- Sep 22, 2013
- 4,956
- 250
- 85
Does capitalism promote bloodlust? It's obviously a competitive system, but do governmental checks on monopolies curb the instinct to become pirates of Wall Street? Maybe yes, maybe no.
Capitalism certainly promotes individual glory, but this 'fight-instinct' that capitalism promotes, a sort of 'liberty-philosophy,' may be tempered by considerations of why we as human beings are willing to accept a chess-stalemate conclusion to a hyped game between two chess-masters/champions such as the USSR's Boris Spassky and the USA's Bobby Fischer.
Fischer defeated Spassky, but the game was touted as a 'contest' between democracy and communism, and this somewhat perturbed Fischer who was nevertheless honored to represent his country. If Fischer had only achieved a stalemate against Spassky, would we have been disappointed? Would the Cold War rhetoric/ethos have engendered misguided passions, leading us to overly-criticize our beloved American chess genius Bobby Fischer? That's something to consider, no?
Well, how will the 'fight-instinct' of capitalism orient our folklore and what will archaeologists/anthropologists in the future say about the capitalism-ethos of America in the 21st Century?
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"I love comic books. I love comic books about daring warriors arrayed in unusual conditions for great wars. I love comic books. American comic books offer us great images of incredible battles and wars. These comic books temper our urge to be violent by 'exorcising' our 'fight-instinct' with proverbs and storytelling. I love comic books. However, does capitalism-consciousness in America create a 'spiritual need' for comic books?"
"I think about the niceties of my cherished Swatch wrist-watch, an iconic symbol/trophy of consumerism. Swatch was popular in the 1980s-1990s, and the one I boast is a see-through wrist-watch which allows you to see the inner-working gears and dials. This nifty watch came way before the see-through Apple iMacs of Steve Jobs in the late 1990s. This Swatch watch reminds me why consumerism, commerce, and capitalism promotes all kinds of 'treasure-imagination.' However, is capitalism worth waging wars over, such as the Gulf War?"
"I opened a bank account with Credit Suisse, to place my $25 million for my wife and kids last year. The money was earned by careful investments in Wall Street, and since I'm a mathematician, I was able to apply my understanding of statistics to place wiser bets/investments and turned my $5 million investments into $20 million in profits. I deposited my 'winnings' in Credit Suisse, since Swiss banks (like Swatch watches!) are so trusted and celebrated. When I deposited the money in this safe-place, I wondered about capitalism-yearnings and how the 'quest' for money-securities can induce states/nations into mindsets of warfare."
"When I turned on the Miss Universe pageant and noticed how lovely Miss Switzerland, one of the fine female contenders of the celebrate international beauty pageant, appeared, I appreciated how various countries offer this beauty pageant/competition great female 'diplomats' for this media-symbolic televised glamour-show. This is capitalism at its finest, no? So why do we go from celebrating etiquette/customs to touting the 'intellectual value' of spreading capitalism-rhetoric through force of arms? Sometimes war is necessary, but it's never cool."
"I started playing an online version of the war-tactics game Stratego. There're two sides, and you don't know the officer-ranks of your opponents. Both sides have their armies arrayed in pre-chosen positions, and if during the advancement of the pieces one side's officer faces an officer of the opposing side who has a higher rank (and therefore 'numeric value'), the weaker officer is killed. Stratego is a terrific symbol of capitalism-consciousness. As I played Stratego on this online version, I wondered if anti-capitalist terrorists were 'spying' on this match between me and another online-player with a name-masking alias/avatar."
"I was right to be concerned. A predatory anti-human alien from Venus was spying on this online Stratego game I was playing and decided to visit me in my dream (while I slept). He explained his name was 'Xeno' and wanted to talk to me about Stratego and capitalism-consciousness in human civilization. I told him America was the world's official 'Big Brother,' and Xeno asked me if America is respected as a trusted leader/diplomat. I explained there was anti-American sentiment among fundamentalist-terrorist groups in the Middle East, and the Xeno wanted to debate with me further. After concluding this debate, I realized that the fight-instinct engendered by capitalism 'imagination' should be tempered by the sanity-humbling reality of chess-stalemates (which always remind us of the value of peace)."
XENO: Does capitalism promote competitive urges?
NARRATOR: Well, the Gulf War was petroleum-based.
XENO: What about Fischer-Spassky?
NARRATOR: When Fischer won, America celebrated its symbolic victory.
XENO: There was national pride because of the Cold War...
NARRATOR: Yes, there was; I wonder what a stalemate would have 'achieved.'
XENO: So a chess-stalemate does not 'teach' Americans about humility/peace?
NARRATOR: Well, chess is only a 'metaphor' for war/capitalism...
XENO: Do Americans feel like chess (or Stratego) should encourage humility?
NARRATOR: I do have faith in American imagination!
XENO: Maybe Hollywood should make more movies like Casino and Greedy.
NARRATOR: I love those two movies.
XENO: You should watch them on Netflix.
NARRATOR: Alright; thanks for the discussion/debate.
