Craig A. Butler says that capitalism is the key to happiness and the "American Way."
His analysis is rooted in the idea that the unhindered free enterprise trademark to capitalism is something that every citizen can benefit from, while the freedoms outlined in the Bill of Rights cement the right of every citizen to enjoy the capitalist system. And while nobody can deny that certain people benefit greatly from the fruits that a capitalist society offers, Mr. Butler fails to recognize that other logical consequences breed irreparable inequalities within the very same society.
Mr. Butler paints a pleasant picture of the joys of capitalism and democracy and how both systems seamlessly include each other. Although it seems like the two immediately go hand in hand, fundamentally, capitalism is antagonistic toward democracy. While democracy grants an equal amount of power for each individual within the state, capitalism inherently creates socio-economic hierarchies that create unequal distribution of wealth and eventually, power.
The power granted to those with greater amounts of wealth inevitably supercedes the limited authority accessible to individuals with very limited and miniscule (in comparison) incomes. And, it is public knowledge that the majority of the wealth in the United States and the world is controlled by an excruciatingly small minority, which ultimately convolutes democracy's aim at a government controlled by the majority.
While I readily admit that I'm not treading new ground, the inequality of power is a catalyst for the majority of struggle between classes. Thus it is a cursory and muddled analysis that enables Mr. Butler to claim that the realization of "Not being a millionaire and not wanting to be one is OK" is the solution of all class struggles within the United States.
Mr. Butler does not realize that an effective capitalist society cannot exist without economic inequality among its citizens, with the heart of class conflict being the extreme difficulty of financial survival it generates for the lower class.
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Just as wealth and luxury exist, unemployment and poverty must be present in a capitalist society. Capitalism works under the pretext that the harder everyone works, the more successful they will become.
But to believe that is to believe that the people who haven't had certain luxuries - such as higher education or birth into a family of relative comfort - and work undesirable jobs that give no prospect of elevating their socio-economic status are merely lazy - which is absolutely untrue.
So when Mr. Butler states that "If you don't like your job, maybe it's not the job for you," it sounds like a relatively simple idea, but in reality it proves nearly impossible for the majority of workers who have no financial independence. And with the exception of the upper class, the majority of workers within the United States - even those who are in the upper middle class - cannot simply up and leave if their job because it isn't fulfilling and expect to avoid eventual economic turmoil.
While Mr. Butler argues that capitalism is fundamentally agreeable and beneficial for everyone who participates in it, he only speaks from the point of view that profits uncritically from it, while ignoring severe factors and consequences that create its inconsistencies and injustices.
Although capitalism creates wealth and privilege, it is ignorant to think it cannot manifest the opposite.
by Sim¢n Trujillo
Daily Lobo Guest Columnist
