| This question <14|3> overall <523|3> Daklar: <479|7>. |
| Question 4: Can you think of things which are part of the riches of capitalist society but which are not produced for and traded on markets? |
| [1] Daklar: The Riches of Capitalism In a capitalist society such as ours there are so many things which we take for granted as part of every day normal life that are there as a product of capitalism. |
| I had the opportunity a couple of years ago to spend a summer living in a third world country in a small mud shack. One night I was thinking of all of the differences between my home and where I was living at the time. The thought came to me that the old saying “in America, the streets are paved with gold” might as well be true in comparison to living in the environment I was in. In the United States we are surrounded at all times by advertising urging us to buy and accumulate goods. We are urged to spend so much that companies will give you free stuff just to get you to try their product and then maybe you will like it and become a frequent user. Just the other day on campus I was handed a box filled with advertisements and small samples of several products that a number of companies were giving away. A good friend of mine got married a few months back and received a large basket of sample products from the place he was married. |
| These are all things that we consider just a normal part of everyday life. It isn't a surprise to get these things. To go a little deeper, when I returned home from my experience in a not so capitalist centered environment I realized a number of things that before, I had looked at as simply common things that everybody had, were really part of the riches of capitalist society. To list a few: easy access to and prolific use of credit; to buy a car, pay for school, to go on vacations, pretty much anything I want. Credit is easy to get and almost everyone can get a lot of it. There seems to be a convenience store on almost every corner, the roads are all paved and there is beautiful landscaping everywhere. You turn on the faucet in you house and water comes out any time of the day or night and you can even drink it straight from the tap without getting sick! A few more things could be the fact that I get 20 paid days off a year and the company I work for pays for all of my schooling and I am not even planning on working for them for the rest of my life either. I have had a car since I was 16 years old and it isn't like I come from anything better than a middle class household, I have also had a job since the time I was 12 and I haven't ever had to work to support my family. I have only worked to put spending money in my own oh so needy hands. If I want to see a movie I go. If I want to buy a candy bar I do. The list could go on for pages and pages more. |
| I am not saying I have a completely free flow of money but I have never lacked for opportunities to make money to get the things I want when I have been willing to work. I don't feel that any of these things I have mentioned are so very unique to my situation. They are simply a part of the riches of capitalist society that all of us living in this society are able to benefit from. |
| Hans: Missing the topic of the question is a serious matter. I want you to carefully read the assigned readings and also the questions. But since you were the first to step forward, and you wrote an interesting submission, your grade was not bad this time. |
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