XENO: It seems capitalism might endure the test of 'envy.'
NARRATOR: I hope you're correct.
====
Capitalism certainly promotes individual glory, but this 'fight-instinct' that capitalism promotes, a sort of 'liberty-philosophy,' may be tempered by considerations of why we as human beings are willing to accept a chess-stalemate conclusion to a hyped game between two chess-masters/champions such as the USSR's Boris Spassky and the USA's Bobby Fischer.
Fischer defeated Spassky, but the game was touted as a 'contest' between democracy and communism, and this somewhat perturbed Fischer who was nevertheless honored to represent his country. If Fischer had only achieved a stalemate against Spassky, would we have been disappointed? Would the Cold War rhetoric/ethos have engendered misguided passions, leading us to overly-criticize our beloved American chess genius Bobby Fischer? That's something to consider, no?
Well, how will the 'fight-instinct' of capitalism orient our folklore and what will archaeologists/anthropologists in the future say about the capitalism-ethos of America in the 21st Century?
====
"I love comic books. I love comic books about daring warriors arrayed in unusual conditions for great wars. I love comic books. American comic books offer us great images of incredible battles and wars. These comic books temper our urge to be violent by 'exorcising' our 'fight-instinct' with proverbs and storytelling. I love comic books. However, does capitalism-consciousness in America create a 'spiritual need' for comic books?"
"I think about the niceties of my cherished Swatch wrist-watch, an iconic symbol/trophy of consumerism. Swatch was popular in the 1980s-1990s, and the one I boast is a see-through wrist-watch which allows you to see the inner-working gears and dials. This nifty watch came way before the see-through Apple iMacs of Steve Jobs in the late 1990s. This Swatch watch reminds me why consumerism, commerce, and capitalism promotes all kinds of 'treasure-imagination.' However, is capitalism worth waging wars over, such as the Gulf War?"
"I opened a bank account with Credit Suisse, to place my $25 million for my wife and kids last year. The money was earned by careful investments in Wall Street, and since I'm a mathematician, I was able to apply my understanding of statistics to place wiser bets/investments and turned my $5 million investments into $20 million in profits. I deposited my 'winnings' in Credit Suisse, since Swiss banks (like Swatch watches!) are so trusted and celebrated. When I deposited the money in this safe-place, I wondered about capitalism-yearnings and how the 'quest' for money-securities can induce states/nations into mindsets of warfare."
"When I turned on the Miss Universe pageant and noticed how lovely Miss Switzerland, one of the fine female contenders of the celebrate international beauty pageant, appeared, I appreciated how various countries offer this beauty pageant/competition great female 'diplomats' for this media-symbolic televised glamour-show. This is capitalism at its finest, no? So why do we go from celebrating etiquette/customs to touting the 'intellectual value' of spreading capitalism-rhetoric through force of arms? Sometimes war is necessary, but it's never cool."
"I started playing an online version of the war-tactics game Stratego. There're two sides, and you don't know the officer-ranks of your opponents. Both sides have their armies arrayed in pre-chosen positions, and if during the advancement of the pieces one side's officer faces an officer of the opposing side who has a higher rank (and therefore 'numeric value'), the weaker officer is killed. Stratego is a terrific symbol of capitalism-consciousness. As I played Stratego on this online version, I wondered if anti-capitalist terrorists were 'spying' on this match between me and another online-player with a name-masking alias/avatar."
"I was right to be concerned. A predatory anti-human alien from Venus was spying on this online Stratego game I was playing and decided to visit me in my dream (while I slept). He explained his name was 'Xeno' and wanted to talk to me about Stratego and capitalism-consciousness in human civilization. I told him America was the world's official 'Big Brother,' and Xeno asked me if America is respected as a trusted leader/diplomat. I explained there was anti-American sentiment among fundamentalist-terrorist groups in the Middle East, and the Xeno wanted to debate with me further. After concluding this debate, I realized that the fight-instinct engendered by capitalism 'imagination' should be tempered by the sanity-humbling reality of chess-stalemates (which always remind us of the value of peace)."
XENO: Does capitalism promote competitive urges?
NARRATOR: Well, the Gulf War was petroleum-based.
XENO: What about Fischer-Spassky?
NARRATOR: When Fischer won, America celebrated its symbolic victory.
XENO: There was national pride because of the Cold War...
NARRATOR: Yes, there was; I wonder what a stalemate would have 'achieved.'
XENO: So a chess-stalemate does not 'teach' Americans about humility/peace?
NARRATOR: Well, chess is only a 'metaphor' for war/capitalism...
XENO: Do Americans feel like chess (or Stratego) should encourage humility?
NARRATOR: I do have faith in American imagination!
XENO: Maybe Hollywood should make more movies like Casino and Greedy.
NARRATOR: I love those two movies.
XENO: You should watch them on Netflix.
NARRATOR: Alright; thanks for the discussion/debate.
XENO: It seems capitalism might endure the test of 'envy.'
NARRATOR: I hope you're correct.
====
