A Realistic Approach To Capitalism

A government is comprised of a body of people that were born no more or less able for their job than you or I. There is no divinity, inherited gene, or magical elixir involved. Government, then, is merely a group of individuals working alongside each other. Often, each of these individuals has their own political interests which clash with the interests of other individuals or the group itself. Very ineffective. Now take a similar body of people who do have a common goal, such as a large corporation. Whereas a government’s attention is diluted, a corporation’s is saturated: they want to make money.

A corporation with such enormous financial weight has significant political gravity that can be used to influence individuals, even members of government. Ironically, it is the lack of government cohesion and response that has lead to this current corporate dominance. Government created the laws that enabled corporations to expand their sphere of influence past merely the consumer. It is now so far out of control that it’s nearly irreversible.

A government cannot cross a border and set itself up in that country’s market as easily as a corporation can. Globalization and multi-national corporations are not an ideal solution to the world’s problems, and in fact are often the direct source of them. For example, the violent oppression occurring in most third world countries is directly related to corporations using those countries for their commercial productivity, whether through resource or labour exploitation.

The market for a product does not simply exist without reason; it exists because there is a demand for it. Whenever you spend money on a product, you are condoning the actions of its production in every aspect, from development to shipment. Each dollar you spend is a resolute vote, and it is your duty as the deep-thinking and conscientious consumer that you are to vote for what you believe in. The threat of globalization is a reality. We are allowing developing countries to be used as a commodity to “enhance” our lives. The ideals of capitalism have no concept of moral boundary. It sees every place and every thing as an opportunity to sustain the corporation’s profitability. It responds only to the market.

A corporation that responds only to the market has only one Achille’s heel: the market itself. Government can affect the market in some ways through tariffs and regulations, but this has little impact on the ability of the product to be sold. For example, cigarette manufacturers are forced to put warning labels of a certain size on their packaging, but this does not stop people from buying them. The consumer has more ability to affect a corporation than government does, and we have much more power as an individual consumer than we often believe. Any corporation that has any intention of staying in business will accommodate the consumer. The only thing that has to change to see a dramatic shift in ethics is our demand. If we tell these companies what we will and won’t buy, it is unquestionably true that their products will change. As these products change, so will the world. Standards of living will improve globally, which will dynamically reduce hostility and segregation.

To paraphrase Karl Marx, consumers of all lands unite!