| This question <106|89> overall <87|89> Boar: <501|153>. |
| Question 186: Bring examples of people trying to use the social powers of the objects they are handling for their benefit. Are these attempts successful in the examples you bring, and if not, why not? |
| [88] Boar: Here Marx suggests that we (capitalists) are the product of the circumstances we find ourselves in. We are capitalists by nature and therefore seem to be inherently seeking a selfish social type of power. Marx says the more we pursue our goals we “become the mere executors of the inner tendencies of the commodity.” Basically, we become slaves to the commodity and the social system. Marx seems to be saying that if a capitalist reaches a certain level of social power this individual will only try to benefit him/herself. He goes so far as to say “this route will not allow individuals to transform their social relations into a benign and beneficial backdrop for their individual purposes.” |
| This is exactly where Marx errors. This week alone has given Americans an excellent chance to see just how altruistic in nature the self-made wealthy Americans are. The First example is Keyshawn Johnson, a professional football player. He has come from nowhere and made millions of dollars. So according to Marx, Mr. Johnson would only pursue his selfish capitalistic desires and use his money soley for himself and his social wants. It must have been surprising to many devout Marxists that Mr. Johnson donated one week of his salary to the rescue effort in N.Y. For a person who earns $57 million dollars that is a lot of money. |
| Next case is Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, a pro basketball team. Mr. Cuban is also a self-made billionaire. Instead of conforming to the mislead Marxist belief that capitalists only follow their social desires they too must have been entirely surprised and disappointed to hear about his $1 million dollar donation to the families of the deceased firemen and policemen. |
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