Friday, January 1, 2010

capitalist fool

capitalism:
"an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market"

socialism:
"
any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods"

(according to Merriam-Webster)


I am a pig!

A capitalist pig, to be exact. Do you care for freedom? Freedom of speech is one thing but the freedom to conceive, to concoct, to market, and to trade goods and services is as important for adults as a sandlot for children. And yet, a free market will remain a grand illusion. The control freaks of the world won't permit free markets. Too many folks are channeling their mom's forbidding tone of voice: "What if everybody did that?!"

The main reason we don't have free markets is that people don't trust themselves.

Freedom is too frightening for most, and we rather manage our own and other people's small-mindedness than deal with a growing wealth of options. As thrilled as we are watching football and hockey, the average specimen of homo sapiens prefers to be a secondhand adventurer. Safety and stability seem to have a greater value for most than the opportunity to make mistakes and the subsequent discovery of new horizons. Winning looks enticing only when the possibility of losing has been minimized or eliminated in advance. That's as common as it is dangerous:
you can't truly win until you have made peace with the painful reality of losing. A poor wretch who can only be happy when he happens to be successful.

Neglecting ourselves, we demand security before we pursue freedom. From the government, as the largest employer in the country, to the dry cleaner at the corner: we expect parental rules, a full fridge, and the mind numbing boredom of a reasonably dysfunctional family life. We surrender freedom and individuality in exchange for nearly guaranteed mortgage payments and food on the table.

Teenagers can afford to be obnoxious and omniscient as long as they enjoy the safety of their parents' house and care. Translate that into the adult world and you realize that hating your job is a luxury, made possible and financed by those who provide you with a job and pay your rent.

Every one of us was born into a socialist environment.

Literally, and it doesn't matter whether you were born in America or in the late Soviet Union. Economically, you were raised in an environment of "
collective or governmental (parental) ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods." The school system continued your socialist upbringing with a collectively controlled distribution of information. Free speech? You must be kidding!

Sure, there was some rebellion when we were kids, but after each futile episode we realized with a growl how the benefits of "the system" outweighed its oppressive factors. From day one, we learned that socialism keeps us fed, clothed, and relatively safe.

The parental-socialist environment is conservative in its nature (Websters, "conservative:"
tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions; marked by moderation or caution; marked by or relating to traditional norms of taste or manners). It is meant to keep the kids out of too much trouble and to guarantee the survival of the family as a unit.

An ideal child-rearing home may have socialist foundations and be conservative at the same time. Yet conservatism describes the opposite end of the spectrum. A paradox? How come? I am afraid I will upset a lot of people within the next minute, but hell, it's not the first time and it won't be the last. Here goes:

Socialism "feels" right, it describes the perfect children's world, and I wish everybody could grow up in such a sheltered paradise. But once a person matures, conscious thinking and the ability to employ reason must increasingly substitute decision making that's based on 'feelings'. The history from socialism to capitalism--personally and collectively--is roughly the evolution from childhood to adulthood.

Have you had a chance to visit a socialist country, Eastern Germany perhaps, before the wall was torn down in 1989? Run by people who enjoy plucking the wings off of butterflies, real-world socialism is a pubertal environment that prevents individuals from development and maturity. Practically it's synonymous with the condemnation to eternal
preadolescence.

Often I have heard that not everybody is cut out to become an entrepreneur. True. By their very nature, some individuals must live and work freely. They can't handle the existence of a superior and they despise being part of a corporate structure. Most of our fellow citizens may hate corporations, but they will never question their status quo as employees. They are happier as employees, and it doesn't matter whether they love, merely endure, or outright hate their jobs.

Do what you want to do. I don't judge your life choices. I am writing this for those who are on the fence between employment and the option of self-employment. Perhaps you have done both in succession or one after the other. If you have a job and you will never let it go, why not build a business on the side for fun and profit: have you considered the double-life of a parallel entrepreneur?

Whether you see yourself as a capitalist or as a socialist is not a matter of opinion. Neither is your preferred economical system a reflection of your income. The question is where you intend to go in the future.

That means, if you choose employment--a sort of voluntary enslavement--you may not want to call yourself a capitalist in public.
Even if you don't like your work, you are still in support of a governmental or corporate system that buffers you from the cold harsh reality of selling gizmos for food. And, almost by definition, if you are an employee you hate your job and you bite the evil capitalist's hand that feeds you.

If you choose self-employment or entrepreneurship, instead of or parallel to your existing job, you can't afford to be a socialist. It can't be in your interest to denounce capitalism. Well, except when your name is Michael Moore and denouncing capitalism is your business.

Capitalism is hated for the same reasons jobs are being hated: people love to hate the essentials of life, and biting the hands that feed us is a favorite resource of emotional sustenance. Productive employment and its perks depend on capitalists. Therefore we must despise them. It is the fault of evil employers that I have to do this dirty slave work. Right?

We don't even think about the benefits of capitalism without feeling guilty. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and George Soros are the strongest supporters of the Democratic party, the party of the covertly wealthy. No surprise at all: hardly any capitalist feels free to openly call herself a capitalist, for the same reason you don't take your mink to a PETA convention. It's like proudly announcing that you are the black sheep in the family.

Socialist - capitalist: I couldn't care less what you want to call yourself or how you choose to live your life. But you may give capitalism a second thought. I really don't give a hoot about political and economical theories, right now, or whether you consider yourself rich or poor. That stuff is of secondary importance. What does matter--to you--is this:

Do you care about the freedom of speech? If you do, why would you care less about your freedom to act, produce, and trade? And if you want to live as you choose, what would hold you back to say so?

Capitalism is the material equivalent of the freedom of speech. Hatred of capitalism is similar to being suspicious of life itself. If we can't trust capitalism as an evolutionary frame for the development of our economical affairs, we cannot trust evolution.

And we better ask mom and dad for guidance.

Egbert Sukop


2 comments:

Steve the movie guy said...

You are right on! Capitalism has taken a beating the last year. Yet it continues to move people out of poverty every day. The Free Market is the greatest savior of people in the history of humanity. The people who look for "security" in others are doomed to failure.

Anonymous said...

I've been a state-of-CA "seasonal" employee for over the past 3 years. I finally paid off my personal debts last year. Since I lost my weekend job, I've used that time to test if I could come up with a way to make $1 on my own. Sometimes I'm tempted to go back to my ?foolish? ideas of getting a stupid loan(.i.e. using credit cards) to start my own business etc etc, but I'm gonna do this with the intent of ONLY expanding when someone begs ME to provide the service or product. In the meantime, I'll be maintaining this overworked state job(until arnold lays me off, hopefully). What's funny is that my college degree could get me a private sector job, but those jobs are STIMULATED by government regulations from which people have to abide. If things go as expected, I'll probably need to go back to working a pt job on the weekend anyways, which will cut down on the time I have to come up with a new money-making idea on my own. argh.