You Take Part In Capitalism Too!
Some criticise anti-capitalists by saying ‘Well, you take part in capitalism too! – you hypocrite!’ or 'You are IN capitalism, you conform to capitalism yourself’. Like, for example, I get royalties from the sales of my books, and isn’t that a part of capitalism? Its sounds good but it’s a silly, meaningless point. This is one of the 4 or 5 main things people say, and its a very weak argument. It really does not prove anything against anarchism or socialism, at all.
It’s a bit like saying to a campaigner for clean air:
‘Hey you say you don’t like this dirty, polluted air – but I notice that you are breathing it! If you don’t like polluted air, then don’t breath any of it.’
Ah huh… HOW exactly? They HAVE to keep breathing that air, there is no choice. It’s that or die. It does not mean that the effort to try to clean up the air, the environment, etc, is invalid because we are forced to breath polluted air NOW. And it definitely doesn’t mean that the air will never become cleaner.
So, its the same with the point against those who want to ‘clean up’ society by changing capitalism. It does not invalidate our ideas and efforts - at all - that we are currently IN capitalism. And it does not mean that we wont have success in creating a better society.
There is a big difference between being IN a situation and actively SUPPORTING that system.
And recently a point by me which got a very daft reply. My comment was related to the above subject:
"Because someone is IN a capitalist society now, it in no way invalidates their criticism of capitalism. Just as a campaigner for clean air is not invalidated by presently breathing."
The reply from a guy in Britain was:
"A more sophisticated point would be that it is bemusing as to why you don't move somewhere which isn't run by the LDP (the conservative pro-capitalist ruling party of Japan). There must be elements of living in capitalist Japan that you like, otherwise you wouldn't be living there. The air comparison is silly. You can't live without breathing. You have a choice where you live!"
So, i will try, with infinite patience (!), to explain further why this basic point 'Why are you living in capitalism if you dont like it? Why not move to Cuba/Bolivia/the moon?' is, as they said on Blackadder, "A load of bollocks". Here goes:
The air comparison is not silly. It's an exaggerated analogy to make the point - as is mostly the case with such poetic comparisons. Its the normal poetic use of metaphor/simile/analogy. As is common in literature for 100s of years. If that is silly then half of Shakespeare is silly. ‘Your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters’ (Macbeth). To which you may say: ‘His face is a BOOK? what a silly comparison, its nothing like a book!’... oh brother...
And in this case its not even that poetic. Capitalism is the dominant present system in the UK, Japan, etc - the element of choice here is very limited. It is NOT a straight question of choosing 'area A capitalist', or 'area B. not capitalist'. If there was such a clear straight choice then i probably would be living in the non-capitalist area. But capitalism, like polluted air, is almost all pervasive now. So, i actually have very little choice now but to breath in its polluted capitalist fumes. A further comparison with air: its like you say to the campaigner ‘why dont you live high up in the mountains then- where the air is more pure?’ That is totally silly and is against the main point of their complaint: they dont want the city to be so polluted. I dont want capitalism to be so all pervasive. we are fighting for a BETTER system, while being IN the present bad one. There is 100% no contradiction there.
But it IS silly and bigoted to suggest that anyone who criticises some point SHOULD leave the area in which that point has a strong presence. On that logic muslims should leave the UK because they complain about problems with racism… gay people should leave florida because they talk with anger about the recent shooting there... the Smith’s should leave their street because the Brown’s play their music too loud… it’s that level of thinking. crude, ugly, stupid. ‘If you dont like our loud music why dont you move to another street?’ say the Brown’s.
Because this is MY street as much as yours, and I have the right to be here and give my view as to how things should be here. If i simply move away, from the loud music, the capitalism, the racism, the polluted air, etc… i have let that thing i disagree with WIN… No, we stay HERE, where the problem is, IN the polluted air of capitalism…and make some effort to improve the situation, according to what i think would be better. We may not succeed, we may lose the debate… but we should try.
Above image: close up of a snow scene painting by my mother, Eileen.
