Capitalism is Oppression. Period.

Capitalism was created to oppress. On paper, the economic system originated with the intent to raise the standard of living for all people without a specific focus on the less well-off (like socialism). Rather than create a structure that redistributes wealth directly, capitalism was created around the idea of free market principles, insisting that if good and services can be provided and are desired, fair trades will be made between groups. Though this is a simplified explanation, the ideologies of a capitalistic market hold true: groups will have their stand of living raised regardless of socio-economic status due to supply and demand theory. Additionally, the role of government regulation in this theoretical model of capitalism is minimal, only stepping in for legal parameters. The success of an ideal free market is the theory behind this.

In actuality, however, capitalism serves to create a zero-sum game, separating market “winners” and “losers”. The point must be made that capitalism was never meant for a globalized market. Or rather, capitalism was never intended to fit an economy in which large groups are separated by unsurmountable gaps in quality of life and cultural barriers. Due to colonialism and globalization, capitalism breeds corruption. Without “unreasonable” government control, human rights violations occur daily. Basic human needs are devalued in favor of prioritizing corporations, businesses, and global market trade. The economic system enforced for centuries has been one that not only values some lives over others based on geographic region, socio-economic status, and personal idiosyncrasies (such as race, religion, gender, etc.), but also profits off of those abuses.

In the US (and many Western countries), capitalism has bled into every aspect of our lives, creating a culture of capitalism that would be impossible to remove without dismantling the entire system of which we all currently rely. By allowing this system of warped capitalism to continue to abuse human beings through corrupt labor practices, subversive policies, and social coercion, we are accepting the oppression experienced by all who encounter us. That may sound extreme, but the treatment of foreign and domestic people cannot be denied. In areas aside from the US and Westernized areas, colonization continues to impact human interactions and contribute a root cause to global poverty, pandemics, and environmental issues. In the US, individuals are defined by their labor, refined to fit their assigned role, and isolated through false individualism and combinations of hegemonic control (such as misogyny, racism, heteronormality etc.).

The biggest obstacle I see activism, especially Black activism, facing is the indisputable fact that the very system suggests that their existence is inherently an anachronism if it does not serve the hegemonic cause. The fact that many Black movements center around playing into the system of control in order to gain rights is often more successful than other methods. This should not be the case. If our society did not label people by their labor, slavery would not have existed in the capacity in which it did. Slavery has evolved into the modern oppression that we see today, with Black people still thought of as blue-collar.

In saying that Black movements should not have to pander to the White majority, I do not mean to suggest that these movements should not exist. I think that all too often we are caught up in criticism rather than recognition of the struggles people undergo throughout movements. As such, I simply mean to suggest that the root issue is that justice has not and will not be attained through capitalism.