Along the same tangent which I took in my previous post, I was wondering if we can construct a model for capitalism in general, based on Hatch and Shein's models of cultural assumptions and values. I am beginning to wonder whether the capitalist model itself has many of the underlying assumptions that Enron embraced, including the social darwinian model which justifies in/out systems of values ("rank and yank"). For example, the prevailing capitalist thought is that people will be successful based on their own achievements - in other words, you get whatever part of the pie you deserve and want. Therefore, wherever you are in the economic ladder is appropriate for you. The "reality" which must be constructed in order for this to work is that 1) there is an unlimited supply of wealth and 2) everybody has equal opportunity and access.
In order for this model to hold, two things must be true (really true - not perceived to be so) - 1) there must be an unlimited supply of wealth and 2) ppl must have equal access/opportunity.
The second point has been proven false repeatedly. Studies of educational systems, where achievement gaps based on socio-economic factors including ethnicity and language determine one's ability to acquire credentials to move up, and a criminal justice system heavily biased toward a white wealthy population completely disprove that "truth" (assumption).
Furthermore, the supply of wealth is finite, allowing only so many people to continue to accrue it. As long as the wealthy are getting richer (money begets money), the poor can only become poorer. Unfortunately, the result of this is the fact that the United States ranks 49th in the world in terms of economic equality. That's right, our great nation is right up there with Sierra Leone and Uganda in terms of wealth distribution. Furthermore, those nations have a much greater (by more than 500%) shadow economy, which allows people in poverty to acquire means "off the records," thus increasing their personal income. The shadow economy in the US is extraordinarily low.
Do you think that the underlying assumptions behind capitalism are similar to those in the Enron movie? If we take the corporate culture and place it in the macroculture of America, where capitalism is part of our inherent belief structure, what can be said?
Joy, sincerely, I believe the same culture existed within Enron. As you know, they pushed their staff to be successful at all cost. The sad reality is through this fast-paced, dog-eat-dog culture, the staff really believed they were making money legally. Capitalism has a way of blinding the greedy from reality. If the playing field were level, every staff member in Enron would have been successful, but because it wasn't some lost their jobs when they could not keep up in this environment. The same is true in the U.S., if you can't keep up and the opportunity isn't available to you, you won't have access to the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteJoy,
ReplyDeleteThough I have not seen the Enron movie, I appreciate your analysis in general terms. I do think though, that we have to be careful when comparing the conditions of the developing world with those of the overdeveloped capitalist countries. Rosa Luxemburg explained some of the complexities in The Accumulation of Capital. Admittedly I haven't read the whole book, but I think I grasp some of its concepts.