Blog #1

3/30/2015

Guiding Questions

How do you think our economic system (capitalism) is connected to our governing system (representative democracy)?
Describe how our democratic system of governance could be augmented or threatened by the way we practice capitalism?
How does capitalism require us to think about ourselves in relationship to other people and to institutions/corporations?

Use the media links below to help answer the guiding questions for this weeks blog post. Blog requirements.

Story of Stuff
Does Capitalism Exploit Workers
Capitalism v. Democracy
Democracy or Capitalism

Requirements for BLOG POSTS

You must write 250 words each post (due Wednesday @ Midnight), Responses to another student - 50 words each (due @ Friday midnight)
Students must post during the week the blog is assigned or it will not be graded.

83 Comments

Candice D.

3/30/2015 05:30:19 pm

I believe that our economic system (capitalism) and governing system (representative democracy) is adherently interconnected with one another. It has been confirmed that modern democracy came along with capitalism, and both are necessary for rising modern civilization. Many of the scholars believe that capitalism is in fact necessary for democracy in a historical point of view. Friedman states that he knows “ of no example in time or place of a society that has been marked by a large measure of political freedom, and that has not also used something comparable to a free market to organized the bulk of economic activity.” One important relationship between capitalism and democracy is the practice of supply and demand, which causes the powers behind the distribution of resources. As consumers, there may be high demand for a particular product, which directly affects the corporations (companies) to increase their supplies. Unfortunately, our government significantly sides with our businesses because they has directly benefited our economic system (capitalism) and has led to great power and authority for corporations. This is because our corporations and government function with money. Without money, they will not be able to reach society needs. However, in the video, " Story of Stuff," it makes it known that businesses and corporations have profited more money from sales than our government. This is because our government spends around $59 billion dollars per year on social welfare programs, like section 8 and unemployment.

Also, capitalism supports democracy because it does not take a lot of effort or maintenance from the government for a capitalistic economy to function. Democracy fosters capitalism in proportion to how willing its citizens are to either interfere in its function or allow it to progress freely. Additionally, whenever citizens being to become unhappy about the disparity between classes, a democracy will have a quicker response to an issue than many other forms of government, like progressive taxes being the most common action or result. Another correlation between capitalism and democracy is that both systems being similar in the way that the people always have a choice in the decisions they make. For example, as a voter giving his or her support for one specific political party, and as a consumer, choosing one product over another. In both of these examples, there is the possibility that a positive or rewarding outcome will be dependent on the ability to attract many people to buy that specific product or vote for that specific political party. Beetham clearly states, “ Democracy… empowers the voter, in exactly the same way as the market empowers the consumer, by making the expressed preferences of the individual s and the ability to satisfy them the fundamental conditions for political as well as economic success.”

Zachary Frenette link

4/1/2015 11:07:35 am

Hi There, Candice!

I really like what you've said here about the role of money in politics. However in one part you say, "capitalism supports democracy because it does not take a lot of effort or maintenance from the government for a capitalistic economy to function".

Albeit true, capitalism is a raging, unstoppable train, operating autonomously-- I believe that it is the /capitalistic economy/ that needs the /government/ to function, not the other way around.

Alicia L

6/15/2015 06:06:11 pm

Yes, democracy and capitalism do work together to and contribute to a rising modern society, however, its not necessary. There are many other countries that are labeled socialist and communist that are also doing well when in comes to the world market. I do have to note that although they are labeled socialist or whatever, they are very much capitalistic.

Britney Yarbrough

3/31/2015 09:25:59 am

Blog Post # 1

Capitalism and democracy are connected through consumption. The government is more concerned about how much the people consume and the effect it has on capitalism rather than being concerned about the well being of its people. Our elected agents cater to corporations because they are more so prosperous than the government. The definition of democracy is; “Government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system”. For those who are aware, the power is not within the people although our investments and hard labor is what continues in keeping this economy thriving. The government influences the people to believe that major consumption is good only to be in good terms with capitalists when there are more important issues that need to be addressed.
Capitalism and Democracy are related first through the distribution of wealth. Our elected officials aren’t concerned about wealth related to employment, healthcare, education and so forth, they are concerned about personal wealth, war and consuming as much of the resources as possible with no empathy for this earth and the people they take from. Capitalism id maintained by private individuals and corporations. Capitalism and Democracy is also related by greed and selfishness. The government is concerned about the government and capitalists are concerned about capitalists. Neither of the two are required to take part in hard labor or have experienced much struggle within their lives. The people have to be for themselves in any way they are able.

Breanna F.

4/1/2015 06:25:07 pm

Hello, Brittany!
I enjoyed reading your first blog post and I am able to agree with your main points. I liked that you talked about our officials being concerned with their personal wealth and the wealth of the people that supplied their campaigns. I think that because this is widely known, Americans do not look to their officials for guidance or proper representation. The world we live in has become a rat race and the more people who work towards independent goals, the less unity our country will practice. I think this is a scary realization because our freedom to express our desires seems to matter less and less. Our government has put off so many problems, rather than dealing with them and people no longer trust their government in the way they used to.

Breanna F.

4/1/2015 06:27:10 pm

*Britney

Tionne Johnson

4/3/2015 05:12:53 am

I strongly agree with you when you say that capitalism and democracy are connected through consumption. And I think that this is our government's greatest downfall. How they can out money over the people when there are people in the U.S. with nothing to eat. You're right the power is not in the people anymore, money has all of the power and as long as our government operates this way we will ever have a stable economy.

Maryjoyce Pascual

4/3/2015 04:15:29 pm

Good evening Britney,
I like the point where you bring up that capitalism and democracy are connection through consumption and that capitalism and democracy are related first through distribution and wealth. Sometimes when you belong in a country that is ran democratically, people tend to get selfish, therefore creating this dog-eat-dog world. Same thing with capitalism and democracy being related through distribution and wealth. I take this personally, especially when it comes down to my military training because millions of our tax dollars are being invested more into war that has ended long ago, yet we refuse to take troops out. Our government needs to learn to stop being so selfish, regardless of economic stance.

Alicia L

6/15/2015 06:01:51 pm

Great post! I totally agree with you. Capitalism and democracy our definitely are related through distributing wealth to a handful of people. Democracy is suppose to be for the people by definition, however, in practice, it is not. It's funny, I've heard people call our government an oligarchy instead of a democracy.

Kassandra Mariscal

3/31/2015 01:38:38 pm

I think our economic system is connected to our governing system because money can buy anything these days. Big corporations and individuals are buying our politicians to protect their well being and interests. Millions of dollars go into campaigning and the vast majority of those dollars come from the millionaire supporters of the politician who in return will protect and fight to pass laws that benefit them and fight to block laws that will harm them.

The only way I think our democratic system of governance could be threatened by the way we practice capitalism is actually already happening in my opinion. Rich businesses are running the way Washington does politics and they’re looking out for the people who fund them instead of the citizens. This same practice isn't just applied to government but even to media. There are people who watch Fox News and are misled without even knowing it.

In relation to other people and to institutions/corporations it makes me feel like what I think and what I’d like to happen is less important than what millionaires want. They have more power than I do to get what they want out of politicians because they have the money to make it happen. I don't think It shouldn't be that way, it is unfair. Millionaires can buy themselves in and out of anything they want it seems like.
I am not too into the whole thing yet, I hope to learn more about it to develop a better view and opinion of the situation.

Zander Smead

3/31/2015 02:08:47 pm

Kassandra,
I really appreciate your style of writing and your clear approach to the questions. I agree with you completely. It really is sad that those with all of the money are able to make the decisions. There is something very wrong with our government when a supporter can financially support a candidate and be repaid with favors in return.

Zachary Frenette link

4/1/2015 11:13:08 am

Hey Kassandra,

I think you're completely in the right frame of mind here. There is a lot of objective opinions and crap floating around on the news which is constantly being used as a catalyst for fear and consumption. I like that you took this assignment and decided to write from your heart instead!

Gaby Ruiz

4/3/2015 03:30:04 pm

Hello Kassandra, after reading your post i agree with what you had to say! Big corporations and individuals do lobby politicians! It's upsetting that everything you stated in your post is the reality. Fox News shouldn't even be a real news show its upsetting that many people really think that that news show delivers real facts. Like you i too am starting to get a better understanding of all of this as well.

