From: Unzufrieden-AT-pseud.pseud
Subject: M-INTRO: What are we to do?
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 23:02:17 MDT


I am a college student who is about to graduate.  Having been lost in the 
fantasy world of academia for most of my life, I feel a bit unsure about my 
place in society.  I am sympathetic to Marxism.  I see the abuses of 
capitalism and would that they end.  However, I feel the career that I will 
enjoy the most is business, specifically investment and financial analysis.  
The stock market and Wall Street seem to be calling my name.  I recognize 
that the stock market is the epitome of people getting something for nothing 
(or nothing for something).  However, I could see myself managing a mutual 
fund or something similar.

I have a friend who is quite active in a local socialist group.  When I 
discussed with him my dilemma, he predicted that in twenty years, after I 
became management, I would forget my socialist sympathies and align myself 
with the capitalists.  He claimed that I would look back on my exploration 
of Marxism in my college years as foolishness.  I then asked him what I 
should do.  He replied that I should fight for the REVOLUTION.  I then asked 
what should I do up until the revolution for my means of subsistence.  He 
advised take any job to pay the bills.

I find my friend’s advice unsatisfying.  First of all, I am not one of many 
interests.  It is hard for me to picture myself having a career outside of 
business.  At least, if I did have some other job I would not be satisfied 
with it.  Second, I have an overachiever-type personality.  I see myself as 
one who would run myself ragged to climb up the corporate ladder until I was 
at the top.  If I made it to the top I would hope that I would be a 
benevolent capitalist.  However, I realize that a benevolent capitalist is 
still a capitalist.

I feel that the capitalist system is forcing me either to pursue a career 
that will be satisfying to me, but make me a part of the exploitative part 
of capitalism, or take a job that where I will be the exploited part of 
society and unfulfilled.  Hence, I am left with a choice to exploit or be 
exploited as long as capitalism is king.

I find exploitation of workers as morally wrong.  I want to avoid it, but my 
career goals seem headed directly for it.  My reason for pursuing this 
career is not monetary gain.  I tend to leave a Spartan life.  I would not 
know how to spend a large amount of money on myself.  I realize that I could 
and probably will give a lot of my future money away to charities to lessen 
the abuses of capitalism.  However, charities of this nature seem to be one 
reason why capitalism is so widely accepted.  The charities attempt to 
mitigate the abuses of capitalism.  The unfortunate result of these 
do-gooders is that people do not see capitalism for what it is.  At any 
rate, giving to charities is a Band-Aid rather than a long-term solution.

I feel that I will live a my whole life being discontent with the system in 
which I live, but at the same time helpless to do anything but write nasty 
emails denouncing capitalism.

My questions are these: What is one to do if one has Marxist sympathies but 
has a career in the mechanisms of capitalism that Marx attacks?  What can 
those of us with Marxist sympathies do to be a positive force for good in 
the real world even though out of necessity, we must participate in the 
capitalist system?

I would appreciate any comments on how you have come to terms with these 
issues.  The realm of academia seems ever more alluring as I contemplate 
entering into the work force full-time.  Perhaps I may change my career 
goals to becoming a professor where tenure will shield from the forces of 
capitalism while I decry it for its shortcomings.

Unzufrieden
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