Intellectuals can’t grasp capitalisitic system

The restricted and somewhat unbalanced economic system of the United States will soon approach… The restricted and somewhat unbalanced economic system of the United States will soon approach its end if our great thinkers have their wishes fulfilled.

The dissatisfactory outcome of presidential and congressional elections in recent years and the imminent conservative shift in our judicial branch have prompted a heated discussion among intellectuals. With so many incompetent people put into high places of leadership, many are beginning to question the authenticity of the claim that the United States is a meritocracy capable of creating wealth through the rarely observed “American Dream.”

There must be some underlying reason why our best and brightest are avoiding involvement in their government.

An intellectual can be defined in many ways; however, the intellectuals that have influence in this country are those with control over the development of key ideas that continually constitute the basis of American thinking.

Great shapers of opinion are professors, writers, activists and artists. They produce knowledge without demand for monetary reward, just as Newton and Leibniz discovered calculus without expecting profit.

An idea as radical as – gasp – communism was not to be fooled with near the midpoint of the 20th century. The ill-contrived McCarthy witch hunt quickly rooted any suspected “commies” out of the government and hushed any remaining leaders that had thoughts of exploring ideas not fully capitalistic in nature.

But is it considered un-American to question the success of capitalism today? It isn’t a coincidence that the United States just happens to have the largest gap between the rich and poor among industrialized nations. The United States is doubtlessly the wealthiest nation in the world, but the distribution of its wealth is cause for concern.

Intellectuals don’t quite favor capitalistic societies. The most intelligent and influential individuals in our country are generally those that excel in education. They receive the best grades in school and the most praise during their academic upbringing. Intellectuals eventually realize that they are among the most elite group in society, and consequentially deserve to profit, but cannot under capitalism.

Essentially, our government runs on the principle that the chaos of a capitalistic market can be sustained because of its ability to maintain itself and thrive unmonitored. Intellectuals, nurtured in a primarily academic environment, simply cannot handle such an unforgiving system built upon anarchy and broken law.

In academia, things are done by the rules. A writer has the ability to publish an idea or opinion and get the exposure necessary to make his message visible. The writer may then be criticized or ridiculed, but such critique will be done in a professional and organized manner. Academia enforces these conventions because they allow for an orderly discussion of ideas among rationally functioning individuals.

But many great thinkers – those worthy of the moniker ‘intellectual’ – will have a difficult time adapting to a dangerous and relatively lawless capitalistic landscape. In capitalism, it is commonplace to see lying and cheating passed off as “business.”

Those savvier in the money game have developed entire systems of control to virtually enslave entire populations, who are then unable to free themselves from working for little compensation. Capitalism is a system that rewards those with the least morals and burdens those who choose to be thoughtful and caring. You cannot succeed – that is, become wealthy – in a capitalistic society simply by sticking to the rules of ethics.

Some would say the addition of socialism to government breeds complacency. This argument simply cannot hold to the good example of mildly socialistic countries like Canada. These nations may have higher unemployment than the United States but provide a higher standard of living for citizens at the bottom of their economic ladders.

The good news is that intellectuals are bringing more attention to issues with non-capitalistic solutions. Socialistic ideas like government-subsidized healthcare for all have the moral high ground over the profit-run hospital systems of modern America.

I am optimistic that we will cross that bridge when we get there, but not without a massive attitude adjustment.

E-mail Karim at kab85@pitt.edu to defend your capitalistic ideologies.