I think that it is critically important to separate two forms of criticism of the capitalist system. This is because so much of the content on the internet and elsewhere are from sources who often make very cogent arguments about the flaws of the system, but they fundamentally are believers in the system. They only want a kinder, gentler form of capitalism. They believe that it is possible to reform the system so that this comes about. Such people are often referred to as liberals.
In contrast to these people there are others, who are far fewer in number and get even less attention proportionately on the internet. They see the system as inherently flawed and believe that the only solution is to abolish the system and construct another. Such people are referred to by a number of names--many of which are derogatory. I will call them radicals.
This blogger is a liberal who has posted a lot of content that has exposed dramatically the flaws of the system. Because of this, I often post his articles on my website. But now in this commentary I want to offer an argument that explains the reasons that this blogger and all liberals cling to this reformist position. Once again, I find that the best argument uses a class analysis.
The best example that I have seen of the liberal critique has been explicated in a video (also a book) promoted by Renegade Economist with script written by economist Michael Harrington called Four Horsemen. The video is informed by 27 principles which is published on their website and the title suggests its emphasis: the four horseman are war, conquest, famine, and death. The video argues that if the system isn't reformed that our world will descend into this type of dystopia. The video and the website occasionally makes passing reference to sustainability, but I never found that their meaning had anything to do with our biosphere. However, the video's content provides excellent reasons for concern about the social effects of the present course of the system which is summarized by the metaphor of the four horsemen.
There are several prominent economists who endorse this video and they are listed at the end of the video: Joseph Stiglitz, Herman Daly, Ha-Joon Chang, Michael Hudson, and other non-economists who are well-known and some lesser known critics of capitalism. All of them are archetypes of middle-class people. They, and the entire middle class, have been instrumental in making the capitalist system function.
All have been through a long education in which an important component was indoctrination in the virtues of capitalism. They, except for Noam Chomsky, still cling firmly to the virtues of the system which their education taught them, probably much more so than their capitalist masters who are composed of cynical sociopaths or of the willfully ignorant. And, of course, the privileged status and higher income of the middle class has reinforced their faith in the system. But now, with the introduction of sophisticated computer and other technologies in the past decade, they have seen their numbers rapidly diminishing as well as their influence as a class. And, they correctly see the devastating social consequences if their capitalist masters continue down the neoliberal road. However, they don't see the damage to the ecosystem that the system by necessity inflicts--that would be an inconvenient truth.
This posting and the 12:51m video featuring Max Keiser interviewing a member of Stop TPP is another excellent illustration of this liberal position. Keiser elsewhere has clearly established that he is a capitalist (see his statement at 1:27:20 in the Four Horsemen video). RT on which Keiser has his program is sponsored by the Russian government which is capitalist. The blogger, in his brief introduction to the interview, makes a typical liberal implication (framed in sarcasm) that the capitalism we had previously was just fine--and, of course, it was for this class, but it never was for working people. For them, it has always been a disaster.
...we can bid farewell to nation-state democracy (it was nice while it lasted), and give a nice, warm welcome to the new age of global corporatocracy! [my emphasis]"Nation-state democracy" is a liberal way of describing capitalism before this neoliberal version took over. As we see, in a liberal's eyes this previous society was a democracy--this, of course, reflects the ideology they learned in their long years of schooling.
