Cat’s cuppa Joe: The Failures of Capitalism part one: Erasure of Dissent

I moved here in January 2004, I was in grade seven. The next year, I took United States history for the first time. My teacher was a Native American rights activist and she focused almost entirely on the atrocities committed by the early European colonists, but completely ignored modern and postmodern discrimination against the native population. This ignoring of bits and pieces of history became quite normal as time moved on and I took more U.S. history courses. By sophomore year of highschool I was a part of the Sky View High philosophy debate team where my teammates and I would discuss the writings of Plato, Marcus Aurelius and most often Karl Marx.

Something about Marx was so endearing to us as 16-year-olds living in an ultra-conservative state, but I was disappointed when in my sophomore U.S. history class, my teacher mentioned in passing that the Red Scare was due to fear of communism. To him this large movement seemed so unimportant. In fact when asked by a student “What is communism?” His reply was a short, “A bad form of government that Russia had.” Such over simplification!

Now for clarification, I am no longer a communist. In fact, I’m a bit ashamed of my more radical past beliefs. However, I do not forgive the education system here for glossing over the critics of capitalism. Most people here took U.S. history in fifth grade, eighth grade and 10th grade, and U.S. government in 12th grade as those are all required in Utah, but did you ever read the writings of William Morris, John Ruskin, Karl Marx or John Locke? Did they require you read or understand Thomas Payne or Immanuel Kant, whose words inspired the American Revolution?  I doubt you did, because I had to seek such information myself.

Why though? Isn’t the purpose of history class to help us learn from the past? It is my belief that in part, these philosophers and businessmen are often not so discussed in classes because while they informed and inspired the founding of our nation, they all wrote very strongly worded, but logical dissenting opinions on the current state of affairs.
This erasure of dissent cannot go on, and so over the next few weeks I will be writing an article each week detailing the criticisms of capitalism leveled by 18th, 19th, and 20th century philosophers. I hope that in doing so that at least a few more people can make better informed decisions regarding economics.

Catherine St. Claire is a Ravenclaw, ex-Staff Writer and ex-Utah State University student. Her hobbies include looking for better schools and imagining a day when she doesn’t have to live on a dry campus.

@Cat_StClaire