This episode uses the example of Tourette’s syndrome to challenge how capitalist society understands personal responsibility. It argues that capitalism assumes individuals are fully rational and in control of their actions, so behaviour – especially speech – is judged as intentional and morally accountable. However, conditions like Tourette’s, where speech can be involuntary, expose a flaw in this assumption: society often ignores medical or material explanations and still treats actions as deliberate. This creates a contradiction where conformity is praised as virtue, but inability to conform is condemned as moral failure, even when control is limited.

It also critiques how capitalism polices language and constructs ideas of acceptable behaviour. While opposing genuinely harmful speech is valid, the article argues that moral judgement should depend on whether real agency exists. Treating involuntary and deliberate actions the same undermines both justice and understanding. More broadly, it claims capitalism only tolerates disability when it can be framed as “inspirational” or manageable; when it cannot, individuals are excluded or condemned. Ideas of responsibility under capitalism are inconsistent and fail to account for the social and material conditions shaping human behaviour.

Taken from the April 2026 edition of The Socialist Standard.

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Featuring music: ‘Pushing P (Instrumental)’ by Tiga Maine x Deejay Boe. Source: Free Music Archive, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0