Introduction
The interviewee is a 20 year male. He has a Highschool diploma, but is not currently attending college. As of right now he works in customer service. The interviewee grew up in a upper middle class, bordering on wealthy, house hold with both parents present and attentive. He also attended private school all of his life.
How do you define capitalism?
“Capitalism is an economic ideology based around the belief that a free market unimpeded by government regulation would create greater quality and cheaper goods and services for the consumer due to competition.”
Do you believe capitalism is inherent to society?
“Capitalism isn’t inherent to society as it often puts profit and corporate interest before human interests which goes against the basic function of a society which is to provide safety and community to a group of citizens.”
What do you think are some positive aspects of capitalism? What are the negative aspects?
“Some positive aspects of capitalism are the potential for competition to create better goods and promote social mobility. Some negative aspects of capitalism are that unregulated markets allow large companies to outcompete smaller companies and control the markets and a lack of government resources for underprivileged people.”
How do you see people’s views of capitalism being generationally different?
“Many older people view capitalism as a way for the average citizen to amass wealth and create a better life for them and their families, while many of the younger generations feel that capitalism has created a hostile economic environment that keeps the poor down while the rich continue to generate greater and greater wealth.”
Do you like capitalism?
I do not like the current capitalistic system that is employed throughout most of the world as it is driven mainly by profit rather than providing a high quality products and services as well as preventing the less fortunate from accessing the essentials for living or creating an environment where they cannot excel due to the high cost of living produced by this system.
Analysis
I believe it is appropriate to mention I know the interviewee quite well so his responses did not come as a surprise. In the past he has expressed his distain for the current US economic society we live in, and this is what made me want to interview him. Additionally, I find his takes on capitalism and the current economic state of the US interesting because his up bringing would indicate that he has benefited quite well from capitalism: private school, big house, never having to worry about food. Yet, he strongly despises where our economy stands. When reviewing his answers I noticed he was very concerned with the underprivileged, corporate greed, and the overall well being of the community.
I do have to wonder if these concerns stem from him barely making over minimum wage and working for a large corporation. But I have to remember this individual has always been sensitive and concerned for the well being of “the little guy” (his words). So perhaps his frustration is not a result of working for a corporation, but instead an issue with the ethics of capitalism and how it results in corporations putting profit before the well being of humans. This is where I can draw parallels to my previous interview. The last interviewee was also concerned with the ethics of capitalism, but in a more environmental way. This trend of ethical concerns is something I will continue to be vigilant of in the coming interviews.
