7 Huge Misconceptions About Communism (and Capitalism)

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13. Great article. The "best" is at the end.

"7. Capitalism fosters individuality.

Instead of allowing all people to follow their entrepreneurial spirit into the endeavors that fulfill them, capitalism applauds the small number of entrepreneurs who capture large portions of mass markets. This requires producing things on a mass scale, which imposes a double-uniformity on society: tons and tons of people all purchase the same products, and tons and tons of people all perform the same labor. Such individuality as flourishes amid this system is often extremely superficial.

Have you seen the suburban residential developments that the housing boom shat out all over this country? Have you seen the grey-paneled cubicles, bathed in fluorescent light, clustered in “office parks” so indistinct as to be disorienting? Have you seen the strip malls and service areas and sitcoms? Our ability to purchase products from competing capitalist firms has not produced an optimally various and interesting society.

As a matter of fact, most of the greatest art under capitalism has always come from people who are oppressed and alienated (see: the blues, jazz, rock & roll, and hip-hop). Then, thanks to capitalism, it is homogenized, marketed, and milked for all its value by the “entrepreneurs” sitting at the top of the heap, stroking their satiated flanks in admiration of themselves for getting everyone beneath them to believe that we are free."

I have found that capitalism encourages specialization and a mindset of only one can be best. Most corporations and businesses only do one thing - sell tires, sell food, sell cupcakes. Even Wal-Mart and K -mart only do one thing - sell cheap products. Think of great middle aged black female actors and everyone in the US looks to Oprah. capitalism always pushes only one as the best. Then everyone in that market tries to win that "best" position. There can't be more than a handful of bests, and in truth, only one is really considered best. It's what advertising tries to do, make you think only one brand name is best. It's how they try to capture large portions of the market.