From: "Mark Thom" <c_vagabonde-AT-hotmail.com> Subject: Re: what do we mean when we say capitalism? Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 02:55:49 -0000 > > I think that most anarchists wouldn't have a problem > > with technology as defined above. But, on the other > > hand, neither would capitalists. (I think we all know > > what capitalism is, so I'll skip the definition.) > >Well, actually... > >I've been off anarchy-list for many years, so I have not followed >recent discussions on the topic, but I'm never quite sure what >a lot of anarchists means when they talk about "capitalism" or >"capitalists". > >Some variants seem to be: >-- the system in which people are employed as wage slaves and the >surplus value derived from their labor benefits the class that >owns the means of production >-- the system in which goods/services are traded on the market >-- the system of using money to buy/sell goods and services >-- the growing global corporate takeover >-- the inequality between rich/poor, haves/have-nots >-- the system of private property I think capitalism encompasses all these traits. After all, a "free" market economy is dependent on private property which in turn makes wage slavery and exploitation possible, which amounts to growing international corporate intrusion. A good deal of vagueness within anarchist philosophy is due to generalized terminology often purported by the media (which can be, at times, either sympathetic or consciously spiteful of anarchism/anarchists) and sometimes ourselves. But, as anyone can easily see from reading a detailed piece on the subject (such as the Anarchist FAQ), many of these terms are not to be tossed about lightly. An understanding of anarchism, I think, requires some familiarity with similar critiques of capitalism. _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.
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