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<title>Section D - How does statism and capitalism affect society?
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<p>
<H1>Section D - How does statism and capitalism affect society?</H1>
<p>
This section of the FAQ indicates how both statism and capitalism affect
the society they exist in. It is a continuation of sections B (
<a href="secBcon.html">Why do
anarchists oppose the current system?</a>) and C (<a href="secCcon.html">What are the myths of
capitalist economics?</a>) and it discusses the impact of the underlying
social and power relationships within the current system on society.
<p>
This section is important because the institutions and social relationships
capitalism and statism spawn do not exist in a social vacuum, they have deep
impacts on our everyday lives. These effects go beyond us as individuals
(for example, the negative effects of hierarchy on our individuality) and have
an effect on how the political institutions in our
society work, how technology develops, how the media operates and so on.
Therefore it is worthwhile to point out how (and why) statism and capitalism
affect society as a whole outwith the narrow bounds of politics and economics.
<p>
So here we try and sketch some of the impact of concentrations of political
and economic power has upon society. While many people attack the <b>results</b>
of these processes (like state intervention, ecological destruction,
imperialism, etc.) they ignore their <b>causes.</b> This means that the
struggle against social evils will be never-ending, like a doctor fighting
the symptoms of a disease without treating the disease itself. We have
indicated the roots of the problems we face in sections <a href="secBcon.html">
B</a> and <a href="secCcon.html">C</a>; now we
discuss some of the other problems they create. This section of the FAQ
explores the interactions of the causes and results and draws out how the
authoritarian and exploitative nature of capitalism affects the world we
live in.
<p>
It is important to remember that most supporters of capitalism refuse to
do this. Yes, many of them point out <b>some</b> flaws and problems within
society but they never relate them to the system as such. As Noam Chomsky
points out, they will attribute the catastrophes of capitalism <i>"to any
other cause <b>other</b> than the system that consistently brings them about."</i>
[<b>Deterring Democracy</b>, p. 232]
<p>
That the system and its effects are interwoven can best be seen from the
fact that while right-wing parties have been elected to office promising
to reduce the role of the state in society, the actual size and activity
of the state has not been reduced, indeed it has usually increased in
scope (both in size and in terms of power and centralisation). This is
unsurprising, as "free market" implies strong (and centralised) state --
the "freedom" of Management to manage means that the freedom of workers
to resist authoritarian management structures must be weakened by state
action. Thus, ironically, state intervention within society will continue
to be needed in order to ensure that society survives the rigours of market
forces and that elite power and privilege are protected from the masses.
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