| The Capitalist system produces two classes: the | | | | is used as a method of reward as well as a |
| Proletariat class and the Capitalist class. The first | | | | method of punishment. The social system in place |
| class produces all of the wealth of society, | | | | then has interests, desires, wants, goals. Its |
| according to the instructions of the Capitalist class. | | | | natural role is to force people to comply with |
| The Capitalist class is composed of investors, | | | | orders. The privileged classes enjoy a higher |
| businessmen, entrepreneurs, all persons who are | | | | quality of living, because the framers of the social |
| in possession of the means of production. We are | | | | system gave them more consideration. By having |
| all aware of the variation of this class. There is | | | | these privileged classes, the ruling class gains a |
| the small business owner, who might make | | | | tighter and firmer control of the majority. For |
| anywhere in between $50,000 and $250,000 in a | | | | instance, kings in Europe would assign nobles who |
| year. There are business chain owners who | | | | in turn controlled knights, the class honored with |
| probably make up to four times as much. Then | | | | the duty of force. Today, privilege is granted to all |
| there is the corporation: a single business that is | | | | members of society that produce more, because |
| owned unevenly by many investors. | | | | the fruit of their produce is taxed to feed |
| Those who are asked to lead the corporation, the | | | | runaway military and police budgets. By granting a |
| corporate executive officers, are taking the | | | | small amount of privilege to doctors, the whole of |
| traditional role of the business owner; they | | | | society can produce more wealth to feed more |
| become responsible for sales, salaries, advertising, | | | | troops. In that respect, the system gains more |
| everything that a business functions on. Those | | | | protective strength, in order to maintain the |
| who own the stock make millions a year, due to | | | | present order. |
| the CEO's organizing and the workers laboring. | | | | The citizen possesses the option to reject the |
| The variety of the Capitalist class is clear -- it | | | | offers of privilege for special duties, such as |
| provides different degrees of affluence. Variation | | | | enrolling in the military or becoming a more |
| of income is not limited to the Capitalist class. In | | | | productive member of society. One might even |
| America, for instance, a minimum wage worker | | | | theoretically say that he possesses the option to |
| might make only $10,000 a year, while a physician | | | | reject even the law, only if they are willing to |
| or engineer might make $80,000 a year, while | | | | accept the penalty of losing all privilege. And |
| other careers can make up to $100,000 or | | | | though it is not difficult for us to use the phrase |
| $150,000 per year. Those who work hard and can | | | | "losing all privilege," we cannot forget that waking |
| impress supervisors by the quality of their labor | | | | everyday in a prison cell is a very stark and brutal |
| may be promoted and given wage increases. | | | | reality for many. The ruling party of the state has |
| Laborers who enter vocational schools or | | | | one interest in mind: to maintain its present |
| universities improve their productive capabilities, | | | | regime and its ability to use coercive force on the |
| increasing their wages. Likewise, artists and | | | | majority. Those who aid the state, the privileged |
| musicians in this society are paid according to how | | | | classes, are rewarded for their duty. If the state |
| many people enjoy their creativity -- theoretically. | | | | were to lose its privileged classes, if the people |
| These are generalizations, but they are the | | | | were to reject all programs of privilege, then the |
| primary defense of the system of Free Trade: | | | | ruling class would lose its power and authority. |
| people who work hard can advance and gain | | | | The benefits that the rulers enjoy as the leaders |
| more privilege. | | | | of people would disintegrate. It is the nature of |
| Privilege. If a person has social privilege, that | | | | government to be corrupt, manipulative, and |
| means that they enjoy a greater part of the fruit | | | | exploitive, the first enemy of the people. The |
| of society's production, what our economists call | | | | French Revolution was a response to the endless |
| the gross national product. The use of privilege in | | | | reach of poverty due to the ruling class. The |
| a Capitalist system is obvious: it provides an | | | | Cuban Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the |
| incentive to the laboring class to increase their | | | | Chinese Revolution, and many others were all |
| productive capabilities. If someone can create | | | | started by citizens that were discontent with their |
| more wealth with their labor, then they will be | | | | government. If, in these cases, the government |
| given a larger quantity of the social wealth, that is | | | | was wise enough to distribute more privilege |
| to say, the total wealth produced by all society. | | | | instead of hording wealth, they might have |
| The first rule of granting privilege, of course, is | | | | survived. The nations of the world today have |
