Throughout all time and in all societies, the distribution of wealth has been and will always be a problem. I doubt there will ever be a solution that will satisfy the masses.
It was the English philosopher John Locke who was known as the “Father of Liberalism.” He believed that a person should be able to enjoy individual freedoms, and that the government should protect those freedoms. Locke preceded Adam Smith who was known as the “Father of Capitalism.” Smith also believed that the government should not intervene in the workings of the marketplace. Smith’s ideologies are spelled out in his book The Wealth of Nations. From the problems of the Industrial Revolution came the idea of Socialism: that wealth should be distributed equally. Capitalism seemed to produce too many losers and not enough winners.
For over fifty years, I have struggled personally with the unfair distribution of wealth. Having come from both a famous and wealthy family, I always feel the need to take care of those less fortunate than myself. Over the past thirty years, I now have had enough experience to realize that people who are really motivated to succeed in life will do so, regardless of their economic circumstances, and that there are people who are willing to accept as much help as you give them, never intending on trying to better their lives along the way.
Image credit: flickr.com
The irony of my situation is that my dad began as one who did not have many resources to help him fulfill his dream. At age six, he decided that he wanted to be a cartoonist. He served three years in World War II, and upon returning, he began to do all he could to fulfill his dream. His Peanuts comic strip was syndicated in 1950, and he went on to become the most famous cartoonist the world has ever seen.
Being a part of that legacy causes me to favor the idea of capitalism. The world is filled with people like my dad who would not have been able to contribute to society if it had not been for the freedom to do so. That being said, dad was always bothered by the income he received from drawing the strip. It did not seem fair to him that although he did the same thing every day, for fifty years, his income increased constantly. But, isn’t this what capitalism is? Dad created a product that the world loved. It was the choice of the Peanuts fans that caused his income to increase.
As a human race, we are here to dream, however big or small. Capitalism allows the dreams of one to be enjoyed by many.
It is interesting that some people succeed while others fail when it comes to capitalism. I am sure there are other talented cartoonists who did not succeed. If circumstances were different, this could have happened to your father. I think you are right in the sense that sometimes capitalism does fail the poor and yet it is hard for us to even discuss socialism in the United States.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome that your father created the Peanuts! I think I reread that sentence about five times to make sure I read it correctly... One thing that I appreciate about your dad's story and another cartoonist I love (Walt Disney) is that they had little in the beginning and were able to make something that would continue on. I think that's what the American dream is really about: taking what you have, whether that's a minimum of wealth or millions, and making more from what you have. There will inevitably be failures along the way, but just as a stock has it's ups and downs so will a good hiking path lead upwards over time even when there are potholes along the way.
ReplyDeleteThat last sentence is only more prominent now. We live in a society that, if you're good at something, someone will pay you to do it. Like Jessie said, there isn't really a system that will please everyone, but capitalism does provide a huge amount of opportunity.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have quite the heritage! The capitalism socialism (or however you want to label it) debate is something I think about a lot. Coming from Canada where there are many social programs I have seen a lot of holes to the welfare state idea. There are many who idolize things like universal income, and universal healthcare, but when you actually experience it even on a small scale you realize how ineffective it is at actually providing for those who really need it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the story of your father. It sounds like capitalism allowed him to succeed, which is absolutely inspiring. With that being said, there are definitely instances where people fail and have stories that end like his. But in the end, success is all we can hope for and I feel lucky enough to live in the United States where the American Dream could potentially become a reality. There is always the chance to fail, but with that, there is also always the chance to succeed.
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