Sean McElwee writes: There’s a lot of talk of Karl Marx in the air these days – from Rush Limbaugh accusing Pope Francis of promoting “pure Marxism” to a Washington Times writer claiming that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is an “unrepentant Marxist.” But few people actually understand Marx’s trenchant critique of capitalism. Most people are vaguely aware of the radical economist’s prediction that capitalism would inevitably be replaced by communism, but they often misunderstand why he believed this to be true. And while Marx was wrong about some things, his writings (many of which pre-date the American Civil War) accurately predicted several aspects of contemporary capitalism, from the Great Recession to the iPhone 5S in your pocket.
Here are five facts of life in 2014 that Marx’s analysis of capitalism correctly predicted more than a century ago: [Continue reading…]
I’ve heard that a common saying in Russia is that everything Marx wrote about communism was wrong and everything he wrote about capitalism was right.
Rarely, do I encounter an American who understands anything about Marx, communism or capitalism for that matter. American’s blindly march along obeying what they’re told. I remember reading the comments of early Europeans who came to America to take a look at the form of government and, universally, went home commenting on what a compliant bunch Americans were. Long ago, I lost all respect for America and Americans. Like many vets, I came back to a country I didn’t recognize. It took a long, long time to understand I had been indoctrinated with a bunch of crap. No form of government is worth a shit with controlling elite managing an ignorant masses. Unfortunately the masses I encounter prefer it that way.