From: David-AT-pseud.pseud
Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2004 10:06:23 EDT
Subject: Re: M-INTRO: Does Capialism lead to atheism?


Class mobility, that is, the ability for the proletariat to join the 
bourgeoisie (to use Marxist terminology, since this is, after all the "Marxism-Intro" 
list), is not a function of inheritance, but the ownership and control of the 
means of production. Globally, this ownership is falling into fewer and fewer 
hands; the global media, for instance, is now controlled by five CEOs. The 
United States has the largest economic disparity of any of the so-called 
"advanced" or "developed" nations. The capitalist class in the US as elsewhere is 
collectively organized as a political entity, though it functions inefficiently 
through competetive rather than cooperative means.

The continued existence of religion in capitalist society underscores the 
reality of the lack of economic mobility-- why concern oneself with ownership and 
control of the means of production when one can simply wait for paradise in 
the hereafter?
 
Obviously expertise will be necessary in a communist society, expertise that 
cannot be evenly socially distributed-- surgeons for instance. My point is 
that anyone will be able to be trained to carry out the task of experts, rather 
than only those with the social means necessary to undertake the training, 
education, etc. The familiar quotation of Marx below underscores the divisions of 
labor that Yenom is correct to point out.   To relegate these ideas to 
aphorism or "mantra" is dangerous indeed.

On the other hand, there are bureaucratic functions of government which in 
communist society can be stripped of the fetters of privilege and position and 
rendered more efficiently simply as that-- simple bureaucratic function, to the 
point where "bureaucracy" becomes obsolete in its current form.   The everday 
tasks of running the government will be divided evenly among people, just as 
the cleaning of public bathrooms, the sweeping of sidewalks, the cooking of 
collective meals, etc.
In a message dated 10/3/04 10:40:48 PM, Yenom-AT-pseud.pseud writes:


> I think David underestimates the actual amount of class mobility that does 
> exist
> in the United States compaired to other places and eras.  On the most recent
> American Forbes 400 list only 156 of them inherited any sort of wealth.  And
> also I would argue that the role of experts will still be necessary in any 
> sort
> of communist society, but that everyone must be an expert in something as
> theorized by Devine.
> 
> Thirdly I think you do communism no good to utter that tired mantra that in 
> the
> current capitalist social system no one can identify with.  "From each
> according to his own ability, to each according to his own needs."  Such
> declarations sound like a slavery of the able to the lazy because people are
> thinking of such a mantra within a capitalist frame of mind.  A better 
> version
> that resonates with more people currently is the more socialist mantra "From
> each according to his ability, to each according to his ability."  Ending
> exploitation must be a first step towards a system in which a more caring
> paradigm can emerge that would support the more communist statement.
> 
> On the religion issue, I Marx called it the opiate of the masses because it
> helped foster false consciousness.  People accepted the current social 
> system
> as God's plan and then fail to question it.  Remember, to Marx there is no
> conspiracy by individual capitalists (aka the Man) the system itself
> manipulates men, even capitalists are subject to it's manipulation.
> 



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