Some criticise anti-capitalists by saying ‘Well, you take part in capitalism too! – you hypocrite!’ or 'You are IN capitalism, you conform to capitalism yourself’. Like, for example, I get royalties from the sales of my books, and isn’t that a part of capitalism? Its sounds good but it’s a silly, meaningless point. This is one of the 4 or 5 main things people say, and its a very weak argument. It really does not prove anything against anarchism or socialism, at all.
It’s a bit like saying to a campaigner for clean air:
‘Hey you say you don’t like this dirty, polluted air – but I notice that you are breathing it! If you don’t like polluted air, then don’t breath any of it.’
Ah huh… HOW exactly? They HAVE to keep breathing that air, there is no choice. It’s that or die. It does not mean that the effort to try to clean up the air, the environment, etc, is invalid because we are forced to breath polluted air NOW. And it definitely doesn’t mean that the air will never become cleaner.
So, its the same with the point against those who want to ‘clean up’ society by changing capitalism. It does not invalidate our ideas and efforts - at all - that we are currently IN capitalism. And it does not mean that we wont have success in creating a better society.
There is a big difference between being IN a situation and actively SUPPORTING that system.
And recently a point by me which got a very daft reply. My comment was related to the above subject:
"Because someone is IN a capitalist society now, it in no way invalidates their criticism of capitalism. Just as a campaigner for clean air is not invalidated by presently breathing."
The reply from a guy in Britain was:
"A more sophisticated point would be that it is bemusing as to why you don't move somewhere which isn't run by the LDP (the conservative pro-capitalist ruling party of Japan). There must be elements of living in capitalist Japan that you like, otherwise you wouldn't be living there. The air comparison is silly. You can't live without breathing. You have a choice where you live!"
So, i will try, with infinite patience (!), to explain further why this basic point 'Why are you living in capitalism if you dont like it? Why not move to Cuba/Bolivia/the moon?' is, as they said on Blackadder, "A load of bollocks". Here goes:
The air comparison is not silly. It's an exaggerated analogy to make the point - as is mostly the case with such poetic comparisons. Its the normal poetic use of metaphor/simile/analogy. As is common in literature for 100s of years. If that is silly then half of Shakespeare is silly. ‘Your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters’ (Macbeth). To which you may say: ‘His face is a BOOK? what a silly comparison, its nothing like a book!’... oh brother...
And in this case its not even that poetic. Capitalism is the dominant present system in the UK, Japan, etc - the element of choice here is very limited. It is NOT a straight question of choosing 'area A capitalist', or 'area B. not capitalist'. If there was such a clear straight choice then i probably would be living in the non-capitalist area. But capitalism, like polluted air, is almost all pervasive now. So, i actually have very little choice now but to breath in its polluted capitalist fumes. A further comparison with air: its like you say to the campaigner ‘why dont you live high up in the mountains then- where the air is more pure?’ That is totally silly and is against the main point of their complaint: they dont want the city to be so polluted. I dont want capitalism to be so all pervasive. we are fighting for a BETTER system, while being IN the present bad one. There is 100% no contradiction there.
But it IS silly and bigoted to suggest that anyone who criticises some point SHOULD leave the area in which that point has a strong presence. On that logic muslims should leave the UK because they complain about problems with racism… gay people should leave florida because they talk with anger about the recent shooting there... the Smith’s should leave their street because the Brown’s play their music too loud… it’s that level of thinking. crude, ugly, stupid. ‘If you dont like our loud music why dont you move to another street?’ say the Brown’s.
Because this is MY street as much as yours, and I have the right to be here and give my view as to how things should be here. If i simply move away, from the loud music, the capitalism, the racism, the polluted air, etc… i have let that thing i disagree with WIN… No, we stay HERE, where the problem is, IN the polluted air of capitalism…and make some effort to improve the situation, according to what i think would be better. We may not succeed, we may lose the debate… but we should try.
Above image: close up of a snow scene painting by my mother, Eileen.