Okay, let’s get back on topic here.
elucidator, it seems that your position is that free markets don’t exist. I’d like you to explain this. No cites necessary, no technical jargon. Just tell me what it is about markets in general that makes them not free. And also, I’d like you to explain why you believe that the lack of freedom you seem to see in markets makes them a bad thing.
I wouldn’t dispute that there are disparities of power in the marketplace. And of course, you can’t always buy what you want. But a ‘free market’ generally means a market in which there are multiple suppliers providing goods to multiple consumers, and that in general, freedom of choice exists in that consumers can pick among many suppliers and suppliers are free to decide which products and services to offer to consumers.
Personally, I think progressives are FAR too fixated on wealth inequality. Why does it matter so much to you that there are wealthy people in the world? If someone provides a new product that you desire, and you purchase it and it makes your life better, why is it so galling to you if the supplier makes a profit? And if his product has such universal appeal that millions of people buy it and improve their lives, and therefore he becomes incredibly wealthy, why does this matter to you? This is part of the progressive mindset that just doesn’t compute for me.
I ask this because if you think about it, free markets actually provide most of the things progressives say they want. An end to racism? Markets punish racists. The abstraction of prices allows people of all races and cultures to work together without conflict. Markets help prevent war by binding countries together economically. It was the free market that gave women power and choice, as it allowed them to be financially independent from men. And so it goes. Most of the things that progressives want, markets provide.
And yet, where do progressives seem to focus their energy? On the wealth of the people at the top. But I thought a good progressive wasn’t materialistic? Why so much focus on the things other people have that you don’t? Doesn’t it just matter that your own life is better?
Progressives want democracy. But there’s nothing more democratic than the market. With government, every four years you get 1/300,000,000 of a say in who will be president. That’s not a lot of personal power. But with markets, you get to vote many times a day. Your preferences, as expressed in your buying decisions, are votes for the things you value. If you buy a Noam Chomsky book his publishers are more likely to commission more books from him and people like him. If you prefer vegetarian foods, your purchases will in a fairly substantial way bias the mix of goods in your local store towards the kinds of things you want.
This isn’t just theoretical. Neighborhoods full of Chinese people tend to have Chinese grocery stores and Chinese restaraunts. San Franscisco has more than the average number of coffee shops, vegetarian dishes, and whatever else it is that progressives like. The power of the market helps shape communities to match the desires of the people living in them.
Can you imagine government been as sensitive to the needs and desires of the people on such a micro level, in such detail? That’s real democratic power. And only markets have shown the ability to provide it. The Soviet Union, Cuba, Vietnam, and other Communist countries are or were bland places lacking in choice, with depressingly uniform concrete apartment blocks, one-size-fits-none clothing, and products of lousy quality. The voice of the people was not heard. There was no room for diversity. Don’t progressives love diversity?
Even in American politics, progressives seem to push for more control by federal government, or even world government. Why? Why do you want to smother diversity like that? From the progressive viewpoint, why isn’t it better to have government be as local as possible? Wouldn’t it be great if people’s votes mattered even more because the most government power is the closest to them, driven by the smallest possible community?
Do you think San Franscisco would be a better place for progressives if all the planning and zoning decisions for the city were made by Washington? Would you like George Bush or Trent Lott to have a say in what types of stores and services should be available to San Fransciscans? How about giving that decision to the UN? Do you think it would be more likely to meet your needs than is your state and local government?
In some ways, I think Libertarians are progressives who have figured out that markets are, on balance, the best way to achieve progressive goals. I know that I want tolerance, diversity, and peace. I like living in areas where there is a lot of choice, where people of different cultures live and work together productively. I like innovation and science, and I like equality.
The difference between me and you is that when I look around the world for the places that come closest to meeting these goals, they tend to be the places with the freest markets.
The fact that in free markets some people become very wealthy and others don’t doesn’t bother me in the slightest. In fact, I see it as a feature. I see wealth being created, and much of it going to the creators, who then create even more things. I think the world is a more exciting, interesting place with people like Richard Branson and Elon Musk and Bill Gates in it. Wealth is inspirational. It gives us goals. It shows our children that there are no limits to what they can achieve. The concentration of wealth leads to great philanthropy and great projects. The people who became wealthy forming Amazon and eBay and ID software are now making spaceships. Isn’t that fantastic?
I had no problem with the wealthy when I was dirt poor, and never understood the resentment towards them I saw in my own community. It seemed petty and mean spirited and selfish, and I think it still does.
I don’t know if you intentionally say things like the above tongue in cheek, knowing that it’s going to make folks roar with laughter, but I assume you do. It’s actually more funny if you are serious, but it’s pretty humorous either way.