Luis Lockhart

4/3/2015 04:17:34 pm

Hi Kassandra
I agree so much with what you are saying. The people with the most money are the ones influencing the government instead of the people. I watched a documentary in my English class last quarter about health insurance and the same thing happens there. The people in charge of health insurance companies with the most money buy out politicians who trick people into believing that we have good health care when we do not.

Maryjoyce Pascual

4/3/2015 04:28:55 pm

Good evening Kassandra,
You bring up a very good point in which you mention the way our government system could be threatened. You stated that rich businesses basically fund the government and in all honestly, a lot of them do, causing them to get away with whatever trouble they may cause for themselves. It is frankly annoying because multi million dollar corporations basically pay their way out of any situation they get into rather than dealing with the consequences right then and there.

Rocio Soto

3/31/2015 02:03:45 pm

After watching the video about the Story of Stuff I strongly believe that our governing system (representing democracy) caters to the economic system (capitalism). By catering I mean that the government (the same government that is FOR the people and BY the people) is not really on my side, or yours, or anyone’s. They are connected by money. This toxic relationship between Capitalism and the government is a wealth exchange. It’s a simplistic arrangement. Only for influence. Power. And greed. Money, mula, dinero, plata. However you may say it, does not change the fact that WE (the people) need it.
As human beings we do not farm or trade for a living. It is based on what we own. Not how we survive. It is materialism. Jordans, Louboutins, Manolos, Nikes. We “need” them right? WRONG. WRONG. WRONG. On so many different leverls. In all honesty, I think the nation was established on lies and deceit. Money is an essential tool, a way of surviving, it is a necessary cycle. The government is an intelligent joke, the reason I say they are intelligent is because they created a way to make it okay to steal, kill and disrespect each other based on social class. They are connected because their biggest goal is to keep the people consuming and wanting more. Without giving the people the financial independency or freedom to do so. They convince us that we need things, just like in the video. That golden arrow is key to keep the government and the capitalist on top of the food chain. They are all in one. Our governing system is altered already, if you have enough money for a “good” lawyer you will never have to set foot in a jail cell. Even if proven guilty. On the other hand, if innocent but without money you will spend quite some time behind metal bars. A cage you do not deserve. See, the governing system justifies murdering a man if you have enough to back you up. But remember, only if you put your money were your mouth is. Capitalism requires us to belittle ourselves. It makes us feel like we are nothing but a should who lives to work, instead of working to live. We desire a simpler life. Our dreams are defined by: fame, money, cars, lavish lifestyles, women and estate. We “the people” are the worker bees of these corporations. We are the world’s low income/low-wage workers that will never [honestly] make our way up. We are nothing more. Nothing less.

Ashley De La Paz

4/2/2015 08:56:53 am

I completely agree with you on how, you state that everything is connected with money, and how the government is not on anyone’s side and will not look out for the better of most citizens. I understand what you mean as well when you state that the government was established on lies, and how everything leads back to them wanting us to buy more and more materialistic products.

Alexander "Zander" Smead

3/31/2015 02:05:10 pm

I believe that our economic system and our governing system are combined in that without one the other collapses. Without a strong economy people are not able to pay taxes and create the funds that the government needs. Without the funds of the people and businesses the government is not able to stay open.

Our democratic system of governance could be augmented or threatened by the way we practice capitalism at any point in time. Because big business tends to get more votes or more powers in our government system it is more likely that with big business or money you can get things done. The more money you have the more power you have in the government. So people with more money and poor intentions have the ability to affect our government system. As we learned in the article, Democracy or Capitalism, “It was in this context that so-called democratic capitalism emerged, a system that consisted of the idea that, in order to be compatible with democracy, capitalism ought to be strongly regulated. “ Regulating capitalism means taking the power away from big business and putting it back into the hands of the masses.

Capitalism requires us to focus on the masses and not our own selfish gain. If we do not focus on our community as a whole, if we only focus on ourselves we will create a society of inequality. We need to focus on the people and create a place where we do not have a divide of those who have millions and those living on the streets.

Diana Llamas

4/1/2015 04:39:40 am

I agree with you on the part that the government would not stay open if it wasn't for us. We as in the people are the ones who are working hard for our things while they just sit back. I also agree that the more money you have the more power you will get because it’s true someone with a lot of money can make things possible compared to someone who doesn't.

Luis Lockhart

4/3/2015 04:22:09 pm

Hey Zander

I agree with you. Democracy can be potentially augmented and threatened by capitalism. Before this I used to feel that capitalism was horrible and that if there was more government control and democracy that things would be so much better. And they could be, but then I realized that there are "evils" that the government can commit that Capitalism can actually stop.

Kasey S

3/31/2015 04:24:36 pm

I believe that the economic system and the governing system is connected. These systems is what plays a big role in how our society today works. They're the ones that have the say in how things go. They have the power to do as they please to make changes and that's mainly due to the how powerful money can be. In The Story of Stuff, it talked about how corporations were bigger than the government itself and I completely agree with that. The facts in the video proves that corporations are gaining so much money and the government can't really do anything about it but to work with the corporations. It just goes to show that government is losing its power and that corporations have the upper hand. This situation can be rather conflicting because we as the people don't necessarily want one party to be able to gain that much power. Whether it be corporations or the government, any one person to withhold that much power is just bad news. And it's crazy how media itself plays such a big role in this. These corporations run the media, these groups choose what you consume. They tell you whether or not you're up to date with the latest new trend of fashion and not many people think about it that way but who really has control of what they're consuming anymore?

The way that things are today the government is already threatened by capitalism. Capitalism has taken over so it seems. With the way that these corporations are making money it's too late to say that our government has any power. Of course they still have some kind of say but in reality what the people are following is what's on television and what people are reading or hearing. And what people are watching, seeing, and hearing are things that the corporations want you to consume.

Capitalism makes us feel as if we've been brainwashed or we're just puppets to their ventriloquism. They're doing what they can to gain and their gain is our loss in a sense. They're doing everything that money can buy to gain more money. The worst part of it all is that the people don't even know that they're being manipulated by the media because it's been such a habitual thing that it'

Lesley C.

4/1/2015 09:56:11 am

I agree with you completely. Our government is losing power to the corporations and thinking that one party can gain most of the power is pretty scary. People are brainwashed because they do as the TV says. The media definitely plays a part in what the people do nowadays, as in how often they shop or eat.

Candice D.

4/2/2015 03:59:45 am

Hi Kasey,

I completely agree with your viewpoint that our corporations are taking over the powers of our government. The powers of our corporation is controlling the mindsets and goals within the people of society. I see this as a negative aspect because not every information our corporations presents is beneficial to our well-being or knowledge to obtain. Capitalism has definitely taken over our government and has its focus on feeding the public with unecessary messages. This can range from having the latest technology to presenting the "right" figure for a women to have. Therefore, these messages cause more people to fall into their schemes to gain more money. All they want is for people to fall for there tactics to gain more money. I believe this is a topic that should be known to the public because it may decrease the power of our corporations. This is definitely soemthing I learned that's new and will watch out for more closely.

Valarie H.

4/1/2015 03:34:01 am

After watching the video Story of Stuff, I believe that the economic system and our governing system is connected by money. With everything that is produced, the workers are expected to work more and the government want to pay less. The government have the power to take more from you then what you get. As expected people are in demands of products. With that consumers are to put out more money and the government will put in less efforts. When I say less efforts I mean that the workers are doing the work and while the government does nothing. They have the “power” to do everything because of the money we bring to them.

In today’s society, people are more concern and unhappy with how the way capitalist work. All they care about is the money that we give to them. Everyday there are ads about things to buy. That’s how they get to us. We don’t necessarily need things, we want it. For certain we need to survive but you don’t necessarily need so many things.

Capitalism requires us to think not so selfishly about ourselves but about the community and environment. They have that power to do so because we let them think that way. As consumers we bring money in for them and they abuse that power with laws. People that are upper class have the ability to pay for anything whereas middle and lower class consumers have to work more than what they get paid for.

