>From a structural perspective considering Capital as a sort of "total agent"
I'd agree these circumstances are perfect for accumulation - right down to
the street drug-dealer. And since I was essentially speaking from a
functionalist point-of-view we have to remember Braverman's criticism of
Durkheim which went something like: "What Durkheim refers to as pathological
is perfectly in keeping with capitalist expansion".
There's a point here and one I'm not unaware of - I did say that the suicide rate in Ireland skyrocketed when economic development took off. However, we also have to be aware of the institutional aspects here. Let's take an example, and this will illustrate my criticism of Foucault. Okay, why did many mental hospitals in many countries shut their doors in the 70s and 80s. Well lets assume the predominant reason was the turn away from Welfare Statism in order to facilitate capital accumulation. However, the ideology itself seems to have come from... the Left! This actually happened - especially in Italy. Foucault's arguments could easily be taken up as an advocation of the shutting down of these institutions.
Personally I think this is a problem that we've had since the 60s generally. As David Harvey (Postmodern Condition) and, recently and more comprehensively, Boltanski and Chiapello (The New Spirit of Global Capitalism) have argued many typically Left-wing arguments have proved to be a driving force for the continuing penetration of capital into the daily sphere. I also don't think that this was a simple overlap.