Anyway, something struck me about this exchange and made me think about CAPITALISM again. Audra kept bringing up "capitalism" during the discussion, but I wasn't talking about capitalism. I was talking about being neighborly, about respect, about honesty. About being a slime-ball. And Audra kept mentioning capitalism. As I thought about this, I realized that I think of capitalism in a different light than she does.
I operate in a capitalistic society (for now). That's the way our economy works. And it influences our lives in many ways. BUT my morals, ethics, values, and decisions aren't based on the economy. This is a totally separate system for me. I operate my business in a capitalistic way, but the greater, dominant code that tells me how to make decisions is an ethical, societal, quality-driven system. I can't make decisions in my business that will allow me to make more money without consulting the more important code that tells me whether it is legal, ethical, moral, will improve our quality, and is good for my employees, customers, suppliers, and of course my family and friends.
I guess some people reverse these things. Or segment them. Maybe when they're attending church functions, they abide by the rules set by the church. When they're operating their business, they abide by the rule of the almighty dollar. When they are with family, maybe they have "family values." I don't know. My question would be, what code dominates their life? I think there must be a set of rules that each of us decides is most important. So when the rubber hits the road, those are the rules we stick to. The dollar rules the prostitute and (al)most (all) politicians.
I think this is where capitalism gets a bum rap. When people operate within an orderly society and then use that order to dictate their lives, I think malevolence can come of it. Capitalism (in my opinion) wasn't meant to rule our decisions. And maybe this is what Paul meant when he wrote "the love of money is the root of all evil." (1 Timothy 6:10)
This might be a bad analogy, but it reminds me of a car. Cars can be good. They can take us where we want to go, rather quickly and efficiently, and we can carry many things without work. But you can also use it as a getaway car after a bank robbery. Or you can run someone down in cold blood. Or maybe you could use it irresponsibly by getting shit-faced and driving and then running over two cyclists. It's not the car's fault.
Neither is it capitalism's.
At least that's my opinion.
3 comments:
Down with Capitalism! J/k I'm not surprised anymore, as people are capable of all sorts of strange things... as well all know and continue to see first hand. Anyhow, any system of government controlled by either GOP, Dems or whoever the hell else, will never be perfect and will always be open to pitfalls because people are EVIL! haha, people will keep making mistakes... I understand your point, capitalism shouldn't get the blame.
At least you didn't use the gun analogy.
For the record, I don't view capitalism differently from you. However, I also don't think most of the free market world thinks that personal ethics necessarily have a role in business decisions. It's about the win, and that's celebrated in our culture, regardless of what people say in church on Sunday. Not saying it's right; just saying that's how people seem to see it. It's (one of the reasons) why I'm probably not a particularly good businessperson, by a lot of people's standards. That's ok by me.
Capitalism is merely a canvas on which the artist paints. Whether the picture is good or evil depends on the artist. The Confederate South was capitalist. India's debt-bondage (though theoretically illegal) is capitalist. Indentured servitude and slavery are capitalist. The real issue is not capitalism versus socialism. It's liberty versus the lack of it.
The real questions include:
Does liberty include the right to buy stolen property?
Does each person hold clear title to the fruits of their labor?
If someone is enslaved, or to a lesser extent, exploited, does that make their work product stolen property?
Is it ethical to buy that work product, knowing that it was slave-made? Or would that be tantamount to buying stolen property?
Capitalism does not address these issues. Socialism addresses theae issues by eliminating property altogether. Liberty, on the other hand, gives clear answers to these questions.
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