Kimberly Lopez

4/1/2015 06:30:11 am

I agree with you when you say Capitalism and democracy is being run by money; however, I feel like we allow ourselves to be exploited due to our lack of knowledge and simply because we are so captivated in our own bubble and do not think we have the power of change. Most of us have a sense of how corrupt our government system has become but in today’s time no one seems to do any “radical” event like the few instances our history books tell us about the people who stood up for themselves in order for change. I believe we can change our systems if we were to educate ourselves and instead of making a call to action to actually act as a nation since we clam we are a “nation under God” in our own allegiance. We have forgotten our basic principles and are now “one nation under Money” if you will. It is said that passion is the cousin of death and our governments and corporate are extremely passionate about their money and in return are killing off what we so rightfully own as people of this Earth and we are okay with it only because it is our norm to work and consume like blinded cows.

Diana Llamas

4/1/2015 04:35:27 am

I think that our economic system is connected to our governing system because they both play out in the same way. In the video story of stuff money is needed. In the beginning it made me think that the government is not really doing anything but just hanging there and letting all the people do the hard work in the world. They would be busting their butts off for them while they just don’t really do anything. The people are the ones who are working harder to put that money. Overall I feel like without us the people being hard workers the government wouldn’t have what they have now.
The democratic system of governance could be augmented of threatened by the way we practice capitalism because once we have money we become acting like the government. In capitalism they want to pay the workers less money with lower wages but they want the work done. It is happening now a days. All of this happens because they want is pay less and keep the money they supposed to give to the workers. They are smart people they know the more money someone got the better.
In the video it caught my attention on who capitalism require use to think about ourselves in a certain way because its true they advertise things to make us look like we are doing something wrong so we go out and buy things that we don’t really need. The more stuff we spend on the more the government feels powered on because they are the ones who get profited. Overall I feel like we are being put down by all these advertisements that people don’t even notice that is happening.

Marisa Lerma

4/1/2015 03:10:40 pm

I totally agree with you about how the government isn't really doing anything and we are the ones doing all the work. The hard workers are doing to government’s dirty work and without them, the government wouldn't be the same. I also agree that advertisements makes us believe that we need to keep buying the latest items in order to stay up to date with the newest trends. All they care about is making us spend more money on things we don’t really need, so they can profit from it.

Valarie H.

4/2/2015 01:54:34 pm

Hey Diana!
After reading your post, I agree with the face that you said we're all connected in a sense. We as consumers do most of the work while the government just sits there and collect our money. Given the thought of how you said that if consumers have the type of money that the government have, we would be the same way that they're acting. While in my sense, it's true. Nowadays money is everything because that's just how things work. The government thinks that we don't know, but in reality we know enough.

Tanee Asberry

4/1/2015 05:27:25 am

How do you think our economic system (capitalism) is connected to our governing system (representative democracy)? With a textbook definition Capitalism an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state, and Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. I think that any government system that we have in tact will always be connected or controlled by a capitalist system because all we care about is money and what could be the next investment that we can do to make money. Describe how our democratic system of governance could be augmented or threatened by the way we practice capitalism? Are democratic system is threated through money. We are supposed to elect people that are supposed to help us and better ourselves as a unit but what really happens is the person that has the most money and can buy peoples votes will win the election because they have money. I think in politics there is no honor and people will do whatever they need to get ahead in life. There is no trust so whomever you vote for might not make the changes that need to be made in our community and in our life. How does capitalism require us to think about ourselves in relationship to other people and to institutions/corporations? When I think about are relationship between us and a institution I think we, as the United States, would help out a foreign country with their issues before we solve ours because we need what they are offering and when we have a war or issue with our own people what do we gain from actually solving the issues.

Kassandra Mariscal

4/1/2015 07:50:27 am

For the first question, I basically said the same thing. That money can get people in and out of whatever they want and money is very powerful in politics. I don't think it's possible to be a politician without money. Money runs everything these days especially in politics. For the second question, I couldn't agree with you more. Politicians buy peoples votes with money and promises made to them if they get elected. More promises are made and kept for corporations rather than the people. It is such a shame in my eyes.

Lesley C.

4/1/2015 09:49:19 am

I believe that our economic system is connected to our governing system because our government relies on how much people are consuming and how much money they are spending rather than actually caring for the people and trying to stop us from consuming so many horrible things. The government is no longer for the people but for the big corporations that give it billions of dollars. Since it isn't every person who is giving the government billions of dollars, the government has to listen and do the things the people say who are giving them billions of dollars cause if not then they will lose that money. Since the government only cares about money then they will do as they say and not care for the people like they are suppose to.

In my opinion our government system is already being threatened by capitalism because capitalism is what runs our government. What I mean is that, whoever has billions of dollars coming into the government is the person to makes the decisions. In today's world, whoever has the most money is the person everyone listens to because if you don't then you lose that money that was coming to you. Money decides what happens and who makes the choices. It threatens our government system because it threatens the people because with money being the head of the government, the government is no longer for the people which means anything that is decided can either hurt us or help us or even turn our government into a dictatorship.

Capitalism makes us think about our self in a selfish way. Also makes us think that we are not important in this world compared to the institutions and corporations who seem to be the most important. In today's world money runs everything. Capitalism takes us away from thinking about a community perspective to an individual perspective because when millionaires are making choices they don't think about what is best for everybody they think about what is best for themselves and how to make more money.

Nathaniel Mani

4/3/2015 09:58:04 am

Hello lesley, I strongly agree with you opinions on how capitalist only think for themselves only. I also think that our government is already threatened by capitalism. Money talks in our society today. These politicians are puppets to these big private companies that are funding their campaigns. The bills that are being passed are only benefiting them

Jose Fernandez

4/3/2015 01:52:51 pm

Hi Lesley,

I agree with the statement you made in regards to the large portion of the power lying amongst the people who hold the most money. I believe that having a great deal of money also gives you a great deal of power. However, I also believe that as citizens we too have power. We have the power to voice our concerns through means of voting. If we decide to stand on the side lines of political action while our voices remain unheard we become part of the problem.

I believe it is our duty to be actively involved and work cooperatively with the state in order to pass effective legislation catered to our way of life. We have the power to elect our representatives and place them in office and keep them in office just as long as they keep our best interest at hand.

Jocelyn Chavez

4/1/2015 10:04:31 am

how do you think our economic system (capitalism) is connected to our governing system (representative democracy)? I think our economic system is connected to the governing system because Capitalism basically runs/controls everything including the government. The government is more concern to make sure everything works out for those people in higher power because of the 100 largest economies, 49 are government and 51 are corporations. After world war two corporations thought about two strategies planned obsolescence and perceived obsolesce. In other words the way everything functions now is as long as there's money flowing in out of the system everything is okay and as long as they keep the citizens buying everything is perfect for their profit.
Describe how our democratic system of governance could be augmented or threatened by the way we practice capitalism? Our democratic system can be augmented today because everything has to do with money these days and when I say everything, you need money for everything even for higher education while in other countries higher education is free. Even in politics when running for anything, if they have enough power and money they can buy their self into the system. Not to mention they do care about making changes for the people they only care about their own interest and what are they going to benefit from it. Don't forget to see how much money they are going to get flowing in and out. Another way they are threatening is by how much advertisement there is and make us believe shopping can fix anything. Even if we don't want something and don't need it they make you believe you do need it.
How does capitalism require us to think about ourselves in relationship to other people and to institutions/corporations? Capitalism makes us feel like we are nothing and just their puppets. Because if you don't have money and power the government does care about you, they are not getting no profit out of you. There is no relationship because they don't want us to go up the pyramid, they want us to stay where they want because that's what profits them. We seriously don't matter that's what they make it look like, they can always replace you.

