Information: What’s Missing in the Capitalist Agenda
by Capitalism has always offered the promise of opportunity, that is, as long as you’re willing to work long and hard, that effort will eventually pay-off handsomely. The problem is that in today’s economy that simply isn’t the case. A good chunk of the population suddenly finds themselves out of work, after years of working long and hard, with no idea what to do next (other than apply for un-employment benefits). In this so-called Information Age, how is this possible?
Capitalism has always offered the promise of opportunity, that is, as long as you’re willing to work long and hard, applying yourself diligently, and remaining loyal that effort will eventually pay-off handsomely. The only problem is that in today’s economy and social expectations that simply isn’t the case. Millions of otherwise hardworking people in the United States alone who continue to remain loyal to the economic job platform and intend to do so for the rest of their lives, consistently find themselves without in a country that promised this wouldn’t be the case. In today’s so-called Information Age, how is this possible?
Throughout the Industrial Revolution, companies were willing to support the job market by educating potential prospects about the benefits of working for them. Benefits that have quickly disappeared in today’s consumer driven reality. This same capitalist agenda, however, has failed to educate further about today’s shifting opportunities and how exactly to gain access to them. What they have succeeded in communicating is how to shift the supplemental burden to the hardworking populace in the form of easy access to discount brokerages, cheap health plans (not insurance), and credit. It’s no longer necessary to pay a living wage since the worker is now able to supplement themselves. But the capitalist call is still the same: Get a good job.
Go to school to get a good job. Stay at a low-paying job indefinitely to increase your chances of a raise. If you missed that window, you can still go to vocational school to get a job. But these jobs, apparently, are the first to be eliminated. We are also aware of the opportunities to invest in real estate, start a small business, or launch a website. However, where is the education for these prospective opportunities? How can you get started in real estate or start a small business without getting a business degree? How can you launch a website without a degree in graphic design? Social norms dictate that you must be certified before you can call yourself an expert. But this isn’t the case, at all!
Entrance points for these opportunities and others exist without basically setting yourself up for another downsized position within another faltering company. All the same, capitalism has failed miserably in this aspect. Of course, you can buy another wealth program with generalized knowledge that doesn’t work because it doesn’t address the specifics. But why hasn’t the Information Age made starting a new business second-nature? Why do people continue to suffer failure after failure when embarking on these options when so many are apparently reaping the benefits of a free-market society? Instead of information, the vast majority of the population is receiving mis-information.
During the recession and energy crisis of the seventies, this country managed to make the painful transition from a manufacturing based economy to a service oriented economy. It would appear that the transition towards a true information centered economy engineered not by consumerism, but by individuals knowing how to share what they know profitably, will be just as painful.
Good luck and keep searching. The information you seek is out there somewhere. But it will not reveal itself without a fight.
At least, not yet.
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