be a turn on or turn off for them, especially when it does come to worship. but the historical definition of 'fetish' was inherently about non-human objects, while they received worship for their perceived spirituality or godliness. in a lot of ways the definition is exactly the same while also being the complete opposite."
"i've never met anyone that could link fetishes & capitalism as succinctly as you do."
"thanks. it's my special interest."
"you're so weird."
"i know."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

imafarmgirl

I have never understood the foot fetish thing. I think it's so nasty.

Also I would love to try authentic Thai food since I love what we get in the states.

From:

commodityfetishx

i read a meme that said something like, "you found it wrong & disgusting, i found it exciting & fun, that's why i'm happier." something like that. but i really think it's true, people that aren't willing try try new things because let their knee jerk / purist judgements win won't find new things that they enjoy, sexual or not.
all the food was so good. i used to eat thai food like once a week or so before i went, & i took a break of a few months once i got back lol, but it was all delightful. there are something i never knew the name of i hope i find them again somehow. i can still taste them & this was nearly 7years ago!

From:

imafarmgirl

I hope you find whatever that food is again.

From:

penpusher

If you don't mind my interjecting (and honestly, I can't believe I wrote this over twenty years ago), I'm pleased to link it!

Foot Notes It actually spurred some intersting conversations back then, and inspired a series of posts.

Edited Date: 2026-09-23 12:29 am (UTC)

From:

imafarmgirl

That is an interesting post. I haven't thought about it much, probably because I'm not into feet. It's interesting to see how it first develops though. We talked about this in a psychology class I took and other such things like balloons was a big one.

From:

scribblesinblue

i struggle with the tones of a tonal language. i struggle with the gender of a gendered language.

Oh yes, that is definitely a pair of struggles!

From:

commodityfetishx

<3. most languages are gendered to a degree but in thai you literally gender yourself even in saying greetings.

Edited Date: 2026-09-21 05:53 pm (UTC)

From:

humanbeansradio

This little slice is insightful and real. Enjoyed it.

From:

commodityfetishx

thank you! i kind of struggled with where to go with it but i like how it turned out.

From:

gardeningatnight

I can definitely connect with the info-dumping about one's special interest!

From:

commodityfetishx

it is a love language to be able to! gotta love the people who put up with it, hell some people actively enjoy info dumps.

From:

simplyn2deep

I really liked how the conversation about commodity fetishism becomes a lens for the entire piece. The narrator is fascinated by consumption in the abstract, but then the trip itself is filled with different kinds of consumption—food, culture, travel, experiences, and especially this complicated relationship with Jake. It made the opening discussion feel less like an explanation added to the story and more like the framework for understanding everything that follows.

I also loved the rhythm between these two characters. Jake has clearly heard the capitalism lecture approximately 4,000 times and still lets the narrator happily wander through it again. 😂 The repeated “it’s my special interest” / “you’re so weird” exchange works especially well because by the end it feels affectionate rather than dismissive. And I thought the observation that the historical and modern meanings of “fetish” can feel simultaneously similar and completely opposite was fascinating. This gave me a lot more to think about than I expected when I started reading!

From:

commodityfetishx

these are the best compliments because all of that is exactly what i was going for! i love the duality between vapid & deep etc so i'm glad it gave you something to think about. thank you for reading & commenting!

From:

pixiebelle

I think you (or the main character) and I’d get along well. I find those special interests very interesting too. I also liked the way you told the story here.

From:

commodityfetishx

it me ;) & thanks, i'll have to read yours next! hopefully we do get along, i'd love to make some new friends along the way.

From:

pixiebelle

Mine is fiction and completely unrelated to me this week. I’m just always talking to people about late stage capitalism and funnily enough, fetishes 😂

From:

commodityfetishx

i will do fiction at some point too, i’m just kinda coming from an academic background (sociology) so that is where i feel comfortable writing. but talking about late strange capitalism & fetishes is fun so here we are 😂

From:

pixiebelle

I just did fiction since I was going to write the piece anyway (part of my book series) and it aligned perfectly. I actually joined this season to write more nonfiction and talk about my special interests more.

From:

commodityfetishx

that's funny we're kinda here doing the opposite but same thing. i really just wanted to write more cuz i felt i was neglecting my journal & it is one of the only things i have that i have that's just for ME. i didn't even realize it was mostly for fiction writers lol! but still i am enjoying reading everyone's stuff & am looking forward to trying out fiction; i don't think i've ever written fiction or creative writing or anything like that. i'm glad it's aligning with your goals & i hope you get to talk about your special interests more! i will be tuning in.

