Capitalism Global Gains -- Personal

Capitalism

Global Gains -- Personal Losses

If there is nothing else to be gained from Alain de Botton's essay entitled "On Habit," there is always this point, which the author's entire manuscript readily proves -- people have the capacity to see, perceive, and largely do, that which they please. This is a powerful belief, of sorts, especially when it's applied to a topic as controversial and potentially society-shattering as the theme of Arlie Hochschild's essay, "From the Frying Pan into the Fire," which may be briefly summarized by the following quotation from Henry Cox. "Just as a truly global market has emerged for the first time in human history, that market is functioning without moral guideposts and restraints, and it has become the most powerful institution of this age." The market which Cox refers to is known as capitalism, and the author goes on to imply that capitalism has become a religion of itself that most people are largely unknowing participants in. If one were to apply de Botton's message from "On Habit" to Hochschild's essay which details the force and presence of capitalism, the strings that bind this global market may suddenly become visible and may even present themselves for untangling.

To successfully determine how a growing awareness of circumstances (the idea that de Button's essay supports) can affect the power of capitalism, it first becomes necessary to understand what some of the most tangible effects of capitalism are. The following quotation from Hochschild provides one fairly important example of a lesser-known fact about capitalist society. "Capitalism is not, then, simply a system in the service of family and community, it competes with the family" (188). Such a message would likely cause a bit of a revelation for the majority of hardworking husbands, wives, mothers and fathers, who work day in and day out under the guise that they are supporting their family, since in this quotation Hochschild is explaining the concept that the time requirements of work and the very lifestyle it affords conflict with true values of family and community which are ideally based on the same standards of time -- and which are quickly losing that time due to the magnitude of capitalism. Implicit in this idea of an unaware population supporting a system that is counterproductive to its aims is a degree of passivity which fuels the actions of Americans going to work. Such passivity is also mentioned in de Button's essay, which both the author and the "hero" of his essay, Xavier de Maistre, are trying to rouse people from, as evidenced by the following quotation. "De Maistre tried to shake us from our passivity" (62). The passivity alluded to in de Button's essay is related to a latent sense of value or perspective in one's surroundings. If those surroundings were interpreted in a figurative sense and applied to the system of capitalism and its conflict with family values in the Hochschild's essays, de Button would be calling for people to be shaken from their passive acceptance of this system.

To further prove the point that capitalism has become a thing within itself which may be deemed a religion or the global market which it is based upon, Hochschild offers some fairly compelling evidence. Perhaps one of the most convincing pieces of evidence that the author uses to alert readers to some of the drawbacks of capitalism is to demonstrate that the pursuit of money has replaced the value for which that money can provide, which is strongly suggested in the following quotation. "…what began as a means to an end -- capitalism the means, a good living as the end -- has become an end itself…The cathedrals of capitalism dominate our city. Its ideologies dominate our airwaves" (188). The idea summarized within this quotation is that capitalist goals (making money) is no longer pursued to attain some sore of living, but is rather pursued simply for the sake of making money. This ideology is reinforced in the numerous billboards, print and media advertising, as well as office buildings and businesses erected within urban environments. If people were able to perceive that ideology for what it really was and act in accordance to that perception, the effects of the nation' market systems would be virtually unheard of, as the following quote from "On Habit" suggests. "I was spurred on by an [CAN'T READ THIS WORD] longing to be transported from a boring daily life into marvelous world" (64). This quote is stated by Alexander von Huboldt, who compares the daily life of domesticity to an exciting one of travel. De Button, and his mentor of sorts, De Maistre, is calling for an awareness of perception that would make even a domestic daily life more exciting. Imagine what these two authors would say about the excitement, activity, and possibilities that could exist if Americans realized the circumstances of their capitalist working lives and traded that in for more experimental or independent methods of making money and spending time accordingly on friends and family. Such notions would certainly challenge the capitalist ideology that is supporting the global marketplace.

The conflict between capitalism and the values which it was initially created to provide for and serve -- those related to family and community -- have a number of odd, if not outright perverse manifestations. In many ways, capitalism has created a cash culture in which the spending of money is the only means of expressing any sort of emotion, for virtually any sort of occasion, which Hochschild implies in the following quotation. "…working long hours and spending a lot of money -- instead of spending time together -- have increasingly become how we say "I love you" at home" (187). There are several consequences of the idea demonstrated in this quotation. One is that actual sentiment, as demonstrated by time and old-fashioned human interaction, has been replaced by material items. There is even the remote (or not so remote) possibility that children, for example, who were brought up in such a way may even take to caring for those objects in place of the people who provide them for them, since the child rarely sees those people due to the efficient use of time and the prevalence of capitalism's effects upon their parents. Therefore, it is conceivable that the only way to avoid falling into such capitalist trappings of excess and replacing feeling with money is to deny it, and try to return instead to a simpler, more traditional time in which words, gestures, and personal expressions of emotions become the measure fore conveying thoughts and caring for others. This idea can be clearly seen in de Button's "On Habit," in which the author describes De Maistre's attempts at reacquainting himself with the simpler things in life as he "travels" around his room. "From his sofa, De Maistre spies his bed. Once again, from a traveler's vantage point, he learns to appreciate this complex piece of furniture. He feels grateful for the nights he has spent in it and takes pride that his sheets almost match his pajamas" (61). This sort of mind state, one which utilizes time rather than simply makes it efficient, and one which appreciates the simple things present in the home environment (including, conceivably, the people who live there) is necessary to avoid the trappings of capitalism, to produce truly meaningful existence and relationships with people, and to not be lured into a world where money is the measure of virtually everything.