Random Rambles: Is Capitalism the Bane of Our Existence?

As many people have noticed, there seems to be a negative connotation for capitalism. The idea of having active competition seems to result in exploitation and other devious methods in order to maximize profits. Many ideologies like socialism and communism have sprouted from the opposition to capitalism. The working class especially has a bone to pick with capitalism since they feel that they are being robbed of their money by huge companies. Capitalism seems to be a flawed system that does not deserve to exist.

So why does it exist then? Every single society in the history of mankind has had social classes that divided certain people based on status, wealth, or other deciding factors. The disparity in our civilization has been up for debate as people believe that social equality is the best possible option. Socialism and communism pleads to the lower classes's emotions by stating how the upper classes have most of the wealth by just owning a corporation or inheritance while the lower classes have worked so hard yet have meager earnings. These ideologies wish to establish systems that allow for equality by stripping away private property to reduce the lust for material goods and have companies work as a team. It's this idea of community with each person looking out for the next that has plagued our society with this tantalizing offer. Capitalism's benefits often get overlooked as many state how capitalism has led to notorious acts like the Ford Pinto that occurred because of desire for money.

This hatred of capitalism can be seen readily in media today. There are countless movies in which capitalism is the result of greed and thus is tantamount to a sin. The Lorax is a fine example of this as the town "rulers" are demonized for charging for air. What this movie fails to realize is that this town is already well off without trees since everyone is happy yet consumers seem to be mad at "air" prices. Many other examples exist and what's shocking is that they are typically marketed toward children. Sure these forms of media are completely simplistic and the capitalism portrayed is complete capitalism but this develops children to expect that capitalism is the bane of everything bad in our society. There's always this huge corporation that hurts the main protagonist or there's this person who managed to get it big after exploiting the protagonist. While it doesn't directly attack the system of capitalism, it addresses the idea of greed though the subliminal message is that a system that allows for such deeds to go unpunished is unjust. Even media not geared toward kids features big corporations that are not moral or ethical in some way. When children grow up and see many countries having this capitalistic system or trying to develop one, they get bewildered and wonder why such a system that allows for unethical companies to get away exists.

Despite what many people do think, capitalism is not a bad system. In fact, it's the best possible option we have. Take socialism or communism. These systems require radical change and the many countries that have attempted this have failed miserably. Capitalism allows for active competitivity which allows for society to progress. The United States allows for anyone to rise to the top based on opportunities and skill. Sure this system may not always work since the working class can stay in their poverty but this system is still much better than what other countries may have since U.S. poverty is a lot better than poverty anywhere else. Our economic system works because of how much freedom it has. The idea of socialism believes in a pivotal moment that Karl Marx outlined in which he believed that Germany and the rest of Europe were on the eve of revolution. However, many decades have and the system has remained. There still are people who do want their social equality as shown in the Occupy Wall Street protests yet they have little to complain about. Most of the 99% are well off compared to the rest of the world. They have a smartphone or other electronic device to access social media to rouse the "rest of the 99%" and they probably have a home with a decent job. While the instigators may have been in poorer conditions, the people who have jumped on the bandwagon are far from poor.

So what does this all boil down to? Is our society being hypocritical? The people in the media who criticize capitalism do benefit from capitalism. So why do we criticize a system that works well? Well, society as a whole will never be satisfied even if we do achieve socialism. We need to stop being so critical of our society by attacking this system by using it as a scapegoat. We need to actually consider what we already have because of capitalism.