Today there was a march in support of the Lebanese. Well, I started on my way down to my grocery store and ran into a huge column with a large block of communists with their flags and pictures of Marx and Lenin. This made me think again about the similarities between Marxism and Capitalism.
Both Capitalism and Marxism have a perchance for believing in invisible forces (not unlike religions). Many Marxists, especially since Stalin, believe in an invisible force called "The State". Many Capitalists believe in the "invisible hand of the market" which will equalize everything for them. The problem with both positions is that they forget that people are not stupid or, put another way, they do not believe people are willful actors in their environment. So, what ends up happening is that People end up running both the "The State" and the "invisible hand of the market". For instance, monopolies (or the more modern, "vertically integrated corporations") occur when people find out how to manipulate the "invisible hand of the market" to their own end. Marxists end up with the same problem because People end up manipulating "The State" for their own end as well. Another way to put it, what happens when your local corporation where you work also owns the supermarket where you shop and the house where you live? This is exactly the same problem when "The State" where you work owns the supermarket where you shop and the house where you live.
One of these days I am going to write a book about this.
posted by Chris #5:25 PM | 0 comments |
