My second interviewee is KH, a twenty-year old white female college student here at UMW. She is a history major, and lives in Virginia Beach. She is a Republican, and so is rather more conservative than my last interviewee.
How would you define capitalism?
“An economic system where private enterprise is separate from the government.”
What do you mean by separate?
“Free from any direct government control or interference.”
What is your relationship with capitalism?
“I am personally favorable towards capitalism. I think it is responsible for many technological advances throughout history, and I think it has had major societal and historical positive impacts in some instances.”
What instances?
“One would be the IT boom through the 80s and 90s. The privatization of the telephone industry in the 80s played a major role in it. The tech boom in recent times in general comes from capitalism.”
What are some alternative systems to capitalism?
“Communism, socialism, fascism, and mercantilism.”
What do you think of them?
“I’m not a fan of any. Mercantilism is technically capitalist, sort of, but it’s not really private enterprise. I guess it’s kind of nationalist, state capitalism almost. Communism, well, people say it works on paper, but in my opinion it doesn’t even make sense in theory. I have not studied Marxism in depth, but that’s sort of what I get from my impression of it. Socialism just seems like a slower means to communism, it’s a step towards that path. Fascism is sort of like another version of socialism. National Socialism after all. But its mainly about nationalist fervor I guess. It’s all about the state.”
Can you elaborate on the similarities/differences between socialists and fascists? Are they after the same things?
“Not entirely I think, but both tend to support the state and they use similar methods towards their goals.”
How has capitalism influenced America?
“I think capitalism has been tied together with America from the start. Capitalism is totally linked with the American Revolution I’d say. The Revolution even really begins the same year that Adam Smith publishes Wealth of Nations. Capitalism is inherent in the structure of the American government as set up by the Founding Fathers. It was natural for America to become capitalist, from that point.”
What do you mean by inherent? Do you think capitalism as a system was sort of intended to become what it did in America?
“I don’t know about intended, but I definitely think capitalism was enabled by the way that our society was set up and began to evolve around this time.”
Where/when do you think capitalism comes from?
“I’m not sure I can describe the exact origins of capitalism. Adam Smith is certainly held up as the founder of capitalist thought, but I think capitalism probably had smaller origins; people were already practicing capitalism when Smith wrote, they just didn’t call it that yet.”
How do you think social issues are affected by capitalism?
“I think capitalism tends to blanket certain social issues. Pure capitalist theory is liberating in that it is meant to empower the individual. Like Ayn Rand said, the individual is the smallest minority. But pure theory doesn’t work in practice. Capitalism, the free market often overlooks or is blind to certain social issues I think. But the free market can be used for good as well. You can boycott an enterprise that has policies you disagree with.”
So, you think the free market can be used to address social ills?
“Yes, I think so. The free market can bring social problems to light, and a person can use their economic power to effect that issue. It all depends on the individual or enterprise I suppose.”
Do you think capitalism has changed over time? What are some examples?
“I think capitalism in Adam Smith’s time looks different than capitalism in Karl Marx’s. Historically I think we see capitalism through Marxist lens rather than Smith’s. Over time, capitalism has become kind of a synonym for corporatism. So I guess maybe it’s our view of capitalism that has changed.
By Marxist, do you mean a kind of Marxist, class-based historical approach, or are you talking more about Marx himself?
“The Marxist historians I think.”
Do you think capitalism is a good fit for human nature?
“I think so, personally. Basic survival instinct makes us basically selfish, and capitalism actually uses that for good. It’s about what you do with that selfish instinct. Capitalism is not perfect, but it’s helped more than it has hurt. Because people are selfish, capitalism can cater to each of us in a sense.
How has capitalism been taught to you, during your education? Good, bad, neither?
“My education about capitalism has been quite neutral I think. I have not been taught pure capitalist theory really, but I’ve learned about capitalism as a system. In AP US History, a lot of issues with capitalism became more obvious to me. Not all major industrialists like during the Gilded Age were good people, certainly. But they mostly did good things for the country with their wealth, I think. I feel that capitalism does improve the standard of living for everyone. So I would say I’ve had pretty balanced teaching of capitalism.”
A major takeaway from this interview, for me anyway, was the way KH repeatedly refers to capitalism almost as a sort of mystic, abstract force that does things of its own volition. And while she thinks it does have flaws, it seems apparent that she’s pretty much in approval of capitalism on a basic level and thinks it makes sense.
