|
The Culture of capitalism is a term used to refer to a few things: the lifestyle of the people living within a capitalist society, the effects of a global or national capitalist economy on a population, and finally the business mindset or the business-driven mentality of individuals that are fostered by being immersed in a capitalist economic system. The primary characteristic of this mindset is the belief that business activity and the operations of the private market are absolutes within society, and that individuals and governments are relative to such. Business activity is the primacy of society, and government is not the driving force within society and is instead seen as having a supportive role as a "regulator" of business activity, or to promote other functions that help facilitate business activity. Individuals who have this mindset often believe that these values, attitudes and aspirations are normal for all people in the world. Central to the culture of capitalism are the social expectations and attitudes of the business mindset, consumerism and economic individualism. The Mindset of Individuals within Capitalism Individuals are motivated by the accumulation of personal wealth and the idea that the business' desire for profit is the main motivation for individuals to be productive in an economy, regardless of human rights or environmental issues. The concept that making money (employment) and spending money (consumerism) is the primary goal of individuals within a market economy, and the assumption that individuals must work for an employer to "make a living" and that such activity is the most meaningful and desirable of human activities. That business activity and the operations of the private market are absolutes within society, and that individuals and governments are relative to such. Business activity is the primacy of society, and government is not the driving force within society and is instead seen as having a supportive role as a "regulator" of business activity, or to serve other functions to help facilitate business activity. Another assumption is that the market, or free-market, should be the arbitrator when it comes to questions of the distribution of goods, services, wealth, property and information and that attempts to modify this would be an "intervention". The market is assumed to be efficient and effective, and individuals are seen as actors within a market economy and are assumed to want to, and forced by condition, to rise through the ranks and positions with the end goal of maximizing personal financial wealth. In addition, the Culture of Capitalism also endorses the spread of Capitalism to nonbelievers who do not agree with the tenets. It is a culture that "would be ready to make many an intellectual or even moral concession in order to maintain that standard" (Siegfried 1928, quoted in Leach 1993:266). Secondary aspects The other part of this culture is the creation of a new type of person. The "consumer," the "wage worker" and the glorified businessperson who are almost totally defined in monetary terms. The consumer was unheard of until the 19th century. It was a historical first when an emerging society was founded on the categories of people: capitalist, laborer and consumer, which are interdependent on each other.
|
|
|