| that the new amount of wealth assigned to the | | | | learned some lessons from history. They are |
| individual is smaller than what their productive | | | | willing to grant small concessions to the people, in |
| capabilities can do. For example, if an assembly line | | | | order to maintain their power and oppress their |
| worker gives more effort and energy in his labor, | | | | citizens in other ways. |
| he might produce any extra $5 of profit for his | | | | The use of privilege in modern society is simple. |
| employer per hour. In response, the employer | | | | By many people accepting the offer of special |
| might decide to award him a pay raise. But, the | | | | tasks in order to accumulate wealth, the |
| wage increase would not be higher than $5, since | | | | government's coercion of the majority becomes |
| that wouldn't make sense to the employer's | | | | stronger and stronger. The use of privilege is to |
| interests. Instead, it's typical that such a raise | | | | fuel the system's strength and ability to punish |
| might be $.50 to $1.00, if one were awarded at all. | | | | those who violate the law, the orders to the |
| Here is the first trend of privilege: by improving | | | | many. Those that accept this privilege are |
| your productive capabilities, where the present | | | | essentially the reason why the present system |
| social order is maintained, you are rewarded by | | | | can be maintained. To describe this, our political |
| the system accordingly. By creating more social | | | | theorists use the term oppression. A higher class |
| wealth, you are awarded a slightly larger piece of | | | | is rewarded for its ability to maintain the present |
| the whole of society's productions. | | | | regime's policies and laws. Though propaganda is |
| Among the members of the privileged class, | | | | always used to convince the privileged class that |
| there is the police and the military -- coercion | | | | they are doing what is right, they are also |
| used for attack and defense. This is the | | | | rewarded a greater part of wealth, the key |
| protective, security class. In order to induce | | | | determining factor in their obedience. Aside from |
| members of society to join the ranks of the | | | | the privileged class of society, there is also the |
| coercive class, the masters of the state have | | | | ruling class -- this is the class that asserts |
| offered them one thing: privilege. It is common in | | | | coercive authority over the majority. The ruling |
| every effective military or protective force that | | | | class has provided the majority with every |
| those who serve are rewarded with some kind of | | | | reason for revolt and resistance, from organizing |
| privilege -- honors alone have never been enough. | | | | massacres, to slavery, to torture and vindictive |
| We often hear of the massive armies that | | | | judicial processes, to violating civil liberties, and |
| ancient emperors could muster just by arming all | | | | wrongfully imprisoning its citizens. Organized |
| of the males, however, they still received some | | | | coercive authorities, or governments, are the |
| payment. One author in 1683 tells us: "But just as | | | | instigators to the dark side of human nature. Their |
| soldiers fight under authority of the state, so | | | | only goal is to maintain their control on the |
| what they take from the enemy, as properly | | | | majority through oppression, aided by the use of |
| acquired for the state, not for the soldiers. Yet it | | | | privilege. If the people were able to reorganize the |
| is everywhere customary to leave movable | | | | social structure on mutual and non-exploiting |
| property, especially of small value, to the soldiers | | | | agreements, then poverty would cease to infect |
| who have taken it; and this is connived at, or it | | | | their nations; the people would be able to work |
| takes the place of a reward, or sometimes of | | | | and live in humane conditions. |
| pay; or it is to tempt such as may be willing to | | | | The ruling class must oppose a fair and just |
| sell their blood when there is no compulsion." ["On | | | | society. If every person were fairly awarded |
| the Duty of Man and Citizen According to the | | | | wealth based on how important they are to |
| Natural Law," by Samuel von Pufendorf, book 2, | | | | society, then everyone would have much higher |
| chapter 16, published in 1683.] In the United States | | | | incomes. In a society where the majority is |
| today, we find that soldiers are still considered | | | | enslaved to the rule of one despot, those who |
| invaluable to the state. Their privilege includes a | | | | are given privilege to be soldiers make less than |
| paycheck higher than your average minimum | | | | they would if everyone was free. The reason |
| wage worker, plus benefits of health and financial | | | | that citizens give in to the offers that the ruling |
| aid for education. There are other techniques to | | | | party makes is because there are enough others |
| gain compliance in mustering a military force. A | | | | doing the same thing to the point where it is a |
| ruler could use his present military strength to | | | | protected status. A government with a small |
| enslave others to the task of security. However, | | | | military or police force would be ineffective; it |
| to do this, the ruler must already have a military | | | | would instantly crumble the moment the people |
