March 14,
2016: Communist Manifesto Class Notes
What was Marx
saying, was the condition any worse now?
In
feudal society, there were many different class ranks and in a way this was
better (and worse- different) as the class struggle was not as emphasized with
the distributed frustration.
Does it go too
far to say that he likes “different”? Was it better or more complicated?
The
bourgeoisie simplified everything and he praised these simplified economics.
Marx’s problem was that in feudal society in the past people had been blinded
by religion and total absolutism. People did not know how to think for themselves,
as everything in life was so money driven and structured. People had the chance to rise in society now but
his problem is in the past (with the feudal structure) craftsmen who worked
hard and supported the rest of society. In the feudal society they enjoyed
their work and there was value to what they were doing, whereas in modern
society, they were not getting paid or honored the way they used to. Capitalist
society concentrated on the bourgeoisie as they were forcing people to become
wage earners thereby, making the most economic gains for themselves.
As
seen in la Belle Époque, wealthy classes were in a protective and restrictive
bubble made of strict rules. Within this bubble, their own interests blinded
them of their concerns for the lower classes. These interests varied between
different countries but were also the same. In every country, every wealthy
person in the capitalist society’s main concern was the retaining of their
status and wealth, while the varying principle was the way in which each
different country decided to display or prove their wealth to others. Each
wealthy class displayed their wealth in their intricate dress as well as
through mediums such as art connoisseurship and accumulation of real estate.
The threat that Marx predicts is that with all of these distractions of the
luxurious life of being an upper class member, the repressed proles will unite
and rise to become powerful enough to rise against the bourgeoisie. As
previously all that the bourgeoisie did was reap the benefits of the hard labor
of the proles, the wealthy middle class would not be able to survive without
the essential contributions of the proletariat class.
Is capitalism
based on this parasitic relationship?
Yes,
it is as it is centered around the exploitation of the wage earners in order to
make their own lives better. The ideology was to pay the laborers less and less
in order to further cater to the needs of the bourgeoisie. The parasitic nature
of this relationship can be clearly seen in the fact that one (the bourgeoisie)
feeds on the other, making it continually worsen and continually struggle.
When
one thinks of parasites and the reason why capitalism is the way it is, one
must recognize that if society does not have everything equal, people will
always want to compete for more. Unfairly but unfailingly, there will always be
this conflict and this fight to be better than others, thereby creating the
vicious cycle of capitalism.
Is capitalism
causing these effects to occur or is it just the nature of society?
The
true fuel behind capitalism was “the hope
that you could be on the other end of the parasitic relationship”-Cory.
When one thinks about this and applies it to politics, one can look to the
majority of presidential candidates (namely Trump) are at the top of the food
chain and although each is trying to convince America that they will have a
better chance at getting you closer to being the human (or dog (of the
parasitic relationship)) than the man standing next to him, each are from the
one percent, thereby allowing the cycle to continue. Politics for this reason
cannot change because it is the top percentage of individuals that create our
government.
The
idea that even though there is this shifting one percent is what motivates
people in a capitalist society to better themselves and compete with those next
to them as well as oppress others in order to better and heighten oneself. This
is a noticeable difference between the capitalist society and the feudal
society in that the feudal society had the social classes of individuals
engrained in their names and in their families, one could not do anything to
rise or fall in society, therefore there was nowhere near as must oppression of
those below you and the competition that is existent in a capitalist society.
This
shifting one percent can be seen in the shift from the era of Carnegies and
Rockefellers to the modern time in which Kanye West and Mark Zuckerberg are
members of the one percent. This all has to do with conforming and following
the trends of society but the class of the most wealthy is always changing,
something that can not be said of the feudal wealth.
“The
more things change, the more they stay the same.”- Yarnall /World
A
large part of the reason behind why capitalism persists is that people have been
duped into thinking that they could actually be at the top. This can easily
been seen in statistical’ studies where the middle class and people of a
variety of class/wealth levels, their overestimation of their wealth in
comparison to others in society.
Different
Perceptions of Communism
As
many of us have remarked in our reading of the Communist Manifesto, the ideas
of Marx are not insane or ridiculous as those of communism are portrayed in
society. Communism is seen as an evil ideology in the ignorant eyes of many,
but this can be largely attributed to the number of men who have drew parts of
their own corrupt ideologies from those of Marx, but not being completely of
the same nature. When one looks at communism in history one must recognize the
fact that the ideas of Marx, all expressed what was wrong with society and a
probable ideology that can be used as a solution to the ills of society.
Therefore, in society, one cannot say that Marx was truly a crazy man when
regarding the communist label put on t eh ideologies of very famous wackos
including Stalin, Lennon and china-men. There are many aspects of communism
that motivate people to work harder than they might under the pressure of capitalist
society. The Chinese government recognizes this attribute to communist logic,
but one cannot say that all that the Chinese do are things that Marx himself
would support or had proposed. Another example are what Stalin and Lennon did
in the Soviet Union, as it was not the same ideology as Marc, but they twisted
and fit Marx’s communism to their will.
The Ideologies of
Today
One
can see the every changing society that we live in under the reign of
capitalism starting to lean towards communism in that the modern high school
student is more apt to care for those around them than someone that might be in
their thirties (maybe because of their memorable experience of 9/11). Many seen
socialism as the benefiting of everyone and the caring of others and this is
something that people are becoming increasingly characteristic of. The majority
of the population it is actually corporate America (the epitome of capitalism)
that is the cause of corruption within our nation and the world as a whole.
Now-a-days, more of America’s youth are interested in taking care of each other
and the concerns of their community as a ground in which they are part of, not
as much of the individualistic, me first attitude.
This
is all seen in the Snap-chat Generation.
“People
can find a problem with everything”- Nicole
Thank
you everyone!
Franny
<3
