Manners and the Market

There is a connection between a free market – capitalism – and manners, and it is not what most people think. Contrary to those wrongheaded views that capitalism encourages nasty, selfish, and rude behavior, capitalism actually fosters decency and respect. By contrast, socialism, or any form of economy or government control that limits competition, engenders disrespect and contempt.

In order for individuals to function in a capitalist society, individuals must offer something that helps their fellow individuals so the customer will want to voluntarily buy a product or service, or cooperate with, that individual. Thus, it is only in the spirit of cooperation and free choice that people interact in a capitalist society. Some might argue that workers will not have any choice in a free market system, and that they will be underpaid and oppressed by those who own equipment and other valuable resources. Not so, because in a capitalist society those same workers can work for a competitor or start a similar business themselves and reap higher rewards from their work if indeed they are being underpaid for the product they are producing. Competition will raise their wage to its market price. Thus, in order to function in a capitalist society, one must serve the needs of others; those who do so with respect and manners will be increasingly rewarded compared to those who do not. In fact, those who are surly and perform poorly for their customers or collaborators will quickly fail. Capitalism does not tolerate poor behavior.

By contrast if competition is eliminated by government – for instance protecting some industries from competition – the workers in those protected industries need not serve their customers decently at all; those customers will have no choice but to work with that protected industry. Some government agencies that have a monopoly in their service may try to inculcate values of customer service into their workplace, but those values are there by order and not by necessity. Accordingly, such behavior in government agencies is spotty; one never knows whether one is going to get the surly government worker or the decent one. How about a state’s department of motor vehicles? Is it open Sundays to serve customers? Does it have late hours so customers do no have to leave work for their appointments? No to both questions. Contrast that with a very competitive industry like grocery stores. Many are open 24 hours per day to serve their customers, and the workers will always be available to show you where to locate the goods you want.