Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
>There is however, one problem. If the life styles of the underclass are so
finger licking good, why are we wasting our time >>to get rid of capitalism
and create a better society?
I wouldn't use the word underclass - way too ugly and stigmatizing for me. But there is a tendency among some leftists to idealize the actually existing working class - and the poor on a global scale. I'd love to hear an answer to this question.
Doug
^^^^^
CB: Well, for starters, the proposition that the lives of the poor of the world are so finger licking good seems patently false. :>) "A struggle" would be a more accurate characterization. Spent any time with the homeless and unemployed lately ? Come work at legal services. My attitude to poverty is to get rid of it, not to idealize it. I do have respect for the poor who make a life for themselves despite their deprivation.
Then capitalism is bringing us war, including W'sMD. Would be good to get rid of that. Gets increasingly important to get rid of war as the weapons get more and more powerful ( an unavoidable evil twin of the development of capitalist industrial science and technology). Then there is environmental pollution, racism, male supremacy ...
Capitalism does somethings good for us and somethings bad. Why not get rid of the bad ? That some things are good under capitalism is not reason not to get rid of the bad stuff. Why not the best for humanity ? And we _can_ do better. Lets move on to the next improvements. No need to be sentimental or complacently satisfied with capitalism. Nothing lasts forever.