(1)I have heard it said that human nature is too nasty, too brutal, too petty for that kind of system to function.
Hmm.
(2)I have heard it said that terrible abuses would occur. People would take unfair advantage of the system. People wouldn’t work hard enough.
Hmm.
(3)I have heard it said, for example, that I would not have the luxury of my car. I would not have such wonderful medical care. I would not have the freedom to choose my work; I would not be able to choose where I would live. I would not enjoy the wonders of modern technology.
Hmm.
(4)I have heard it said that we cannot change the world. We should just enjoy the privileges we have been granted.
Hmm.
I’ll start at the bottom, and work my way back up.
(4)Most notably, with privilege comes responsibility. Privileges are earned, not granted. Think about this. Do you think you are lucky to have been born in the United States, or the United Kingdom? Do you think you are lucky to have been born in the “West”? Luck is nothing but a sad, sad myth, used by the upper classes to justify their wealth beyond rational contention. It is nothing more than the divine right of kings in new packaging. It is a wonderful, cunning technique designed to pass questioning the status quo beyond the pale of humanity.
Even if I granted that we ought to “just enjoy” our privileges, why would that translate into irresponsible hedonism? I find enjoyment in helping my fellow human beings. There is no higher law than recognizing the dignity in others, and reaching out to them.
We can change the world. Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Rosa Park, Lenin, Mother Theresa—the list goes on and on, full of ordinary people like you and me, whose only exceptional quality was that they believed they could make a difference.
(3)To those who claim the luxuries of modern life wouldn’t be possible, I say: how do you know? In the United States, in the “West”, we have only tried this one way of doing things, this thing called Capitalism. That should make you think.
Beyond that, you should think about the fact that Cuba has a higher literacy rate than the United States. The Russians had a comparable Space Program. The Chinese have independently developed nuclear power. The Vietminh defeated the most technologically advanced army in the world. But, oh, we don’t like to think about those things here. We don’t teach those things to our kids in school. We subvert them, repress them. As if they will go away.
We should think about all the poisons we pump into our rivers and soils, and why we need to find a cure for all these cancers. We should think about putting holes in the Ozone layer, spilling oil in Alaska. We should think about the kind of freedom we have now, where school children have to where bulletproof vests, where such a thing as road rage even exists, and where we hide from our neighbors. This is freedom? Where did you get to go to school? Who were your parents’ friends? Now, how much choice did you really have in your work?
Let us not forget that we all don’t get to enjoy the modern marvels of capitalist, market technology. We can’t all afford computers. We can’t all afford to pay the bribes to plug in to the Internet. How far away is your local library? Will they even let you inside if you’re homeless?
(2)Ah, yes! The abuses of communism. Most of our concepts of the evils, the horrors, and the abuses of communism have come in pre-packaged form from the American Media—a capitalist organ. First rule of freethinking: always question your sources!
If you didn’t have to work, they tell me, you wouldn’t work. You would just sit at home all day, watch TV, and play video games. You would just sit around and get your check, the same as all the people who hauled ass. Well, let me just point out a few things here. If everyone just sat around, there wouldn’t be anyone hauling ass. So.
I think that some people would take advantage of the system. I think that some of us would stay home all day and do nothing. I’m O.K. with that. Tell me, right here, right now, that capitalism doesn’t have its abuses. Then, I’ll let the fear of abuse stop my desire for communism. A few people sitting around—so what? Don’t underestimate the power of peer pressure. If everyone else is working, putting in their effort, are you going to be the only one sitting at home? Remember that social pressure convinces people to smoke, a habit that everyone in the United States knows is a death sentence.
(1)Finally, I would like to address the claim that human nature is just too vile for people to want to help each other. The only thing I can say is that those who think that way must have been terribly hurt. They must have been let down. Or maybe their human nature is too small, too mean, too petty. Maybe they are the problem, not humanity! My human nature is not to ignore those in need. My human nature is not to live in luxury, standing on the backs of the poor. My human nature tells me it is wrong to let the machinery of capitalism be oiled by the blood of the masses! I will not stand by and simply allow injustice to go unanswered! I will not allow the people be denied their rights! My human nature is to take action! I reject fear, and I trust my neighbor. Things can change, comrades. We must resolve one simple equation: Live Free, or Die!
Return to Red Fist
Back to the Ranting