From:

pixiebelle

It isn’t mostly for fiction writers actually! It started out as mostly nonfiction blog style writing. Fiction didn’t come around for a long time. It is pretty popular, but both are welcome. I started out writing nonfiction, but now I mostly write fiction for myself.

From:

commodityfetishx

oh okay interesting, i seem to keep stumbling upon the fiction ones but i have definitely read the personal blog types as well. i have never participated before & even though it has been on my periphery for years i never clicked around the community or entries until a few weeks ago.

From:

pixiebelle

Welcome :) and yeah, I think Open Topics tend to bring out more fiction. I could be wrong though. I started playing in 2010 and back then, fiction was done but far less popular.

From:

halfshellvenus

i struggle with the tones of a tonal language. i struggle with the gender of a gendered language.
I think the first would be true for most people. Maybe less so for musicians?

The second... is a bane in every language where it applies (most of them). WHY? And German even has 3 of them, including neuter, which should be the ONLY gender. With all of the German vocabulary I remember from decades ago, the genders are long gone. :(

From:

bsgsix

I totally get the special interest informational overshare - I, too, am that person. It's nice to meet others like that, lol.

There's a nice mixture of consumption and anti-consumption here, of the perceived and the "this is what it really is," and I enjoy this type of structure. Well written for certain! <3

From:

commodityfetishx

i’m sure there are a lot do special interest overshares! i do it a lot & let my friends to it too even if it is the most boring topic to me lol. i still act interestwd to be nice.
thank you, i’m glad you enjoyed it! i like working with dualities & being contrarian. i also had fun with the structure, i think it turned out nice & i had fun writing it so i’m glad to hear others are enjoying reading it.

From:

adoptedwriter

Haha…The Spanglish! I’m a Spanish teacher/major!

From:

commodityfetishx

i didnt translate because i figured some people would get it, others could look it up if they wanted, and it doesn’t super take away from the story to not know exactly what it said. i’m glad you enjoyed it! i doubt they teach spanish like that in college lol. me & this friend do speak a lot in our own spanglish, it feels like a secret language but obviously lots of people would understand it.

From:

adoptedwriter

Yeah a school friend and I used to use Spanish-Spanglish to talk smack or gossip about ppl back in the day. 😆 it’s kinda how I actually got good at speaking it!

From:

commodityfetishx

that's hilarious. sounds like a good way to practice tho!

From:

penpusher

It felt like one of those slob comedy movies, maybe a little more together than "The Hangover Part II" or maybe a spinoff? ha!

I presume you know and understand Rule 34! Certainly lots of special interests to be had all along the way.

This was fun and felt like eavesdropping on your excursions!

From:

commodityfetishx

lol! it does kind of read like that. it did kind of feel like that too. simpler times lol before i had my kid, but i guess even in the hang over they had a baby kind of.
is rule 34 that there is a porn for everything? same goes for fetishes too i’m sure!
thanks! i was trying to make it feel intimate in a few ways. i’m glad it came across as eavesdropping. i hope you enjoyed my loosely nonfiction excursion secondhand.

Edited Date: 2026-09-22 06:01 am (UTC)

From:

penpusher

Yes Rule 34 is if you can think of it, there is a porn version of it. And for sure anything can be fetishized, sometimes without even trying!

From:

ofearthandstars

I think you sound like a very fun person to have conversations with. Also, Thailand/Thai food love!

From:

purplepetrichor

Talks about one’s special interest are often so… interesting.

From:

kandigurl

This was so all over the place in the most wonderful way, I loved it. Please, more entries on late stage capitalism!

From:

murielle

A fun and fascinating read.

Thank you! 😀

From:

inchoatewords

This was fun and I hope you have a chance to write more about your adventures!

From:

muchtooarrogant

This reads like a journey of self-discovery in a lot of ways.
of course i said yes. not only because we're thirty years old & i've never left north america; or because we're single but everyone thinks we're an item (including me sometimes);

I enjoyed your writing style, although it occasionally felt like an informational torrent, but in a good way of course. :)

Dan

From:

lapis_lazuli615

Growing up my best friend's mom was Thai. She ALWAYS had fried rice available, and was always trying to shove some down me. (I rarely argued) It wasn't spicy at all, so I don't know if she Americanized it for her husband or for me or both.

You and my eldest would have GREAT conversations about end stage capitalism! :)

From:

oxymoron67

The language thing is spot on.

When I was learning Irish, I had a hard time with the consonant mutations: many grammar things are labelled at the start of the word rather than the end.

Ir was confusing.