- Capitalism and Alternatives -
Marxism
Posted by: Peter Mckerry ( Glasgow Celtic Supporters Association, Scotland ) on December 08, 1999 at 17:28:34:
Ben - You're argument that people have a problem earning less wages than those who are less motivated is limited. It is no surprise that people lack motivation in the workplace given that millions of us do menial tasks for very little reward. This is central to Marx's theory of alienation. I also believe that in a truly socialist society the majority of us would be motivated because we would have a stake in society, through working for the common good rather than selling our labour potential as a commodity. It is also no surprise that you have this negative view of human nature given that the U.S.A more that anywhere has socialised it's citizens to believe that number one comes first, and everyone's goal should be to make themselves a million. It is hard to argue against Marxism given the worst excesses of capitalism. The mere fact that in America, ships are designed especially to deposit grain into the ocean in order to keep the price high while so many starve, and the fact that people recieve healthcare according to income and not need, shows that there is something fatally flawed about capitalism.Lastly, as your debating friends would probably agree, we can't attack Marxist practice as it has never been put into place the way Marx defined it. We can, however attack capitalism, as we see the misery and poverty it causes every day, even in the land of the "free".
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