Maryjoyce Pascual

4/1/2015 11:11:21 am

Capitalism and democracy are ascendant in the third party. They essentially complement each other as defined that capitalism is expressed as the free market and democracy as ran by the people for the people. Perhaps it is possible that being in a democratic country created capitalism so that every man could have an equal opportunity to rise to some level of power. It also ties in together in the sense of currency. Money, in some ways means everything nowadays, more so when it comes to how we govern our country. Democracy creates capitalism and capitalism keeps democracy afloat.
Democracy means that everyone’s ideas are taken into consideration. It is a good trait to possess to implement change for the better but bad if it turns into a tool for destruction. This is especially dangerous with the way we practice capitalism because it creates multiple loopholes for individuals and corporations to cheat their way up the ladder. One individual may have an idea for change in the system to make it more fair for competition and another individual may trump on that idea because we live in a country of democracy, not fascism.
Because capitalism is free trade, it signifies that it basically becomes a dog-eat-dog world; may the best man (or woman) win. With regards to working with other individuals in possibly multi-million dollar corporations, there will always be that one person who will want to destroy everyone in process of making it to the top rather quickly. Of course, the capitalist system does not always work that way, but every now and then, some see it as the only way to power and control.

Zachary Frenette link

4/1/2015 11:13:52 am

* My understanding of representative democracy’s relation to capitalism is that there is a pretty wide gap between them. On one hand we’re told that our voices matter in the decisions which lead to our governing laws, and then on the other hand-- people with influence, power and wealth buy out politicians. If capitalism is king than representative democracy would be like the court jester. If voting were a puppet show then its operative strings would be made out of money.

* The way in which we practice capitalism is unfortunately a necessary evil at this juncture. I believe our system of governance could be easily threatened by it. I believe strongly that money plays a huge role into what becomes law and what doesn’t. For example: discriminatory, anti-LGBTQ laws are being passed and backed by wealthy entities (religiously-affiliated or otherwise). Even the detractors of these laws equate its wrongfulness into monetary loss. At its rotten core, capitalism is still the heart of our representative democracy. I believe that it’s not the way we practice capitalism that threatens our democratic system of governance—but rather, the way we practice politics.

* Capitalism requires us to think about ourselves as mindless, work-a-day, zombie alcoholics. “People that are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork, and just dumb enough to passively accept it” (George Carlin). In relationship to other people, I believe that capitalism would prefer aggression amongst ourselves rather than where it should be directed—at wealthy billionaires that make it impossible for us to have affordable fucking healthcare.

Nathaniel Mani

4/1/2015 01:14:20 pm

I think the way our economic system is connected to our governing system is by these big private companies that provide money to these politicians so once they get into government they are pushing laws and bills that support these big companies only because it was through these big companies that funded a politician campaign. It is kind of like I scratch your back and you scratch mine. I think almost all governments are somehow linked to these big private companies and in some cases are run by them. These politicians are just puppets. I believe the way our governed can be threatened or already is threatened by these capitalist is through money. Everybody knows money talks and whoever has the most money has the biggest say in the government I believe and these are the folks in the government listen too. When things like this happen it only benefits thee major private companies and the people are the ones that are suffering. The way capitalism makes us think about ourselves is by making decisions that only benefits us and not about others. In a way it makes us feel like we are not important at all to them and they see are only useful as laborers that is all. Capitalism makes us think about ourselves only and leaving out the community as for what they have to say. This is why people like us do not matter because we don’t have the money so our voices and views do not matter. This is why more money you have the more your opinions matter

Jada Witherspoon

6/15/2015 10:23:26 am

I completely agree with you, and it is really sad, and defeats the purpose of the democracy that we supposedly have. When our elected officials that are supposed to be for the people only really listen the opinion of those that are lining their pockets. Lobbyist and those that support the big companies and CEO's in our country are the only ones that really get into our politicians ears and tell them what bills or laws should be passed to help the wealthy even more. I think it also stands that since many of our country's politicians are wealthy already it does not surprise me that they are more willing to help out the rich opposed to the middle class and poor of our country.

Kimberly Lopez

4/1/2015 02:23:42 pm

It is a known fact that capitalism and democracy are interconnected; capitalism is the money engine and democracy makes sure the engine keeps running. I do not believe capitalism would exist at the extreme measures of today if the people who make up the democracy were to take a stand. If democracy were to put a halt in the overworked system then capitalism really would not have any choice but to make some type of drastic changes. Over the past several decades we have noticed our government system changing and as of right now what was a “healthy” balance between capitalism and democracy is now leaning significantly more toward capitalism. We have given up our freedom and have become slaves who work 24/7 with high amounts of pressure and stress only to pay for things we only use for a limited amount of hours before going to work again. We have given our lives away to people who are overly enjoying their lives by all the money and power they have. What is to say we haven’t become almost a joke to big corporate companies and politicians? In the video Story of Stuff it is clearly demonstrated of how this is so. What is more fascinating is while watching this video the entire time I could not stop agreeing and get upset at these cold facts but minutes after went on my phone and forgot about what I had just seen.

Juanisha Elder

4/1/2015 03:15:38 pm

I agree with your frustration to Story of Stuff as I watched this I learned many new things that I never realized! I am known to always be shopping, working my two jobs and going to school. It made me realize how much influence the corporations have on me. I appreciate the word choice of being a joke but we have become more than a joke to them, “it’s like we are on a treadmill”. Every aspect and way you look at life the corporations are benefiting from us working for them, buying what they want us to buy, to being a toxin and not even knowing it. After watching that video to now writing this post I can admit I went and watched Netflix and after was so angry because I had just fueled the ongoing problem. It's so crazy how the corporations have such control and we see it but aren't stepping up. Just shows the cycle in action.

Juanisha Elder

4/1/2015 02:25:36 pm

Our governing body is connected to our economic system 100%. Since watching “Story of Stuff” I have realized that everything in which we do is mainly based off how the capitalist wants the government to be. In the video it spoke about much warfare going on around the world and broadcast the real violence of the U.S., in many of those battles. Most the things said, I was unaware of. Being that the economic system have money they have power; power that they can tell us what they want, when they want.

The government is beyond being threatened by the practice of capitalism because although they try to be “governing” they are puppets to these private organizations. The government relies on their sponsors, it’s like their “fix” in order to keep their organization running. Which is why our democracy is the way that it is now, where we only know what they want us to know.

Capitalism is teaching all of us to be selfish “every man for himself,” being that they are the real controllers and all for self-gain its influencing how we should be. Capitalism teaches us to think about ourselves or that money can buy everything. For example: if a big recall occurred that was really negative toward a company, the capitalist corporation would require not to reveal the negative or truth; yet it’s a personal matter (experience) and you know the truth. It’s like choosing your personal life (friends/family) over what they want you to do, and it’s all because of money. It can become a serious problem in many relationships just to be loyal or dedicated to the bigger corporation.

Juanisha Elder

4/1/2015 02:38:07 pm

I apologize not the video "Story of Stuff" the video from in class. I got side tracked/ mixed up from all the videos watched.

Gloria Olea-Bailon

4/1/2015 02:46:46 pm

Nothing has really changed in the past few years because our economic system is still over powering many of the world wide issues. Capitalism is the center of all main issues since money is above all the number one way to get out off any situations. Connecting it to our representative democracy is simple because money is in power of how certain laws affects society. It's like they say in the movies money is power and money rules the world. Our democratic system is threatened by the way we practice capitalism due to all the negative impacts of the government. Meanwhile, and the institutions. The way our institutions are directing the economic system is corrupting since we have completely polluted our environment and the people in it. Money has been used in ways they are not needed to be spent. For instance, in the video of Story of Stuff one can see how money is used out of content. In the video I learned how money is being spent on things society does not need. Such as, electronics referring to the computers because we through away computers away because of the difference of memory. Its governments fault how on purpose they make us spend on things society thinks they need, but they don't. On the other hand the government is also putting in danger our society by creating toxins that have increased in numbers. For this reason many health diseases go around and therefore affect the health of others. Government make the people in need work and most of the time over work because they gain more money for not paying the employees full price. Overall, capitalism is is above all the main problem to todays issues because of how its affected negativity societies future and generations to come.