| strength with which to threaten the general | | | | demanded freedom. Citizens join the privileged |
| population to do his will. One early example of this | | | | ranks because they are already swollen. They |
| we discover in the pages of Aristotle, when we | | | | enter in for their mutual defense. In a free |
| read of Pisistratus, who enslaved the public once | | | | society, they would enjoy even more privilege. |
| they allotted him a tax fund to hire soldiers. ["The | | | | They do not seek a free society for two |
| Athenian Constitution," by Aristotle, translated by | | | | reasons. First, if they sought out a revolutionary |
| Sir Frederic G. Kenyon, section 14.] | | | | change in the social structure, they would lose |
| The initial use of privilege as a means of | | | | their present privilege unless every other member |
| controlling society was by the early despots and | | | | of the privileged class did the same thing. Second, |
| tyrants. The only privilege they granted to any | | | | they are convinced by the arguments of the |
| member of society was freedom in exchange for | | | | ruling class that a truly free society could not |
| their service as soldiers in keeping the majority | | | | exist. Their claim is that it is unnatural to humans |
| enslaved. It has been several thousand years | | | | to be free. |
| since the Spartan soldiers would enslave foreign | | | | While the use of privilege has become a great |
| villages, only so that they can live off of the | | | | deal diversified, the essential ethic of the state |
| labors of others. Though the origin of privilege is a | | | | remains the same: the use of privilege to get a |
| part of the history of soldiers, modernized society | | | | part of society to quell the majority is essential. |
| has allowed this concept to have much more | | | | Its role of privilege is natural. It exists to induce |
| far-reaching effects. In today's world, privilege is | | | | compliance with a social situation that would |
| awarded to a class based on how much | | | | otherwise be unacceptable. Every piece of |
| productive capability it possesses, or how much | | | | privilege is established on the same firm ground. It |
| more the class adds to the social wealth based on | | | | is established on the slavery and submission of |
| their abilities, which make them unique, compared | | | | the majority. Those who enjoy privilege hold it |
| to the other classes. Factory workers, for | | | | solely due to this slavery. When a citizen decides |
| example, have a higher income than other | | | | to reach up and grab a larger slice of the pie, |
| blue-collar workers, because they are a skilled | | | | they can only do this by stepping on the skulls of |
| class needed for their abilities. Physicians help | | | | their so-called fellow citizens. To grant one person |
| create more productivity by maintaining the health | | | | larger privilege is, in effect, to deny the majority |
| of society and fending off illness, hence, doctors | | | | a part of their wealth. Revolutionaries throughout |
| are paid more. Judges, legislators, and other | | | | history have denied all privilege for these reasons. |
| politicians are paid extremely well. Naturally, any | | | | Leo Tolstoy sent all the royalties of his books to |
| group that has authoritative and coercive control | | | | charity, living as a father and a peasant. Che |
| of the majority will reward itself the greatest | | | | Guevara refused special treatment, eating |
| when distributing privilege. The inclusive ruling class | | | | side-by-side with ordinary soldiers in their Marxist |
| will always defend itself. The use of privilege and | | | | militias. Peter Kropotkin, the revered philosopher |
| its role in modern society is very apparent. | | | | of Anarchism, was born a prince, but he |
| What is the alternative to privilege? If a citizen in | | | | abandoned his privilege because it was built on |
| this society does not wish to obey the orders of | | | | slavery. George Orwell, author of 1984, served in |
| the masters of the system, they will lose their | | | | the Spanish revolutionary forces as they battled |
| privilege. They would still enjoy some of the fruits | | | | the Fascist invasion. Siddartha Gautama, also |
| of society, but they would be among the class of | | | | known as "Buddha," was born in to wealth, but he |
| the majority with little privilege. That is the only | | | | also abandoned everything that he had just so |
| punishment given to those who do not accept the | | | | that he could understand truth. All of these great |
| offers of the system to become more | | | | people give us an important truth that we must |
| productive members. The offer of privilege reads | | | | understand. In order to overthrow oppressive |
| as follows: "Adhere to these special orders and | | | | situations, in order to achieve a state of true |
| you will be rewarded." On the other end, there is | | | | freedom and equality, we must reject all privileges |
| a threat: "Violate our laws, or the orders to the | | | | that are built upon slavery -- we must have unity |
| many, and you will be punished with imprisonment | | | | and solidarity. The revolution needs bold individuals |
| -- the complete inability to gain or enjoy any | | | | who are willing to make sacrifices in order that |
| privilege." The use of privilege is two-fold, in that it | | | | the majority can understand and live in freedom. |