Accelerationism and Captain America

What is accelerationsim? How can you better understand and remember this concept? Surprisingly, my best advice to you is to recall the plot and allegiances of Captain America: Civil War.

Yes, I know this may sound silly, but hear me out.

So, in this movie the Avengers become divided about one main issue: their independence in making their own calls about what they can do as superheroes. Some members agree that they need to be regulated and monitored by the government, due to the rising body counts associated with their actions, while others feel that this government regulation would do more harm than good, mainly because they won't be able to act on situations that need a quick, flexible response.

Therefore, I offer you a simple way to remember accelerationism and the context that it is responding to: In the grand scheme of the movie plot, accelerationism is essentially siding with Cap, while 'big government' is siding with Iron Man. Iron Man and his government buddies are essentially attempting to slow down the processes of the Avengers in order to make sure their actions are properly vetted and under control, and Captain America is resisting those forces, because he believes that superheroes shouldn't have to answer to a governmental higher power because that would make his job all the more complex and politically charged.

This just popped into my head during the lecture, but it's helped me to better understand the arguments behind accelerationism, as well as the context under which it can be produced. I hope it helps you too!