Jocelyn Chavez

4/3/2015 03:57:32 pm

I agree with you over these past years nothing has changed and money has over ruled everything. As long as you have money you have power and with money you can buy yourself through anything. As long as democracy is connected with capitalism nothing is going to change and it's only going to get worse. The video did point out a few things that are going around and how everyone ignores it. I can't completely say that not one thing they said was wrong. Not to mention the governments treat us like their puppets because as long as they have the consumers buying their products everything is okay. As well as with money they can fix everything and cover everything with a band aid, but the band aid can only hold on for so long. Then everything they make for us to buy it only lasts a certain amount of time. So we can go back and buy more. It's sad because they only care about making more money and we don't matter.

Marisa Lerma

4/1/2015 02:50:59 pm

I think that our economic system (capitalism) and our governing system (representative democracy) are both connected through consumption. From the video the “Story of Stuff” it is said that the corporations are bigger/ more important than our government, and I totally agree with that. Big corporations gain so much money and so much power that the government, our government, pays more attention to the corporations and makes sure that everything is going good for them, rather than taking care of us, the people. Money plays a huge role with this situation and if you have enough of it, you will get whatever you want. Corporations and the type media it produces makes us believe that we need to keep buying things that are considered the “latest trends” in order to stay current with society; its normal now to throw out things that are still usable, in order to buy the new/hot item. Our democratic system of governance is threatened by capitalism because money is everything. The way it works is whoever has the most money, gets to decide what to do. That’s just how it is and it’s not right. Many politicians buy their way in because they can, because they have the money to do so and they use it to get their votes. Capitalism requires us to think less of ourselves, like we don’t really matter. It seems like they just use us for their own benefits. Since money is the main issue, I feel like only the ones with the most money are the most important, and those who have less of it think of themselves as less important. Like if we don’t have tons of money, we have nothing to offer.

Karina Vences

4/1/2015 02:53:47 pm

Our economic system is interrelated with our governing system in several ways and it seems as if both feed of off each other. The common denominator here seems to be the addiction the world has seemed to adopt which is: consuming. Yes, our default governing system is representative democracy, however there is a catch to this. The catch is that the people have “freedom” but in return the people are the middleman between corporations and the government and we unconsciously play a huge role in the consumption process. Yes, our people have “freedom” and it is up to the people to decide. On the other hand, the catch here is the way our economic system – capitalism – is set up. In the video Story and Stuff is it mentioned how our capitalistic world has unconsciously caused people to become consumers. There are several problems here not just that the world may never know how to function in an non-capitalistic way, but that unfortunately consuming can even have a negative effect on the planet (an example being pollution etc.) In my opinion democracy is in reality a distraction to the people and unfortunately people live in ease and are happy the way they live. Why can’t democracy be for the people (as it should be) instead for the money? There seems to be an odd relationship between both that seems like one has to exist in order for the other to do so as well. Clearly our governing system is being taken advantage of by our economic system.

Tanee Asberry

4/2/2015 03:02:02 pm

I agree that our government system and or economic system feeds off of each other but I don’t think that is should adapt to these changes I think that it needs to be separate for us to have us some actual change in our government and wants the rights that we deserve. I agree when you say democracy is a distraction, but only to people who are naive or just don’t pay attention to details.

Gloria Olea

4/3/2015 05:17:38 am

I agree with your statement in that both institutions coincide with each other. Not only do they have come up with a not so strategic way to run capitalism but also in that strategy affected our present economic stituations as well. Both institutions have managed to create a society in which the government makes consumers buy. By this I mean create a society in where people think they need everything of the latest trends because if not they are thought of not accepting modern society. Overall I agree with how the government has diminished the meaning of democracy.

Tionne Johnson

4/1/2015 03:18:39 pm

Capitalism is connected to our governing system because those who have more money have more power. And as a result of that those with more money have more leverage when it comes to lawmaking. So these laws will of course favor the people in power and their views as opposed to ensuring equality and protecting the freedoms of all people despite their financial status. In the video “Does Capitalism Exploit Workers?” it mentions that mutually beneficial exchanges are necessary for the growth of a society as a whole. Our society does not work like this as a result of the way we practice capitalism. Instead of the beneficial exchanges being mutual, the wealthy in positions of powers ensure that economic gains benefit them for the most part. So because of this our democratic system is threatened by the way we practice capitalism. Because as one group is gaining all of these benefits and advancing we have the rest that are just deteriorating. But the deterioration of the lower class will not only affect that class but it will affect everyone. In order to ensure a stable economy everyone needs to be taken care of. But the people in position of power are passing these bills that seem just on their face but are meant to discriminate or exploit others below them. Capitalism requires us to measure our worth by how much money or property we have. Sometimes big wealthy corporations can make those in lower positions of power feel insignificant and inferior. The lower class feels threatened by those in positions of power because they feel as since they are below the poverty line that they have no voice. People who make decisions about the lives of the lower class do not actually ask the people they’re making laws for what they think. So as a result it is a cycle of oppression because money is power.

Jesika L.

4/1/2015 03:28:03 pm

It is very clear that there is a link between our economic system (capitalism) and to our governing system (representative democracy), however this has been in place long before English settlers came to the Americas. In Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, he goes on to talk about the Spanish conquistadors "the frenzy in the early capitalist states of Europe for gold, for slaves, for products of the soil, to pay the bondholders and stockholders of the expeditions, to finance the monarchical bureaucracies rising in Western Europe, to spur the growth of the new money economy rising out of feudalism, to participate in what Karl Marx would later call 'the primitive accumulation of capital'" (Zinn). This is also seen with African slavery, which I studied in another class where we read passages from Olaudah Equiano's narrative. The English turned a blind eye to the horrible travesties of the slave trade because they were addicted to sugar, which is no different from today. Today we turn a blind eye to the cheap labor in other countries, so we can enjoy our cheap clothes, our cheap technological gadgets, etc. We are continuing to exploit other people for our own financial and personal gain. In the "Story of Stuff," we saw how the government is reliant upon corporations for funding in terms of elected officials. The government has also provided bail outs to corporations in particular Fannie Mae and AIG (American International Group) to name a few. It was also interesting to note the vicious cycle of how we exploit people from other countries. We go to their countries and take away their natural resources, which leave them desperate to work for us under horrifying working conditions, which in turn give us cheap products.

Ryan Tayahua

4/1/2015 03:28:16 pm

Our current capitalistic economy is connected to our governing system because as the cliché says, “money makes the world go ‘round”. Politicians need money to run and organize campaigns and look to big businesses to help fund said campaigns. In return these politicians create and vote on legislation in favor of these corporations and therefore the people are not being represented fairly. Our government is intended to be by the people, of the people and for the people but we have replaced the word people with business. Recently, instead of creating legislation in favor of education, health care, or sustainability to help our country progress and help the people, a new budget plan was passed to cut taxes for large corporations and the rich and repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Our democratic system of governance is threatened by the way we practice capitalism because a large percentage our laws are made to protect the future of businesses and the rich which makes the wealth gap continue to sky rocket. If we continue to buy, buy, buy (not like ‘NSNYC) we will all be trapped in that continuous circle of working to pay for things we don’t need as shown in the video, The Story of Stuff. We have become slaves to capitalism marketing, making us feel worthless if we do not have the new iPhone or if we cannot fit into the new spring collection. We therefore will work hard to buy these materialistic items so we can “be happy” but then in 6 months feel terrible all over again. If we do not allow ourselves to become slaves to product; we, the people, can then focus on issues we would like to see changed for the advancement and sustainability of our country.

Sujla McKinney

4/1/2015 03:41:25 pm

I believe our economic system of capitalism and governing system of democracy go hand in hand. Since the beginning by decree of, “of the people, by the people, and for the people”. We as people want equality and freedom. The government lets us choose and pick our laws by our voices. Capitalism lets businesses and companies make their own decisions about how to produce, what to produce and when to produce a product. The ownership of a private property is capitalism without any government interference. If we were a communist country then the government have control of all private properties, giving the government too much power over money supply. Democracy is threatened by entrepreneurs setting whatever prices they want. This is a system where the rich can get richer and the poor get poorer. In addition, we support laws on a worker labor where we get paid living wages and the amount of time we work is correlated to our pay. The government regulates the needs and wants of labor with minimum wage. Also, the government taxes us to keep control of the economy, but our taxes are used mostly on our military. We do not agree with that, and is thus against the will of the people. Capitalism requires us to think of our relation to others to obtain equality. Businesses that think about themselves often lead to monopolies of power that exploit their position to charge higher prices and paying lower wages. When intent is on maximum profit, they will not consider the negative external damages caused.

