competition isn't much fun.
Americans sing the praise of capitalism, but I don't think any of them really know what they believe in. Such is the case when it comes to many other issues, and with regards to capitalism and competition, a lot of us just don't get it.
It hit me the other day as I was watching a preview for the TV show "30 Days". The episode is one in which a man who lost his tech support job to people in India is made to travel to India and live with those very people for 30 days. I haven't seen the episode, but it made me realize that most Americans aren't truly capitalist. Let's examine:
Right now one of the many heated debates among the American public is the issue of immigration, particularly from Mexico and South America. American citizens bemoan the loss of wages to immigrants. But I would offer this viewpoint. Let's say I own a company that makes televisions. Our televisions are great, and for 35 years my television company is number one. Then, lo and behold, somebody else figures out how to make the same exact TVs, or maybe even better TVs, and sell them at a fraction of the cost. Within a week, my business is gone. If I don't learn to adapt, I will fail. Americans have a rabid desire for cheap stuff, and that desire is the driving force in all of this. The fact of the matter is, if someone is willing to do the same job (or a better job) than you for less money, they will take your job from you. THAT is the gruesome side of capitalism that most of us don't like to face.
Now let's examine another anti-capitalist idea alive and well within the United States: Labor Unions. There is nothing more anti-capitalist than a labor union. Every socialist thinker everywhere has sung praises to the Union, and almost every right wing republican is a member of one. Imagine that? What unions accomplish is the removal of competition from the workforce. Job security is not a capitalist idea. It is a socialist one. Capitalism says, "work hard, work smart, and work cheap, and hopefully you will eventually make a lot of money. But maybe not." Socialism says, "work hard at the work you are given, and you will always make enough to live on. Never more and never less."
For some reason, members of the workforce think their jobs are above being susceptible to the competition of capitalism. They allow it and encourage it among corporations, but when it comes to their jobs, the rules are re-written. I find it very confusing.
In closing, I am not a capitalist or a socialist. Truthfully, I'm not sure where I stand on all of this. Both sides are filled with poisons that my mind can't sort through at this point. Labor unions drive up prices and create the need for an illegal immigrant workforce and off-shoring. Unions also cause inflation. But without them, bosses may always abuse their workers to sap as much productivity as possible out of them with no regards to their workers health, safety, or happiness. I can only hope that we will somehow work through these issues. The answer is definitely a middle ground scenario, but what aspects of capitalism and socialism must be combined to create a nation that will actually function properly, I don't think I know.
It hit me the other day as I was watching a preview for the TV show "30 Days". The episode is one in which a man who lost his tech support job to people in India is made to travel to India and live with those very people for 30 days. I haven't seen the episode, but it made me realize that most Americans aren't truly capitalist. Let's examine:
Right now one of the many heated debates among the American public is the issue of immigration, particularly from Mexico and South America. American citizens bemoan the loss of wages to immigrants. But I would offer this viewpoint. Let's say I own a company that makes televisions. Our televisions are great, and for 35 years my television company is number one. Then, lo and behold, somebody else figures out how to make the same exact TVs, or maybe even better TVs, and sell them at a fraction of the cost. Within a week, my business is gone. If I don't learn to adapt, I will fail. Americans have a rabid desire for cheap stuff, and that desire is the driving force in all of this. The fact of the matter is, if someone is willing to do the same job (or a better job) than you for less money, they will take your job from you. THAT is the gruesome side of capitalism that most of us don't like to face.
Now let's examine another anti-capitalist idea alive and well within the United States: Labor Unions. There is nothing more anti-capitalist than a labor union. Every socialist thinker everywhere has sung praises to the Union, and almost every right wing republican is a member of one. Imagine that? What unions accomplish is the removal of competition from the workforce. Job security is not a capitalist idea. It is a socialist one. Capitalism says, "work hard, work smart, and work cheap, and hopefully you will eventually make a lot of money. But maybe not." Socialism says, "work hard at the work you are given, and you will always make enough to live on. Never more and never less."
For some reason, members of the workforce think their jobs are above being susceptible to the competition of capitalism. They allow it and encourage it among corporations, but when it comes to their jobs, the rules are re-written. I find it very confusing.
In closing, I am not a capitalist or a socialist. Truthfully, I'm not sure where I stand on all of this. Both sides are filled with poisons that my mind can't sort through at this point. Labor unions drive up prices and create the need for an illegal immigrant workforce and off-shoring. Unions also cause inflation. But without them, bosses may always abuse their workers to sap as much productivity as possible out of them with no regards to their workers health, safety, or happiness. I can only hope that we will somehow work through these issues. The answer is definitely a middle ground scenario, but what aspects of capitalism and socialism must be combined to create a nation that will actually function properly, I don't think I know.
posted by adampaul at
2:33 PM
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