The commercial society in which we live, which is called capitalism, is widely regarded as the most acceptable form of society. Colleges and Universities offer no alternative to it, even though they recognize that modern society was Itself an alternative to a previous form. Respectable public figures scorn all suggestions of change, even though many of them agree that change permeates all things. Newspapers and the other mass media seldom present any reasoned argument for basic change, even though they boast of their dedication to progress.
Here is something to think about In this Christmas season: Isn’t It strange that those who find nothing seriously wrong with society, also find nothing seriously wrong with being periodically called upon to support the growing number of charitable organizations? There Is sure1y something degrading about having to accept charity, and there Is something sick about a society which finds charity a necessity. In a world of potential abundance – and yes, we live In such a world – It should not be necessary for any Individual to degrade himself In any way for bread to eat, a coat to wear, a place to sleep at night.
Why is charity a necessity?
Working people In our commercial society produce wealth Which belongs, not to them, but to the owners of the places where they Work, to the owners of the means of production. A man who helps put together cars for General Motors knows that the cars he’s making will belong to General Motors when they’re finIshed. If the worker wants one for himself, he has to buy It with money saved from the wages G. M. paid him for making it In the first place. Wages are the price an employer pays for the use of the worker’s labor power – they have no immediate relation to the value of the product created by that labor power. In general, working people receive enough wages to buy what they need to keep well, and to have children who will be the workIng people of the next generation. And when they are too old to get wages any more, they may receive some benefit from the Social Security – which is in itself a reflection of society’s social Insecurity.
And even this token security Is not for everyone. There are the weak and the widowed, the orphaned and the old – the chronically iII, the disabled, the unlucky, who depend for help solely on charity.
Now, how does humanity respond to this need? Why? we continue to deliver the great mass of wealth to the privileged minority who own capital; and to those in want, we give – Charity!
“Charity” is a Greek word for “love”; and the fact that thousands of people, themselves none too well off, are wlJling to contribute to charity for others is a good indication of how much love, how much fellow – feeling, we human beings really have for each otherIn spite of the vicious tendency of our commercial system of society to keep us at each other’s throats.
We, the vast majority, the working people of the world, we alone create the productive wealth of the world. We support on Our backs a class of people who produce nothing, themselves, but who own the means of producing everything. And besides this, a few times every year – and especially now, at Christmas time we are called upon to support those of our own number who are In need. They shouldn’t need our support. They should have, In common with everyone else In the world, free right of access to all that we produce.
Critics of socialism sometimes accuse us socialists of expecting miracles – specifically, of expecting the human race to be altruistic. They say socialism won’t work because of human nature. We say In reply: If, under capitalism, a man who has almost nothing himself will freely give help to those in need, through charity then surely, under socialism, when every human being will have all he wants and needs, no one will hesitate to do what has to be done to produce enough for everyone to live in plenty. This plenty is possible today. Only an insane economic and social system makes its realization impossible, and charity a necessity.
KARLA ELLENBOGEN
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