Erika Briseno

4/1/2015 03:46:47 pm

I think our economic and governing systems are connected because they could not work if they were by themselves. Capitalism allows us to be free, economically speaking, and have the possibilities to have a better standard of life if we work to achieve our economic goals. If this country was run under another economic system, we would not have the freedom that we enjoy today. However, we are not totally free because government plays a huge role in the economic system. Our government is involved by setting certain regulations in the economic system that allow us to be safe. For example, our government has set property rights, therefore no one can steal our ideas and use them as their own. Here is where democracy is connected with capitalism.
In order to get the rights or benefits we want from our government, we have the right to select our own government officials so they can be in power and put in action our petitions. Democracy is said to be the “government for the people and by the people,” because it is supposed to work for our benefit and we have the right and power to choose it. However, by the way we practice capitalism our government is threatened. Since our mentality puts wealth over the social benefit, government is concentrated in how it can make the nation growth economically rather than to find a way in which the whole population reaches the same standard of life. There is a huge gap between the poor and the rich and capitalism can be blamed for that because of the uneven distribution of wealth. Capitalism requires us to think that the more possibilities we have to buy or have things, the more value we have. This is because we live in a society of consumption where everything is disposable and non durable.

Karina Vences

4/3/2015 04:47:00 am

Hello Erika. I completely agree with your claim of our economic and governing system being connected. I liked how you mentioned that “the people” aren’t entirely free for the reason that the government plays a huge role in the way our economic system is. I believe our claims were similar and you’ve also contributed some insight to my opinions I had about our governing and economic system (for example: social economic classes).

Ashley De La Paz

4/1/2015 03:48:27 pm

Our economic system has a huge connection with our governing system just by reading and watching the materials for the blog, I was able to come to this conclusion. Example, elections are held so we the people can pick a representative, while no one thinks about how these campaigns are paid for. Many of our representatives take donations, which leads to the donor’s voice being hear and having their way with the government, and this is exactly why our democratic system can and could be threatened by the way capitalism in run in our country.As long as our government continues to answer to corporations for their money, huge corporations will always have the upper hand with the government, which may not leave most of us with any great choices for the rest of the county. Since we have become use to our ways of practicing capitalism, our government can and could be threatened by this because of the government agree with these corporations for their money, who’s’ to say that they won’t one day run the government themselves, if they already aren’t. Since capitalism becomes to play a huge role in the government, we need to think how all their actions will affect the rest of us. We need to think about how capitalism uses us for their benefit and how they are the ones who are actually benefits from the system. Our system functions on consumerism. Our main relationship with corporations is based on consumption, consuming products and putting money into the pockets of big corporations. We need think about the role we play with these corporations, we are the ones who consume, which gives the corporation the power, we must realize how much power we actually have and how we can take control.

Britney Yarbrough

4/1/2015 04:12:49 pm

Hey Ashley,

I completely agree with your blog post ! Its all about consumption and money for capitalists and who's to say they aren't seriously taking over our government. If our government is already kissing their feet they definitely are already above the government . Capitalists are not and will not be concerned about the people and the people's voice . All they are concerned about is the money .

Rocio SOto

4/2/2015 10:15:13 am

Hey Ashley!
I read your comment on my post and figured "Hey! We share similar idea, let me read hers". So as i read your post I came to the conclusion that we are the people who get the short end of the stick. We can not buy a voice not now, and not ever. As long as we remain at the bottom. It just really frustrates me how we are uneducated. It also bugs me out how I never knew that I could be apart of a committee. To actually change politics. But i'll probably end up like our professor. A raging independent (which does not sound like a bad idea at this point) .

amal pujol

4/1/2015 04:42:52 pm

Capitalism seeks the interest of those with the capital or gains and democracy seeks the interest of those without capital. The two systems are essentially contradictory to one and other. Capitalism does exploit both the environment and works for wealth. According to Piketty, capitalism possesses forces that pose a threat to democratic societies. The workers are not fairly for the amount of work that the do. Also humans are exploited when companies externalize production cost by using materials from other countries such as oil in the Middle East or mining metals in Africa. The lives of workers is compromised by exposure to chemicals in the process of producing goods in Factories. The environment is also exploited in the use of raw materials. The US now only has 4% of trees left.
Carl Marx believes that capitalism does exploit workers. In this manner, Economic powerful capitalist take advantage of workers vulnerability. The flips side capitalism is, competitive pressure forces capitalist to pay workers close to their production in wages. Many wonder how this can be exploitation when the exchange is voluntary and therefore both parties are expected to gain more and are mutually beneficial. The worker gets paid and the capitalist gets the gains from the capital generated. What is the alternative to capitalism? It was this line of thinking that led to the so-called democratic capitalism, the view that, in order to be compatible with democracy, capitalism must to be strongly regulated by the government. This can also be a trick situation because the government is usually in a position to take advantage of the people. When politics is involved one party gains at the expense of others. It is usually the government and the very wealthy that gain while the majority are taken advantage of. Capitalism requires us to be more cautious about or financial investments in the federal government such as certain funds. Also we should be more aware the hazards we may be exposed to at work and in the environment and have a greater appreciation for the products and materials used in production of consumer goods.

Kasey

4/2/2015 11:49:27 am

Hey Amal, I completely agree with you about humans being exploited. Many humans are knowledgeable about what goes on in the world, mainly about how things are being made and what not but aren't exactly doing anything about it. There are children in different countries making our products and we're paying so little for what w'ere truly paying. Cause the price of the things we buy don't amount to the hard work that gets put into to creating the product let alone the actions it take for it to get into our hands. And our environment is being used up and despite how many people fight for the discontinuation of exploiting the environment, nothing really gets done. More hazards are being created for humans by other humans and we need to stop this now. Or else it'll just keep getting worse.

Nando Tovar

4/1/2015 04:46:34 pm

In regards to the correlation between capitalism and democracy, it is fairly distinct. Capitalism strives on private interest and property as a principle. Democracy is more concerned with a more equal construction of extending rights to all citizens. Both of these concepts are logically supposed to coexist. However, history has shown that private interest is much more influential in deciding what is “fair”. Our democratic system is often affected by corporations’ secret agendas. In many cases, people are paid off to turn the other cheek or protect corporate entities. Because of this unfortunate cycle, democracy is merely an illusion. Yes, there are laws that apply to all citizens. Everyone is entitled to vote. Everyone has these freedoms to consume in America in so many different ways. Some companies exercise their protocols in a manner that some would consider is above the law. Money is the blindfold that enforcement will wear until the money is gone or the problem that was ignored is too big to cover up. Capitalism makes us constantly view other people’s contribution to this collective consumption. In the Story of Stuff, there is a segment that discusses just this. People look at what other people have, what they have, what is going to be made available, what is desirable, etc. Corporations and companies create ads to make us unhappy with what we currently own so that we feel encouraged to “upgrade”. As a society, we are in constant motion with the flow of capital interest. We buy newer, then dispose of the obsolete.

Rocio Soto

4/2/2015 10:19:03 am

Hello Nando, I love that as I began to read your post, I was getting heated up about how capitalism and our democratic system are "fairly" distinct". But then as I kept reading I realized, you are right. They are different but they feed off of one another. Your post had me feeling "some type of way". If i'd choose anyone to describe this, i'd pick you. You have a simple way of describing this. Thank you for that.

