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Billionaire Bunkers and Disaster Capitalism

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Grenfell Tower

Abstract

The destruction of Grenfell Tower can be seen to be part not only of ‘Disaster Capitalism’ but as a consequence of capitalism’s everyday horrific functioning. Disasters act as exogenous shocks to open up new markets for Capital, to destroy anachronistic buildings as fixed assets and to eliminate populations for ideological purposes. Disaster Capitalism is, though, only an exceptional example of Capitalism’s necessity to accelerate and destroy in order to maintain its existence. We have reached a stage in which even the ruling class try to escape Capitalism’s waves of destruction through building bunkers and creating escape routes for the eventual demise of civilization.

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Correspondence to John Preston .

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Preston, J. (2019). Billionaire Bunkers and Disaster Capitalism. In: Grenfell Tower . Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96851-3_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96851-3_3

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-96850-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-96851-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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