Two Capitalisms
Joyce Marcel is one of my favorite essayists. I read her on commondreams.org. Today’s essay really spoke my mind on the subject of capitalism. Here’s an excerpt, and a link to the full article.
Two capitalisms stopped in a snowy wood; one took the path less traveled by, and that made all the difference. China is taking the capitalism-plus-communism road. Russia and the US are taking the capitalism-plus-oligarchy road. And India is somewhere in- between.
And democracy, real democracy? A government of the people, by the people, and for the people? Well, that is perishing from the earth.
A friend from Shanghai was in town the other day, and when the conversation turned to poverty in Vermont, she leaned in earnestly and asked, “And how is your government planning to fix this?”
For me, it was one of those “Aha!” moments. I suddenly realized that we no longer have a government interested in fixing things. In fact, we no longer have a government interested in doing, well, any of the things that governments are expected to do.
…
But according to my friend, her government is working hard to solve the country’s enormous problems. Capitalism, even without democracy, is helping millions of people build better lives. And oddly enough, she says, people are now allowed to speak their minds much more freely than ever before.Wouldn’t that be one of the ultimate ironies of the 21st century? That the Chinese are coming into a time of economic prosperity and personal liberty just as Americans are losing theirs?
Inspectaneck
March 4th, 2006 at 5:54:13 amThat article is a great read.
One thing that has bothered me especially during this presidency is how our government seems to be able to switch gears so easily.
This week on the radio I heard President Bush talking about being focused on Bin Laden. It seemed obvious that since the war on Iraq was a poor subject at the moment, our government switched the focus. They control the ViewMaster — you know, that little red device that uses a circular insert containing negatives to make a movie as you click through the pictures? Well, they switch the picture as needed.
I have found the government to be able to do this with ease with most Americans:
Bin Laden Iraq Supreme Court Justice Confirmations Katrina Dick Chaney Secret NSA wiretaps something else that might be a good thing that eventually goes bad Bin Laden.
Full circle.
Right in line with this metaphor is my other concern:
Americans allow the government, the media, our friends and neighbors, or any rock on the ground to change our focus and concerns. It seems we can only be focused on one topic at a time, and with regard to that topic, we do not use our minds to think for ourselves and prioritize the collection of problems we are faced with.
Maybe each American family should purchase a dry-erase marker board and record issues that arise in our society… when they are resolved, they could be erased… like a government To-Do list. Maybe we wouldn’t forget.
To support my generalized claim, I’ll offer a few thoughts that influence my feeling that way:
As I listened to the Supreme Court Justice confirmations this year, it seemed that there was really ONE issue that people were concerned about with regard to the Justice nominations — abortion. Would this Justice overturn Roe v. Wade? If I think he would, then he’s not getting my support. Who cares if he is he is the most honorable, fair, trusted, unbiased American on the entire planet? Pro-life? No support.
This could even be perceived as prejudice:
Christian -> pro-life -> no support.
I would even bet that most Americans have a misconstrued view on the effects of overturning Roe v. Wade. Most people I talk with believe that overturning the case would make all abortions illegal, which is not the case. If we step back, perhaps it would be good to re-examine this issue. Perhaps it would allow voters to look at all the issues a candidate stands for, rather than casting out a potentially great leader over one issue.
Why is politics such a taboo issue? Because most of us blindly choose sides, we narrowly view issues, and we stop asking questions about the other pictures on our ViewMaster.
** Jim — if there is a “Rants” section for reader comments, I submit that this comment be placed in that category. **