Re: Political philosophy 101…
A thought prompted by Andy’s previous post:
The biggest misconception about progressives by conservatives is that we all are somehow anti-capitalists. Not true. Most reasonable people recognize capitalism as the most effective and fair way to reward ambition and hard work.
However, the downside to a purely capitalistic society is that artisanship isn’t always fairly rewarded, is often exploited and/or negatively affected, and is then usually more profitable to those doing the exploiting. Salesmanship — admittedly a talent — is what capitalism rewards first, which usually gleans greater compensation than what the creators of marketed intellectual property receive.
For those reasons, most progressives encourage music, art, creative writing, and other such programs in schools. In a capitalistic society, if the pursuit of ‘art for art’s sake’ (instead of ‘art for profit’s sake’) isn’t encouraged and recognized, greatness is measured only by profitability. In turn, that leaves us with more Thomas Kinkades, Danielle Steeles, and Ashlee Simpsons — all great examples of capitalism at work, not exactly artistic innovation. 100 years from now, no one will care how many millions of prints Kinkade (The Painter of Light™) sold, how many paperbacks Steele sold, or how many concert tickets were sold to hear Simpson sing to tracks, nor will it even matter.
That’s why many of us feel that capitalism, while it works well for many in most cases, must be balanced by encouraging others to pursue valuable — not necessarily profitable — endeavors. And just so you know, that’s not the same as being opposed to capitalism.
The biggest misconception about progressives by conservatives is that we all are somehow anti-capitalists. Not true. Most reasonable people recognize capitalism as the most effective and fair way to reward ambition and hard work.
However, the downside to a purely capitalistic society is that artisanship isn’t always fairly rewarded, is often exploited and/or negatively affected, and is then usually more profitable to those doing the exploiting. Salesmanship — admittedly a talent — is what capitalism rewards first, which usually gleans greater compensation than what the creators of marketed intellectual property receive.
For those reasons, most progressives encourage music, art, creative writing, and other such programs in schools. In a capitalistic society, if the pursuit of ‘art for art’s sake’ (instead of ‘art for profit’s sake’) isn’t encouraged and recognized, greatness is measured only by profitability. In turn, that leaves us with more Thomas Kinkades, Danielle Steeles, and Ashlee Simpsons — all great examples of capitalism at work, not exactly artistic innovation. 100 years from now, no one will care how many millions of prints Kinkade (The Painter of Light™) sold, how many paperbacks Steele sold, or how many concert tickets were sold to hear Simpson sing to tracks, nor will it even matter.
That’s why many of us feel that capitalism, while it works well for many in most cases, must be balanced by encouraging others to pursue valuable — not necessarily profitable — endeavors. And just so you know, that’s not the same as being opposed to capitalism.
posted by Strother | 10:59 AM
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