dlmCommentary

If you want peace
work for justice.
If you really want justice,
work for a detailed definition of that word
that all people would agree on.
(The devil is in the details.)

Near the home of my brother-in-law stands an out of the way, easy to miss family owned Mexican restaurant. Very small. Since a Mexican breakfast is one of my favorite things, I have gone there the last three mornings. It is thoroughly a relationship of mutual use and exploitation; I want their product and they want my money. They need my - or someone's - money to survive, I need food from there - or somewhere - to survive. I chose them to take care of my essential need, and they benefited. It is Capitalism, through and through.

It is Capitalism thoroughly, but it is not Capitalism exclusively. Since I was the restaurant's sole customer during two of our three breakfasts together, there has been freedom to interact. I have learned a couple of new Spanish phrases while getting acquainted with the father, the mother, two daughters and a granddaughter. I have learned that one of the daughters is moving to Oregon with her husband in the spring. They have now met my wife and one of my children. There has been a great deal of kind-hearted laughter.

If we are to believe what some folks say about Capitalism, all this seeming camaraderie has been a sham. The Spanish family is going along with whatever seems to be my personality in order to keep me coming with my wallet. I for my part am acting friendly and interested primarily in order to get larger helpings of food and the occasional second cola without charge. It is mutually exploitive in its essence. They put a sign on the door (advertising), I saw the sign and chose to walk in with my money and by the product.

Mutual use. Exploitation. The only conceivable redeeming aspect of it is that wealth is being transferred from the obviously rich white American male to the obviously poor and needy minority family. We must not allow this tiny arbitrary detail to deter us. Let us not become sidetracked from the main issue by observing that the family was from Mexico and therefore deserving of forgiveness for their complicity in the Capitalist exploitation. If the detractors of Capitalism are to be taken as seriously as they take themselves, mere accidental details just muddy the waters. If Capitalism is acceptable when it benefits the members of certain ethnic groups, what a slippery slope that could be!

It seems heartless to say it that way, but that's all Capitalism can be to some folks: heartlessness. No matter how many times I go back to that restaurant and have something like rich fellowship along with my food, the whole thing is corrupt; and diverse cultures have herein been brought together joyfully, peacefully and with mutual benefit, to obscure the critical point: Capitalism - Bad.

Here's what seems to be another critical point. If a point of political rhetoric only works as political rhetoric - must be habitually and often subconsciously set aside to make judgments in the real world - then that point of political rhetoric, no matter how it stirs the troops when delivered from a podium, is just plain wrong.


Copyright © 2005 Donald L. McIntyre All Rights Reserved, except as stated below

Permission is hereby granted to the user to read, download and/or print one copy of any item for personal use only. Beyond that, all rights are reserved under international and pan-American copyright restrictions, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Send direct permission requests to don@donmcintyre.com. Include:
-your full name, your permanent address and phone number, the specific content for which you are requesting permission, brief description of how you wish too use the content

An Eager Plea: I'm a big believer in making good stuff available to people who might benefit from it. But like most people, I need to take my finances seriously. It is relatively easy to copy, publish, and otherwise widely use these works without paying for the privilege. Such abuse of author's rights certainly does not encourage the continued availability of past, present or future works. Therefore, please, either order multiple copies of desired works from me for a reasonable price, or send a healthy donation - checks made out to "Words and Music."