I have been following a number of the posts put forward by our free-market guests (the various anarcho-capitalist, libertarian, laissez-faire varieties) and have come to a few conclusions:Capitalism is the most miraculous, self-generating system ever created since the Garden of Eden. It encompasses All. Indeed, as a simple strand of DNA, left to its own devices, generates the natural world, so too does capitalism, Left to Its Own Devices, generate all the bounty and wealth we see before us. It is the simple the unfolding of natural laws, such as 'Supply and Demand', and any man-made attempts to regulate, modify, or subvert this natural process have only resulted in throwing the entire engine out of balance. This eventuality sometimes requires the services of a high priest who skillfully fine tunes an adjustment knob such as the one for interest rate percentiles. Often these adjustments are made necessary precisely because some aspect of the Perfect Market Machine has been tampered with, interfering with the its natural, smooth performance. Those who live in awe and respect for The PMM are quite naturally upset by those who fail to fully appreciate its wondrous achievements. Such "free marketers" are particularly annoyed by the following:
1. Environmentalists.
These people are considered quite dangerous and are sometimes referred to as "kooks". They are "kooks" because they talk about "issues" and "values" that are often outside the domain of the PMM. And since All of man's desires can be addressed by the PMM, (it being the very fuel that runs the engine), many free-marketers feel that such environmental concerns are a: irrational; b: paranoid; c: delusional ravings of tree-hugging nut-cakes.
1. Class Consciousness.
For some free-marketers (or anarcho-capitalists) there is no such thing as long as the PMM runs smoothly. For some it is merely a subjective matter of value-laden semantics. It's all in the mind, a matter of "definitionism". For others it's just the perception of a collection of disgruntled, failed, "wannabees". Still others admit that it is, after all, the Henry Fords of the world that are the ones that "get things done", and the rest of the world should simply be "grateful".
1. Fairness
Oh how they loathe this word. They would like to abolish it from all dictionaries. "Life's not fair!, "Nature's not fair!, "The universe is not fair!" "As ye sew, so shall ye reap", "I never promised you ...", and this is accompanied with:
3a- Proclamation of The Great Gift - "Freedom to Choose the life that You as an Individual want to live". (so long as the choice does not conflict with the parameters laid down by the PMM)
1. Community
This is sometimes regarded as a code word and many free-marketers are deeply suspicious of it. It has the faint aroma of inter-dependency, something for which a true, self-sufficient Individual, John Gault would never admit to. It also threatens the Smooth operation of the PMM, particularly when combined with other dreaded words like:
5. "Intentional Community", "Cooperative", "Share", and needless to say, "Socialism".
Conclusion:
The rule of thumb is: If it falls outside the Perfect Market Machine framework, it doesn't really exist. Words like "exploitation" are mere subjective descriptors, having no basis in objective fact. Words like "efficiency", "profit/loss", "productive capacity", "vertical demand curve" etc. - These are descriptions of the Real world. They form part of the genetic code of the PMM.
It is truly amazing how all embracing this world view has become. The concept of the smooth running, self-correcting market leaves all need for rational and creative thinking behind. We no longer need to use our minds in reasoned consideration of where this planet is heading, of alternative life-styles, or of what "quality of life" might mean beyond those things that "go better with a coke". There are now more smokers in China than the entire population of the United States. But hey! The result of the choice doesn't matter, it's the fact of the choice that matters. Yeah, like Hiroshima.
