An Apolitical Blues Essays -- Economic Systems, Capitalism, Problems

An Apolitical Blues Ever since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, capitalism has had both positive and negative effects on society and its people. With Capitalism’s goal to amass as much wealth possible comes technological change. Moreover, as wealth accumulates and technology becomes increasingly more sophisticated, this allows nations to become more advanced. However, with advancement comes unrest, for all the progress capitalism seems to cause, it also comes with criticisms for the effects it has on society. In their books, Michael Baumann and Tony Judt both find that capitalism has been a culprit in the problems that society faces today. Capitalism causes problems in society, because it creates labor issues, individualism, mistrust and isolation. The reactions to these problems are different from each other in both books, raising questions about history’s role in the changing attitudes of society and how people in society deal with problems in response to capita lism. In both accounts, the authors blame capitalism for the labor issues it causes. Baumann expresses frustration towards the decreasing value of craftsmanship in society. He explains that work is able to give one a sort of satisfaction, writing that the ability to â€Å"create something with your hands that serves a purpose† is the way one can find satisfaction in their work (Baumann 23). Working as a carpenter to avoid working in a factory, Baumann explains that even carpentry has been reduced to mindless screwdriver operation, making it no different from working in a factory (Baumann 23). Therefore, Baumann’s frustration is a result of him becoming an unskilled worker. Baumann’s eventual participation in terrorism links to the frustration he fel... ...unities, still benefit and use services which fall into the public sector, such as highways, police, and schools (127). This leads to a contradiction, Judt explains, â€Å"people who live in private spaces contribute to the dilution and corrosion of the public space.† What he means by this is that the very problems that people try to avoid through isolation actually cause the problems to persist, creating a cycle that seems inescapable to Judt, unless the mindset of the people changes (129). In conclusion, the actions of Baumann in response to capitalism and the inaction of the people in today’s society that Judt describes stem from the labor issues, individualism, mistrust and isolation that capitalism causes. The different reactions towards the same problem expressed in both accounts illustrate that as times change, methods for addressing conflict change as well.