Luis Julian Cardenas

4/1/2015 04:50:03 pm

Some may argue that capitalism has brought an evolutionary economy, causing huge margins of profit for those that hold the means of production. Realistically, the United States could have never been as rich and as it is now without creating a system of relations between the bourgeoisie (those who hold the means of production) and the proletariat (those who work for a living wage). Capitalism does some good, but sadly hinders the democratic process of any nation that accepts its system as the economic motor of its nation. A competing country, within the country and internationally, in order to stay competitive must keep feeding a capitalistic system. This hinders democracy in many ways, much like the video “the story of stuff” states, the government becomes more concerned about corporations. The government should reflect the needs of the people, governing the democratic (realistically; republic) decisions made by the people, for the people. Nowadays, corporations through lobbying, PAC’s and funding become a deciding factor for legislative decisions.
When a politician is mainly funded from corporations, very wealthy bourgeoisie or wealthy groups of interest, our voices become less important to them. If a politician goes against any interest of a corporation that funded him/her, reelections become an impossible task for politicians, since they become less competitive. The democratic process should imply, a representative, his/her constituents, and a working process between them to get laws in their favor passed. Unfortunately, capitalism has stepped in, taking the genuine democratic process and creating a relationship of three. Capitalism and we the people are constantly competing for the representation of our representatives, but since capitalism has bigger bucks, we stand no chance. True democracy shouldn’t contain any ties with the economic system. What do you all think? Agree?

Erika Briseno

4/2/2015 03:52:47 pm

I think you gave good points and facts about how the U.S. government works. Money for political campaigns coming from all different corporations plays an important role in how our politicians are going to behave when they get into power. Since they have to keep "happy" their money providers, government officials do not have to state regulations that will affect big corporations, if they do, officials have to forget about the financial help coming from them.

And talking about your first sentence, I am one of these people that argues that capitalism has brought an evolutionary economy because of the simple reason of comparing the U.S. economy with an economy of any other country that does not have capitalism as its economic system.

Luis Julian Cardenas

4/3/2015 10:37:10 am

Hey Erika, I just want to understand what you are trying to say. So, you believe that if U.S. and Cuba were to be compared, that the U.S. would obviously be much more successful economically because of capitalism?

I would not necessarily disagree, but I just want to make sure we are on the same page. Profit is the only driven factor in capitalism, any other system that doesn't put through profit, as their priority will obviously not be richer than those who do implement capitalism. I also want to point out that comparing two different countries with two different systems is a hard task to do. Cuba, for example, is a communist country with a very weak economy. Some may argue that it is because they are not a capitalist country, but I would disagree. The U.S. implemented an embargo act on Cuba right before the end of the Cold War, cutting off any supplies and relationships between both countries. Let us keep in mind that Cuba is a small island, extremely close to the U.S. and unable to distribute their goods with the wealthier nation in the world. Although at the time, Cuba was not a capitalist nation, they quickly implemented different tactics into their society to better the quality of life for Cubans. How? Well, I don't know exactly how but I do know that Cuba has a higher national level of literacy than Mexico, Spain, South Korea, China and most of Latin America. Comparing countries isn't so easy, but to wrap this all up, I agree that the U.S. is economically well off if compared to countries without a capitalistic system. What are your thoughts on what I said?

Luis Julian Cardenas

4/4/2015 11:18:39 am

Luis Lockhart

4/1/2015 04:56:03 pm

Capitalism and democracy are connected because capitalism can easily exploit democracy. Corporations are able to buy politicians to influence government decisions so that any attempt at regulation is actually in favor of the corporations without people noticing it.
Our democratic system, sadly, can also be augmented by capitalism by protecting the workers. In a democratic system where workers are vulnerable to the state, in a capitalist system workers have more freedom. In a democratic system, there is the possibility of government intervention. To be honest, I used to feel that if the government were to intervene in more issues and place more regulations, then a lot of problems would be solved. However, I realize that there is still a chance of exploitation of workers by politicians themselves. With capitalism, workers have more freedom to choose even if their options aren’t so great.
Capitalism requires us to think about ourselves as consumers that influence the capitalist mode of operation. What we buy affects the whole system and keeps it running. Ideally, consumers should have the most power in capitalism. But in reality, it is a false power. While consumers are important, they are being controlled by corporations. Corporations advertise their products to consumers. Consumers go out to buy these products, usually looking for a location to buy them at the lowest price. By us buying products at a lower price, corporations do not have to pay their workers so much. Consumers should have the power to affect the whole system, however we are currently being controlled by corporations to affect the system in their favor.

Jesika L.

4/3/2015 04:37:33 pm

Luis, I really like what you said about consumers having false power because it is true. We buy what is advertised to us by corporations and we buy what they put out on the market. According to economicshelps.org, they define a capitalist economic system as "one characterised by free markets and the absense of government intervention in the economy," which as we have seen in practice, is definitely not true. The government does many things like putting taxes on products, bails out big companies when they need it, etc so in this way the government is intervening on our economy.

amal pujol

4/3/2015 05:01:18 pm

Hi Luis,
I too agree that although government involvement may seem like the answer to avoid workers being exploited it can also lead to more problems. Politicians can also become greedy and push for regulations that may benefit their cause or increasing funding to benefit them. I also think your point on consumerism is interesting. In an ideal world we would have a say so in capitalism as supply and demand should effect it but you are right they can alter the price and that could lead to more exploitation.

Asia Gamble

4/1/2015 04:57:08 pm

Capitalism and democracy are extremely connected. The government uses capitalism to control the people in its society. Every government needs money to operate. The money is used for political campaigns and politicians’ paychecks. Once those politicians are elected more money is needed to make decisions that are supposed to be for the greater good of the people, like for education, the environment, equal rights, the military etc. However, politicians seem to be more focused on the amount of money they're getting than what they actually need to be doing with that many. In the Story of Stuff it showed how the majority of politicians’ money comes from big businesses and the wealthy.

The way we practice capitalism can be very bad for our democratic system. The meaning of Democracy is that that the government is ran by the people. That should mean that the decisions are being made by the majority of PEOPLE to protect as many as possible, not by a small amount who just happen to have the majority of MONEY. Big corporations use their money to aid politicians in their campaigns and use that as a way to influence the politicians' stance on certain issues. We vote for these politicians because we think they agree with how we feel when in fact they're just telling us what we want to hear because they are getting paid by the wealthy to do it.

The corporations are becoming more powerful than the government itself because they are controlling the people with consumption. Those who are part of the big corporations only make about 1% of the entire population. More money more power, right? The idea of capitalism can cause us to think about the little decisions we make when we consume products. We can ask ourselves "Do I REALLY need that". The less we're buying their products the less money we're putting in their pockets. Less money less power. We can also research and learn just how much the 1% is controlling the 99% around them and use that to take a stand of our own and find a way to make a difference.

Nando Tovar

4/2/2015 04:46:11 pm

I completely agree with you that money is not only a link between democracy and capitalism, but the foundation of it all. The principles in which we practice democracy as a nation hinders our ability to truly fulfill the concepts of a democratic system and capitalism. Our power as a majority is limited. Because this is the case, these two concepts are unable to properly coexist. I really like what you were writing about. You clearly have a very solid stance on the matter.

Inderpuneet Shergill

4/3/2015 02:02:50 pm

Hey Asia
I agree with you that money is the foundation to our political world. When we elect people, as citizens we expect them to make decisions that they promised we’ll getting elected but money blinds everyone and they forgot why they were elected. Another point you made was how people with money control majority even though they are minority. Our political system even though we are a “democracy” I feel that its only ran by people who have money and for us minority it’s really hard to get our voice heard.

Gaby Ruiz

4/1/2015 04:59:21 pm

I believe that our economic system, capitalism, and our governing system, representative democracy, collates with one another in the sense that essentially our economic system owns the governing system. We are taught that we are the people making the changes around here when in reality the “people” running this country is not the people at all… it’s a handful of old white men with the same ideologies as their ancestors who stole this country from the Native Americans. In the first video about “Story of Stuff” was a real eye opener. It was clearly shown that essentially the corporations own the government. The government has to keep them happy so they can keep getting the corporations monies. Our supposedly representative democracy could be turned into something much worse if we continue to let it be run by the way we are practicing capitalism. Thanks to capitalism we feel embarrassed when we don’t have the latest and greatest newest items out on the market. It makes us feel the need to work harder for stuff we don’t need and cant afford but we need to keep up with everything that’s new in technology and fashion and cars so we keep the cycle going. We keep working shit jobs to maintain these idealistic lifestyles. It makes us feel lower when compared to other people who have more than us. Thanks to capitalism this is just an ongoing continuous cycle and us following is exactly what the big corporations want us to do. Capitalism requires us to just consume, consume, consume, all these products, which we don’t even really need. So what if you don’t have the newest iphone 6 you throwing out your old one even if its still perfectly functional is exactly what they want you to do… but don’t fall for it.

