Capitalism in its pure form is an economic and political system that is based on private accumualted weath and profit making by the buying and selling of goods in a free market. It is a complete separation of the producers from the means of production. But as Capitalism evolved with the changing times and the emergence of new technology, it has at moments been very positive but also very detrimental to our society and the earth. .
One of the ways Capitalism has been harmful is that it promotes an unhealthy materialism. (See paper on Materialism) Materialism creates a larger interest in material possesions and comfort than in spiritual values. This car commercial (above) exhibits how shallow Americans have become. 50 years ago, cars were a means of transportation not impressions. But since technology introduced faster, sportier and advanced cars, automobile companies have to keep advancing too. So they play on our emotions and try to sell us a car that we think will make us look good as we drive through the mountains of the Shenandoah Valley. The ad wants us to picture how this car will look sitting outside of our house. It implies that everyone else will also admire how it looks sitting outside of our home. This ad does not mention anything about safety. Nor does it mention reliability. Nor does it mention how economic it is. It plays to our material wants, not our needs. People do buy it because we are constantly bombarded with advertisements that promote materialism and material goods have now become a social stature. .
Capitalism has also caused massive destruction to the environment. Deforestation, strip mining and pollution are all causes of Capitalist companies taking more from the earth then it can provide. .
FACTS: .
1.6 Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere annually by industries burning fossil fuels adding to the problem of Global Warming. .
Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have risen by twenty-five percent over the past 1,000 years and 85% of this increase occurred during the industrial revolution.
