It’s difficult to find. But first…
I haven’t been able to find a groove in much this spring. It’s been cool with low pressure system after low pressure system and it’s not been good for my weather sickness (what I call ‘low-pressure syndrome’). Finding a new niche to blog on hasn’t been easy either, but I think I may spend some time along this line of inquiry–as no one else seems to be doing so.
Capitalism, on aggregate, is only critiqued by left-wing Marxists.
I have done some blogging in this regard and suggested Christianity in modernity married the devil…
Let’s start HERE with this fine essay at The American Conservative.
In my Four Pillars Of A New Earth Commons I argue for many of the same ideas when it comes to ‘small C capitalism’ within localized communities. So, in no way do I argue for the abolishment of capitalism, but rather for ending the worst predatory practices within it when it comes to humanity’s basic needs.
Miles Mathis’s blogging on culture is also something I’ll reference as I move forward on this.
And I’ll get myself in all kinds of trouble assessing the Youtube channel New Discourses.
In general, I haven’t been impressed or moved, or swayed via arguments in this arena by the ‘atheist right’. They all end up as capitalist apologists or fascist in their approach whether Mises, Rand’s Objectivism, Youtuber’s like Sargon of Akkad, or, Styxhexenhammer666–with Styx being the most tolerable notwithstanding his never-ending dismal shilling for Trump.
And, yes…we’ll dissect corporate capitalisms hijacking of spirituality and spiritual themes via its covert use of the systems alphabet agencies. Spiritual materialism, the IDW, and on and on in The New Age Movement.
Stay tuned but this one will likely been long and drawn out.
Breakfast within hands reach:
Though I'm semi-Marxist, I would not say that all the criticism of capitalism on the left is Marxist. Communist ideas predated Marx, and some strains of communism were socialist without aligning with Marx.
The original communists were largely sectarian Christians, and were trying to contend with the enclosure of the commons, followed by the rise of feudalism and then capitalism and the Industrial Revolution. They were also called communitarians - and that appelation has held into the present, but back then they were also called communists.
This tendency to try and form communities leaked over into secular forms of communism. These were largely pushed by capitalist/industrialist idealists who were unhappy with the system that made them rich. (This is a persistent feature in many forms of socialism - the ideas come from the middle class.)
The main strain of what I consider conservative anti-capitalism is Catholic Distributism. It's similar in spirit to the Progressive movement of the late 1800s, in that it doesn't seek to eliminate or reduce private property, but only to try and widen ownership, so there are fewer dispossessed people.
That's the strategy that was employed by both left and right wing capitalists in the mid 20th century to reduce support for socialism: make a middle class, and sell them homes via government backed mortgages.
It's also been used to erode the growth of public universities. Instead of a push for state supported education, we have student loans, and growth of private vocational schools.
Another form of anti-capitalism is private property NGOs like The Nature Conservancy. They buys up land to take it off the market and prevent it from being used by other capitalists, and let it lie fallow.
I read that linked article at TAC, and, I found it pretty horrific, but accurate.
I appreciate your reply.
I did a four-part series recently where I covered, Distributism, Georgism, and the original Social Credit (part-4 was my assessment on Miles Mathis). It’s hard from my vantage point to say that they were an organic dismal failure when it comes to praxis. Much more likely that they were systemically targeted and irradicated by the international money-lenders. And for the record, it’s a very bad idea to let those folks solve the question of how Christians should live--especially the economic aspect of Christendom's lives.
It’s clear that they’ve backwashed the idea of community! What a disgusting terrible idea it is to the money-lenders! I know, let’s replace community with international usury! See how genius we are!
At any rate, I wasn’t arguing for the virtue of some of the actors in that article. I can testify that 35-years of labor in Canada is equivalent to ‘soft slavery’...So, within that context, the southern gentleman did have a point.
If one were to look at my writings it would be abundantly clear that I’m not anti-capitalist. And in these musings I’ll attempt to suss out the conservative perspectives along these lines. On aggregate, though, most of them just want to conserve their power base. In some sense I’m sympathetic to it if the top of the pyramid would function with integrity, honour, and a sense of fairness. And compared to the corporate mafia gong-show of government today I don’t think they were terribly far off. But we’d need good Philosopher Kings...
Right!
Well, the demiurgic template is what it is.
He’s looking lean and muscular!
Is it evil to let a bug in and watch it die? I just don't want Diablo to feel bored.
you’re such a diabolic mom!
It looks like what we call a stinkbug in BC.
Poor lizards too.
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