Monday, June 04, 2007


“The purpose of Capitalism is always the same: Exploitation. Oppression. War. So that suffering and poor people bring it maximum profit.” Soviet anti-capitalist propaganda poster.

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3 comments:

David Kendall said...

According to Wikipedia, "propaganda is a type of message aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of people. Often, instead of impartially providing information, propaganda can be deliberately misleading, or use fallacies, which, while sometimes convincing, are not necessarily valid", (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda).

But I don't see anything misleading or rhetorical about this statement: "The purpose of Capitalism is always the same: Exploitation. Oppression. War. So that suffering and poor people bring it maximum profit". If there is any doubt about whether this statement is based in documented fact, simply take a look at "American" history, recent and past. Moreover, take a close look at the dubious present and future of this planet, as a whole.

Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production, in which personal profit can be acquired through investment of capital and employment of labor. Under capitalism, a small minority of exploiters appropriates the surplus created by labor, leaving just enough for the actual producers to survive. The exploiters dispose of the surplus to meet their own private interests, regardless of larger societal needs.

Is there anything wrong with accumulating wealth as a result of creative innovation? Certainly not. But as the saying goes, "My rights end where the rights of others begin". When the accumulation of wealth leads to irrational power that forces a great majority of the population to live in poverty and starvation, capitalism has overstepped its boundaries. The functions of "self-interest" and "free market" cease to benefit all participants, as Adam Smith and others once claimed.

Moreover, when long-term participation in capitalism results in deadly threats to every life on the planet, it might be time to turn the bus around. In fact, it might be long past time to get off the "bus", altogether.

11:26 PM
SRL said...

Right on.

As far as the term propaganda is concerned, on this site, its use is neutral (as was the case prior to WWII) meaning to propagate one's beliefs or agenda. The literature of that period has many such references to its use with no negative connotations. Propaganda can contain truth. This poster may be accurate, but look at the originators: state capitalists.

7:02 PM
Stephen said...

More deluded Marxists.

I guess no one read about Stalin's millions of forced labor slaves, huh?

6:34 AM

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