Being in traffic: A rhythmanalysis of capitalist everyday life

More than just an economic system, capitalism is intimately close to us, especially on the roads where we daily commute. Imagine you and your friend are out on a weekend stroll. The two of you are lost in an interesting conversation about each other’s lives when, suddenly, a wave of traffic approaches and the roar of a delivery truck drowns out what your friend is saying. Slightly embarrassed about not being able to hear an important detail of the story, you beckon, ‘sorry, I didn’t quite catch what you were saying earlier. It’s the traffic.’ You wag your finger to point at the source of the disturbance that is no longer there. Yet its residue lingers among a sonic atmosphere that blends not only the noise of vehicles, but of a musical street performance, the hollering of cafe staff about a flat white order, and the continuous footsteps of homo economicus in their global value chains.