Date: Mon, 6 Oct 1997 04:55:16 -0600 (MDT)
Message-Id: <1.5.4.16.19971006065442.3747f83e@pop.uvm.edu>
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To: psn-special@csf.colorado.edu
From: TR Young <TR.Young@uvm.edu>
Subject: Marxian Theory: Continuing Validities
Cc: ahs-talk@ncsu.edu, TEACHSOC@maple.lemoyne.edu, socgrad@csf.colorado.edu
In an earlier post, I mentioned a list of some 30 continuing
validities of marxian social theory.  Several people asked for
copy...here they are.  I created the list for my students in
social problems at U/Vermont, Texas Woman's University, Virginia
Tech and the University of Michigan-Flint.

The larger point upon which to focus is that, as long as 
capitalism continues as a major mode of production, Marx and
Marxian theory will continue to be most helpful to the human
interest in emanicipation and in a praxis society.

        Continuing Validities of Marxian Social Theory 
                in a Globalized Political Economy

>1. Capitalism creates unemployment (a surplus population) while
>producing a huge "surplus."
>
>2.   Capitalism requires war and/or a huge military apparatus to
>     obtain raw materials, cheap labor, and/or for markets for its
>     "surplus" production.
>
>3.   Capitalism destroys social relations.  Its interest is in
>     labor power not human beings.  It withholds essential goods
>     and services until it can make a profit.
>
>4.   Capitalism destroys community.  It uses people and produces
>     for profit rather than for the material needs of the entire
>     community.
>
>5.   Capitalism produces high profit goods rather than low profit
>     essentials.  Raw materials are wasted; energy is wasted; the
>     state takes over low profit lines of production.
>
>6.   Capitalism crushes small business and drives the small farmer
>     off the farms as firms become national and transnational.
>
>7.   The State apparatus grows and grows: to help small capitalists
>     and farmers; to take care of the surplus population; to guard
>     the interests of capital overseas; to police the excesses of
>     amoral corporations.
>
>8.   Capitalism and the profit motive leads to food additives which
>     are unsafe; to unsafe toys, automobiles, drugs, and working
>     conditions in mines, factories, and sports.
>
>9.   Capitalism pollutes the air, the water, and seas.  Demand for
        >profit requires avoidance of responsibility for the toxins produced
        as by-product.
>
>10.   Capitalism fosters four kinds of crime, corporate crime as
>       markets are lost; white collar crime as employees are exploited;
>       street crime as the surplus population prey on each other and
>       organized crime as solidarity supplies are sold as commodity: sex,
>       drugs, gaming, gambling, money and protection.
>
>11, Capitalism requires layer after layer of unproductive employees
>       and managers to deal with reluctant. uninspired workers; public
>       relations to deal with a surly public; lawyers to help evade laws;
>       salespersons and advertising firms to realize profits on surplus
>       production and guards to protect itself from the violence it
>       inspires-
>
>12.       Capitalism pushes consumption as central to the good life
>          rather than participation, conservation, interpersonal
>          relations or shared enjoyment of life.
>
>13.       Capitalism buys or rents the means to produce meaning
>          (radio, television, papers and magazines) in order to
>          create meanings which serve capitalist needs.
>
>14.       Capitalism is an irrational system of production in that
>          growth is not predicated on human, social, or communal
>          need but rather on profit, position in the marketplace,
>          or the need to support more and more nonproductive
>          employees.
>
>1.5.      Capitalism despoils the land; scarring it with strip
>          mines, patching it with an asphalt coat, and saturating
>          it with chemicals.  The interactive effects of such
           despoilation are unknown.
>
>16.       Capitalism converts the therapeutic process into an
>          impersonal commodity, It creates masses of chronically
>          anxious and depressed people then pushes valium and other
>          drugs to mask the anxiety.
>
>17.       Capitalism needs a huge state apparatus to help maintain
>               the legitimacy of those who control the means of 
                production and to control those who do not have
                a decent relationship to the means of production.
>
>18.  Capitalism gets its highest profits from the poorer nations.
>
>19.  Capitalism is inimical to democracy at home and abroad; buying
>     the electoral process at home and subverting democracy abroad.
>
>20.  U.S. Capitalism imports food from the poorer nations and sells
>     them junk food in return.
>
>21.  Capitalism will use any established social structure to save
>     itself: fascism, racism, sexism, patriotism or bigotry--
>     anything which increase profits, maintains legitimacy, weakens
>     its foes or bolsters its friends.
>
>22.  Capitalism has converted the university into a branch office
>     of the corporation.
>
>23.  Capitalism uses what is known of psychology to exploit and to
>     mystify rather than to facilitate self-understanding and self-
>     transcendence.  
>
>24.  Capitalism replaces internal controls with external rewards,
>     orders, behavioral modifiers, drugs, programs, managers,
>     psychiatrists and police.
>
>25.  The status (stande) of community is replaced by the status
>     (honor) of possession and display of possessions.
>
>26.  Capitalism trains its employees to prey on the consumer by
>     offering commissions, prizes, bonuses, vacations, medals, and
>     a variety of other gimmicks.
>
>27.  Capitalism destroys social relations between workers by
>     forcing them to compete with each other or with other teams
>     and units.
>
>28.  Capitalism destroys social relations between echelons in a
>     bureaucracy by requiring a lower level of functionary to do
>     the dirty work on a still lower level ordered by a higher
>     level echelon.  Dirty work is always one or two levels removed
>     from its target.
>
>29.  Capitalism uses the sacred days to urge a passionate consuming of its
products.  
        Christmas and other holy days become vehicles for the sales campaigns
        and for the corporate ad.
>
>30.  Capitalism creates poverty and works to transfer welfare costs of its
poor to
        other welfare systems.  Older people are discarded and left to
public welfare.
        Diseased workers are discarded and left to a family to support.
Younger 
        workers are laid-off and left to family, churches and charities to
find life support.


TR Young
>The Red Feather Institute
>8085 Essex, Weidman, Mi.,
>  48893--ph: [517] 644 3089
>  Email: tr@tryoung.com
>         TR.Young@uvm.edu
>
TR Young
The Red Feather Institute
8085 Essex, Weidman, Mi.,
  48893--ph: [517] 644 3089
  Email: tr@tryoung.com
         TR.Young@uvm.edu