THE PRINCIPLE OF HOPE

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is economically outmoded; it was, after all, the strongest seductive charm of capitalism, above all in the ‘land of unlimited possibilities’. Thus, in so far as it still works
with the illusion of free competition, capital promotes sport, which mobilizes this illusion in free time. As if in this way at least the body was accorded its rights, as if in
this way at least man were still worth something in this field, even as if a bit of Greece appeared, called the Olympic Games, a festival of free people not of slaves. And
the promoted sociability of sport dopo lavoro does not remain confined to forged freedom; it has other merits as well in capitalist terms. Even where capital is no longer
capable of feigning free competition to its employees, even in the confessed state of new serfdom sport is made useful for delusion. In this case not for the individualist
kind but for the collective kind, though it must be noted: for the collective kind in the service of the firm, and ultimately of monopoly and state capitalism. This is the
spirit of pre­fascist and fascist ‘organization of free time’, concerning gymnastics. Big businesses have long used the love of sport in their employees to form a
particularly faithful ‘following’ for themselves. This now no longer returns in free time to the individual illusion of competition, on the contrary: the following has to lead
the colours of its capitalist business to victory itself; thus sportsmen are transformed into ‘industrial relays’. Here too only the Soviet Union and the people's
democracies have produced the genuine spirit of a collective contest: namely because the businesses themselves have become collective property. The fascist state
finally even annexed to itself the return to nature; it is now called ‘military sports’. This saw the end of the evening walk of the longing for fresh air, of the art of moving
paralysed limbs. But the initial reasons for this end already lie in the fact that free time has always been regarded by the bourgeoisie only as hidden service and
permitted as such. Strength through joy, taken to its logical conclusion this simply means: repair of the worn­out commodity of working power by means of cunning
dopo lavoro. And everything is done to see that the commodity does not have any harmful ideas in the joyfully filled free time. To see that the wistful consideration of
possibilities is canalized and remains as subordinate as the little position of the person doing the considering himself. Free time therefore ultimately serves stupefaction
here, whether with an apparent laissez faire, laissez aller (on capitalist strings) or with forms which fascism imposes, with garlands for oxen to be slaughtered. It must be
noted that it is not the fact that a form is also sought for free time which is lamentable and detestable but that, with such content, it comes from the enemies of the
people. Sunday and even