JY is a 20-year-old African American male. He is currently completing his junior year of college in a suburban town, while coming from a rural background and a lower middle class family. Ultimately, this interview shows that JY’s experience with capitalism has largely been shaped by his race and, by association, his families socioeconomic status. In terms of a historical understanding of capitalism, he knows how racial segregation has shaped capitalism, but he does not generally understand its origins.
How would you define capitalism?
“Capitalism is the economic system in America, that is good for wealthy conservatives, but not good for people like me.”
What do you mean by “people like you?”
“African American and from a poorer background. Capitalism has not been beneficial for me because my socioeconomic status does not allow me to move to a higher status because I am Black and my family is African American and from the South. I am the first generation to not be born into segregation in my family, and segregation prevented previous generations of my family from pursuing higher education and forced them to work lower income jobs, so I was born into poverty.”
What is your relationship with capitalism?
“I’m a consumer, so I partake in capitalism, but I don’t really have a choice.”
What do you mean by “I don’t have a choice?”
“There’s no other options of economic systems, so even though I don’t benefit from it, I still have to partake in it.”
What is your personal experience with capitalism been?
My personal experience with capitalism is that I have previously held a minimum wage job at an amusement park, although I was working full time hours. I didn’t have a good experience due to that and because I was overworked also. I would arrive at 10 in the morning to clean the restaurant and make food for the opening. Then I would open the restaurant, and work on register, sometimes cook and work the register at the same time. I would stay until close at 11 at night and I stayed until 12 to clean the restaurant and close it.
So, do you believe you were exploited?
“Yes, and it’s easier for people like me to be exploited. This was my first job and I looked for jobs for years and this is the first job that hired me. I was doing more than I was getting paid for but I needed money. What other option did I have?”
What do you think are some alternatives to capitalism? What do you think about them?
“I don’t know, but I don’t think Americans would be accepting of anything else.”
Has capitalism or any alternatives been taught to you in school?
No
How does capitalism influence America? How has it influenced America in the past?
“I think capitalism is apart of American culture because it has been around for so long. It has been linked with patriotism, so if you’re anti-capitalism, you are seen as unpatriotic. So, Americans are pretty much forced into capitalism.”
What do you think are capitalism’s origins? Both globally and in reference to the United States?
“I don’t know. I guess it came from Europe and Americans brought it over from England because that’s where they came from.”
How do you think social issues have been affected by capitalism, both now and in the past?
“Because the wealthy control the system, they shape it. Social issues, such as welfare, are not concerns of the wealthy, they don’t take into consideration other classes experience.”
How do you think capitalism has changed over time? What are some examples?
“I think the longer it has existed, the worse it has become because the people who originally had control of the market have continued to pass down their wealth to subsequent generations. So, the richer keep getting richer and the poor stay poor.”
Do you think capitalism is a natural fit for human nature? Why or why not?
No, because humans tend to be naturally greedy.”
So, wouldn’t that make it a natural fit?
“Oh. Well, I guess I mean it’s natural for the wealthy, because they don’t have to give up their wealth. But doesn’t feel natural for people like me because it not designed for me to be successful.”