Vicky Marquez

4/3/2015 03:06:17 pm

Hello Gaby,

After reading your blog, I was able to understand what you were trying to say and I agree with most of what you argued. When you say that corporations own the government I do agree with that in a way because big corporations endorse political party candidates in order to get laws passed in their favor, or at least that is what I believe in. Which in fact, those are the people that are making things happen, but not to help the people of the United States, but to help themselves as a corporation. I also agree that in a capitalist society individuals are brainwashed into believing that having the latest gadgets is what will make them cool. I also believe that even if you inform these people about it, it will go in through one ear and out through the other because they do not want to believe the truth.

Breanna F.

4/1/2015 06:11:05 pm

The relationship between capitalism and democracy is the very reason the wedge between America’s social classes is so wide. For reference, capitalism is a system in which trade, industries, and the means of production are mostly, if not entirely, owned by private corporations. These privately owned corporations are known for cashing out on a ridiculous amount of profit. Owners are aware that financial goals can be met because capitalism supports competitive markets. Democracy is a form of government that is supposed to focus on the good of the people- equality. Everyone in America is supposed to be given the same opportunity when it comes to climbing up the social ladder. However, since capitalism is based upon the highest wages having the most influence upon the government, then everything democracy stands for is left for questioning.
Capitalism is not always a bad thing, but I think its reputation is worsened due to the fact that Americans are not as unified as they were meant to be. Money drives people to make greedy decisions and people begin to look at one another in a “how can you benefit me” kind of way. Big businesses are given more power and leniency, rather than the people who are producing the goods and this is where the scale starts to tip over. The government wants to produce an immense amount of products, but they want to only pay the least amount of money to do so. The quality of the product remains because of hardworking people, not because the owners are supplying the most expensive products.

Ryan Tayahua

4/3/2015 06:19:11 am

Hey Breanna!
I find your blog post very intriguing and I agree with a few points you made. First off, I also believe that capitalism is not also necessarily a bad thing. It is very good in theory it is jut that we as a society are no longer unified and are only looking for our own best interest. Which in turn is making the wealth gap grow more and more every day. As you said, “climbing the social ladder” is supposed to be easier in America because we are the land of opportunity. However, it is becoming more difficult everyday due to investments in consumerism, rather than education and social services.

Sujla McKinney

4/3/2015 04:20:09 pm

Hello Breanna,
I like the part when you stated capitalism is always a bad thing but we put it as a negative representation. I also liked that it's says good things and bad things about capitalism this shows that you are opened minded on some occasions. Money does drive people, I can agree with that as well. I believe it also plays a big factor in the government and the roles it plays in order to make this system runs the way is runs.
You made a good point that the quality of the product is thought hard working people and not the amount of money the business put into the product.
Nice job, keep up the good work!

Jose Fernandez

4/3/2015 01:40:47 pm

Our economic system is closely related to our governing system because our government chooses to emphasize a capitalistic market and encourage free trade solutions to domestic and international issues. I believe that capitalism has changed the face of democratic values by asserting that the only way in which our nation can succeed is through means of a “Material Economy”. In doing so, citizen’s give up individual ideologies and are subjected to corporate thought. These corporate thoughts ensure that people remain unaware of their place within society and remain unaware of the social construction that revolves around them. As soon as citizens buy into social constructions they give up social liberties that make them vulnerable to large corporations. For instance, government spending has increasingly been allocated towards the military with minuscule considerations made to the livelihoods of many U.S. citizens (Story of Stuff).
Our Democratic System can be threatened by our economic system because we give power to corporations to take on political and social legislation that affects the citizens directly. Bureaucrats, lobbyists, and elected officials can often be looking for the interest of institutions that deal with the market and are therefore inclined to act on those values (Does Capitalism Exploit Workers?). Sometimes the interest of a given institutions can lead to repercussions towards citizens because of a lack of considerations for what the legislation entails.
Capitalism requires us to think that we must measure our self-worth based on materialistic possession. The idea of capitalism has been so widely accepted and hardly retorted that if we lack contribution to this economic system it is thought that we carry less value. If we do decide to challenge our capitalistic system we must also find solutions to these problems. One solution is to grant more institutional power to government, but because government carries so much influence already, we must ask ourselves if the best place to put our power is in the hands of big government (Does Capitalism Exploit Workers?).

Britney Yarbrough

4/7/2015 07:41:46 am

Blog Post # 2
Those who were taught about Christopher Columbus view him as a hero and an exceptionally well trained navigator who discovered parts of this world outside of what it is anyone during that time knew existed. We also know him as the man who found other beings other than those of European decent in which at the time being European was the only decent accepted. Columbus as well as everyone else within this time period were very naive to the surrounding world and the beings besides themselves that inhabited it because that is all they knew. Zenn’s version differs from different accounts because he does not in any way set aside the mass genocide prompted by Columbus. He explains the horrific events in as much detail as possible but does not necessarily say Columbus was a horrible being, because saying so is unnecessary to the overall purpose which is to inform the audience about the other side of the story not to downplay the oppressor because it is already clear the oppressor is wrong. He explains what it is that needs to be explained for a deeper understanding of what actually took place rather than dismissing the truth as other accounts often do. Different accounts do not accept that mutilation, murder, rape, captivation and deprivation that took place and those who dismiss those events intentionally without verbally saying agree with the oppressor. What motivated Columbus’ actions were greed and debt. Those of whom he took captive and killed in many ways were open to the Europeans and willing to share and care for them. With the warm welcome they received reciprocations should have been the outcome. Columbus without knowing how much or how to attain the gold he promised caused him to misuse his power for his own benefit. What do you think about other accounts and their dismissal of the facts because they do not feel as they are any necessity to the story of Columbus.

Ashley De La Paz

4/8/2015 03:51:48 pm

In our public school system we are told about how the Americas was found by a great man, who sailed the world to find a new land. We are taught that Columbus came here to search for gold and riches, and he met the Indians and they all got along with one another. We learned about less than of the actual story about this man that we dedicate a whole day to. In Zinn’s version of Columbus’ is very different from what most people are used to hearing, it is not your usual view of Columbus or short and summarize version. Zinn’s talks about how important this trip was to Columbus, he explains the promises Columbus had made with Spain, which said, that he would not come back empty handed. Once he arrived to the Americans we are told that Columbus that learned and got along with the Indian, but Zinn’s explain how the actual relationship was between Columbus and the natives actually was. Traditionally we do not hear much about the relationship between Columbus and the natives was, but Zinn’s goes into detail about it. Explaining what Columbus thought about them, how they were naïve and were not modern, and most importantly the author mentions how Columbus took advantage of the Indians. Throughout the first chapter we see the actual actions and intentions that Columbus had. We might think that his actions were motivated because of all the commitments he had before he went on his trip, and he knew that he could not fail because he would be punished if he did.

Ryan Tayahua

4/11/2015 06:35:57 am

Hey Ashley I like how you mentioned in your blog that this trip was more important to Columbus rather than to find a new world. I think he was very selfish and maybe even embellished his findings to gain riches and fame. This is just an open question, why do you think we celebrate him while we are younger?

ALICIA L

6/15/2015 06:22:39 pm

I think that our economic system is connected to our government through corruption. By definition, a democracy is supposed to have representatives that represent the people. Unfortunately, in reality, we have a “democracy” that represents those who have deep pockets. People who have a lot of capital, also have a lot of influence in our government.
Our democratic system is threatened by capitalism itself. Capitalism is individualistic. It’s based on the assumption that looking out for one self is beneficial for humanity as a whole. Hoarding billions of dollars to one self is looking out for oneself, and the truth is, it’s not helping society. Capitalism is about greed, and competition. Democracy is about the people, and the two concepts clash. I don’t believe a democracy can be augmented by capitalism.
Capitalism requires us to think selfishly. A society based on such, will naturally become destructive. The market is suppose fix itself, and if doesn’t its suppose to weed out the bad businesses. However, our government is bailing out business that should have failed.

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