Gek, there are many places in Latin America that could be considered -- at least partially -- "outside" capital. The opportunities for rebellion are much stronger there, esp. since the U.S. military is bogged down in the middle east.
The foreshortened political sphere, the ennui, the seamless world of (consumer) possibility -- these are merely the forms of control at Capital's core of high-level reproduction -- the clerks of Empire are well fed, well disciplined, given plenty of empty visual stimuli, drugs and consumer goods so they keep the system humming along. But this is only a fraction of Empire, part that is shrinking and becoming less effective/important. Extreme brutality, violent resource extraction, widespread political repression, incarceration, racism, poverty along the periphery (both domestic and abroad)... these are equally part of Empire, and for me, a more compelling reason to fight against it than that it's become boring living in the core.
I think Gek's capitalist-realist mobius strip is an exaggeration -- the system is vulnerable, weak, weaker than it's ever been in my life perhaps. Many people are satisfied by the diminished possibilities that the current system offers, but it's increasingly unable to deliver on even its own meager promises. Radicalism, particularly in minority communities in the U.S., is on the rise. The problem is there is no organization on the left that can crystallize all this -- very palpable -- discontent and do something with it! That's part of closing the window on the possible, not just bad TV!
