Capitalism's Uneven Development
This week’s episode of Economic Update features an introductory discussion by Professor Wolff on capitalism's systematically uneven economic development. From Marx's original criticism of capitalism for producing and reproducing unevenness to the many historical examples, Prof. Wolff argues that there are indeed heavy social costs which flow from capitalism's uneven development. Those costs then become bases for arguing the need to move beyond capitalism.
Professor Wolff, in my opinion, delivers us a reason our representatives don't have a real cause to change our society's inequality. Our misfortunes are beneficial to capitalism. This uneven development he's speaking about is basically the driver to much of the failures of our society in a number of aspects. He gives an example of this as to our family and current immigration issue in the second half.
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2 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I read more than I watch vids but have followed Wolff for a while. I read and agree with Zinn and Loewen ( Lies My Teacher Told Me ). America’s founders intended an economic oligarchy that would exclude common folk, and that’s what they gave us. In short, it selects for sociopathy.
In the 1970s In a public library copy of Harvard Business Review an article described two benefits of an employee ownership model of capitalism. Such companies are kinder to the physical environment and they experience less employee theft. There are now thousands of such companies in America, most of them small but a few large. I doubt the success of a model that calls for government ownership of the means of production.
Your response?
yvilletom
Level 8
Mar 24, 2020
0
Unfortunately history tells us we can't trust governments to honestly work on the behalf of the the commons without them favoring the wealthy in drastic means. Wolff explains this as the systems changed from feudalism to today's version of capitalism. He does so by explaining how the terms of slavery have only really been conditioned over time. I'll argue our problem is finding a reliable body of people to mass vote into governance. Right now my eyes are towards the SEP (Socialist Equality Party).
Lets take China for an example. While most will proclaim a totalitarian communist government, does it work? I have been arguing it does as it is currently adopting some of Venezuela's social programs recently. While our media and politicians will proclaim it suppresses individual freedom and seeks to subordinate its citizens, the last 5 decades contradict that with the fastest growing middle class, possibly the fastest in history. Crack downs at times I will argue are to combat the conditioned perception management that engulfs our society today. How do you view are society having been under attack by these means in drastic measures for the past 5 decades? If you recognize it as I do? I'd fear the outside agenda and attempt to keep my population from being over taken by it also. Shit! They have 1.7 billion people to keep united. You simply can't have that many people and not have a sense of freedom going on! Just as you do with corruption. Who I ask is actually doing a better job in confronting corruption? It surely isn't us in the political and corporate arenas.
I'll argue that one of Venezuela's problems is that they haven't cracked down on the corporate and political corruption enough. That being the opposition political entities who are openly free to seduce outside interference. Allowing the corporate entities to contain to much power offers the very complications they fight. These corporations manage to strangle the agenda of the past 2 presidents and the citizens needs. Is it out of fear of drawing in a more intensive outside interference? I imagine it is. Look what happens to their neighbors. Yet even through the past 2 decades Chavez and Maduro have made great strides in combating poverty and providing essential needs to the citizens, which Maduro still holds the support of a vast amount of the population. Much like Cuba's government! That's a tough measure to topple as the western war pigs have found out. But try they keep pushing.
Maybe not in a full scale yet, I'm one to argue that those are successful models. Just imagine the outside interference being erased! This is why they are so intensively challenged by the ruling class! This is why our politicians and their media are constantly projecting false narratives towards conditioning our population with their perception management of a delusional reality about these countries. Venezuela, unlike China, only has a population of about 30 million people who most of support their government, they don't quite need the crack down China uses out of fear. With good reason, look at what happened in Hong Kong! Yet another westernized back quagmire.
I apologize for taking so long. I've been quite busy and wanted to give you a proper reply.
I read more than I watch vids but have followed Wolff for a while. I read and agree with Zinn and Loewen ( Lies My Teacher Told Me ). America’s founders intended an economic oligarchy that would exclude common folk, and that’s what they gave us. In short, it selects for sociopathy.
In the 1970s In a public library copy of Harvard Business Review an article described two benefits of an employee ownership model of capitalism. Such companies are kinder to the physical environment and they experience less employee theft. There are now thousands of such companies in America, most of them small but a few large. I doubt the success of a model that calls for government ownership of the means of production.
Your response?
yvilletom
Level 8
Mar 19, 2020
1