I watched an interesting video recently addressing the question of whether the U.S. is currently experiencing the end of capitalism…
That is, whether we are currently in the throes of “late stage capitalism” and must either usher in something different, or see the system collapse under its top-heavy weight.
What exactly that “something different” might be, the video did not pretend to know.
Why are some of us clinging to capitalism, tooth and nail, while others can’t wait to see this economic system, that has truthfully raised standards of living for most human life on earth, go the way of the dinosaur?
I believe that for many capitalism has become a religion, or at least synonymous with religious ideals, often grounded in evangelical christianity. That’s sort of odd when you consider that the person the religion is based upon, Jesus of Nazareth, was anything but a capitalist.
But capitalism is just an economic theory, nothing more. It is not god-ordained and our democracy was not founded upon it. In fact, when our democracy was founded there was an entire segment of our society denied access to the market and instead bought and sold as chattel on that very same market!
Capitalism is not an “American” concept, having originated in Europe. But it took hold and took off in the U.S. like wildfire…
And most of the creature comforts that we enjoy today, like this laptop I’m writing on, came to us by virtue of capitalism.
So, why, you ask, would we ever want to do things any other way?
It depends on destruction for its very existence…
Old products are replaced by new, weak competitors are ousted by the strong, and the quality of life of the workers whose blood, sweat, and tears actually produce all this fancy stuff is constantly sacrificed on the altar of higher profits.
The end result of capitalism, its late stage, as the video refers, is a society in which the vast majority of wealth is concentrated in the hands of a tiny percentage, while the rest of us grow economically stagnate…
In other words, pretty much the situation where we find ourselves in the U.S. in the year 2020.
In 2016 we had an opportunity to make a change, a drastic change. I’m not talking about HRC, but Bernie Sanders. The astounding level of popularity his campaign experienced just wasn’t enough to lift him above the establishment, who are of course clinging to capitalism like no other segment of society, well, save for the evangelicals…
Of course they would do that, since their jobs depend on support from the class that has benefitted the most from capitalism run amok. As for the evangelicals, I really don’t understand their die-hard attraction to a system that would be anathema to their professed savior and lord.
So, back to 2016…what did we do instead?
Well, of course, we elected the most monstrous example of capitalism run amok we could find – Donald J. Trump…
A man who is so wedded to the transactional ideology, that he can’t even understand why the soldiers under his command would ever sacrifice their lives for the good of country.
Is that really where we want to go as a society? Do we really think that a transactional approach to life is the correct one?
Donald Trump sure does!
He believes that there are two types of people in the world, winners and losers. The winners are the ones who are better at gaming the system for their benefit at the expense of the losers and suckers.
Those poor men and women who believed in an ideal of patriotism…that they should dedicate their lives to a greater good…they’re all losers and suckers. Those who survived the attempt and now stand as stunning examples of the potential costs of sacrificial service, well, they should be kept hidden from sight as bad examples.
I like capitalism. I like the idea that economic prosperity can come to those who work hard and to those willing to take risks that have the potential for great reward. I believe our society and those the world over have enjoyed great benefits as a result of men like Gates, Bezos and Jobs.
However, I also believe that the dark side of capitalism must be collectively tempered.
Clinging to capitalism, even the brand that has run amok as of late, because of this ideological notion that any idea to the contrary is socialistic, communistic, or just downright demonic, is the type of thinking that might actually lead to our end, that is, the end of capitalism and democracy as we have known them for the last 200+ years.
2020 gives us another opportunity to turn the corner. Once again, good ole Bernie was turned away for a more establishment line of action. And that does not bode well for what might lie ahead.
America can be great again. The last four years have borne witness to an America in decline, in the eyes of the world…and in the eyes of many citizens who are appalled at what it has become under the leadership of this zero-sum, transactional and lunatic ideology we now call Trumpism.
The truth is that electing a President, any President, is not what’s going to make America great again…
What will make America great again is to stop clinging to capitalism, or any ism for that matter…
And inspire a new generation to truly believe in the still exceptional spirit of America…
The spirit that has lifted us out of dire straights many times in the past…
And can do so now, but only if we will believe in ourselves and have faith in the promise of America…
A promise made to all of US, regardless of race, religion or ideological tribe…
The time to act is upon us!
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