Ten Reasons Why Capitalism Sucks
Steve Polk
Posted: 1/19/05
By writing this, I am committing a severe cardinal sin against the mainstream of capitalist United States. Any critique of capitalism will surely be written off as either communist, extremist, or un-American-and understandably so. The defenders of capitalism have rallied the troops time and time again to ensure that so-called free markets remain free, and a shameless materialism continues in spite of environmental and personal degradation. It’s economical for barons of capitalism to defend the system that supports them at all costs.
To no one’s surprise, we live in an era of mass consumption unparalleled to any period in the history of our species and planet. This would all be fine and dandy if it were not for the negative accumulative effects on Mother Earth and the spiritual and personal health of the individual.
1. First of all, the fact that Britney Spears is a role model for millions of young teenagers … enough said.
2.An economic system with no limiting principle will eventually exhaust natural resources rendering the planet unlivable for many species.
3. An economic system that suffers from the protection and preservation of natural resources is bound to expend life-sustaining natural resources.
4. Competitive individualism pits members of the human species against each other. In an evolutionary aspect, competition within the species has eventually proved disastrous while mutual cooperation, where members of the species work together to defend against destructive external forces, is far more successful.
5. Even though we live in an era of unprecedented materialism and economic prosperity, depression is reaching epidemic levels. The World Health Organization predicts that depression will be the second most debilitating disease in the developed world by 2020. In other words, material wealth does not equal happiness.
6. The TV show, “The Swan.”
7. With the aid of trade agreements and organizations like the World Trade Organization, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the up-and-coming Free Trade Area of the Americas and Central American Free Trade Agreement, corporations have successfully transcended local control, the authority of democratic laws and regulations, and even governmental oversight. This power breeds environmental degradation, destroys labor laws like the right to collective bargaining and safety standards, and often forces indigenous populations off their land and into slave-labor factories.
8. The neo-liberal ideological foundation of these trade agreements is that free trade will raise the standard of living for underdeveloped countries to standards that match developed countries. However well-intentioned, this thought does not take into account the fact that North Americans consume 31.5 percent of the world’s resources yet they only comprise 5.2 percent of the world’s population. The fact that it would take four worlds over to support 6 billion people living like Americans renders this theory unreachable.
9. Corporations like Halliburton and Level-3 communications, just to name two, command their own private military firms (PMF). These PMFs are mercenaries in the worst sense. They swear no allegiance to any government and their function is to wage war to secure financial assets.
10. An economic system that values greed and envy over morality will eventually spiral into degeneracy, hence Britney Spears and “The Swan.”
Bottom line, capitalism seeks profit at the expense of the people and the land. I am not a communist, nor do I subscribe to other vanguard parties. I simply believe that it is our responsibility to strive for sustainability in a cooperative partnership with people and Mother Earth lest we destroy the prospects of future existence in a peaceful world.
shabash! that person is a hero…