Got to love capitalism. Watchin
g the news, it appears that the new weapon of peaceful non-lethal protesters in both camps is pepper spray. In at least a dozen protests and counter protests, the debate ended in a cloud of pepper spray.
Just what is pepper spray?
“Pepper spray (Also known as mace or capsicum spray) is a lachrymatory agent (a chemical compound that irritates the eyes to cause tears, pain and temporary blindness) used in policing, riot control, crowd control and self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears. Its inflammatory effects cause the eyes to close, taking away vision.”
As a strong believer in our capitalist system, I got to thinking it would be a good idea to market a portable eye wash to be used by the protesters on the left and right. To start, I Googled “pepper spray eye wash” and found dozens of products already available online. They ranged from ten bucks to many thousands depending on complexity; my favorite was one that screwed onto a plastic water bottle and cost around ten dollars. So much for my get rich quick idea; American entrepreneurship is the best engine of invention the world has ever known.
“Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door” is a phrase attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson in the late nineteenth century. Emerson never said those exact words, but they do capture his intent that a good product will sell. So just what is so bad about inventing and marketing a product people want and just may need?
The socialist left will tell us advertising is a tool of the bourgeoisie (wealthy ruling class) used to suppress the proletariat (working class) to sell us things we do not need, keeping us in a perpetual underclass. The arrogance of the left never disappoints; the belief is that you and I are basically stupid and cannot decide for ourselves if an item is something we really need or just want to have.
A true socialist will advocate for a government-approved list of how many mousetraps and of what quality we can have based on their perception of our needs, not our desire, to own a better mouse trap. How many things do you have that you just do not need to own, but wish to own? A sin in the eyes of the left.
The socialist model was developed when the world had an underclass socially and economically. The masses were uneducated and ill-informed; education was only for the bourgeoisie who used it to suppress the proletariat. The basic literacy rate then was under 10%; we now live in a different world where the “common person” has the basic ability to think and act for him/herself. Most of us will not run out and purchase a product we do not need or want because we see a slick advertisement online or on television.
A dedicated follower of Senator Bernie Sanders will tell us capitalism, free enterprise and advertising are tools of the oppressors of the masses. We must have them to speak and act for us, to protect us from the evils of capitalism, to tell us what is a genuine need versus a want or desire.
In the early 1980s we purchased a VCR; the thing was the size if a suitcase and cost almost a thousand dollars (in 1980s dollars) and recorded one program at a time. Blank tapes were $25, and they copied for only two hours. Nearly everyone I knew told me it was a waste of money, why in the world would anyone need to tape a TV program?
In a socialist state, we would have not been allowed to purchase such an unneeded item. Thanks to our founding fathers for our social/economic system that allows us to exercise free will even if others feel we are being frivolous. We don’t need the government to protect us from ourselves.
Oh Bob, you’re setting up a straw man again, speaking for the left, and then attacking the positions you ascribe. You should speak for the right – I think you’d have a better chance of at least writing about that which you know. A couple weeks ago you mentioned the unwillingness of “the left” to do menial work. Let’s see: I silk screened barricades, cleaned public toilets, collected and dumped trash, cut grass, plowed snow. loaded trucks, drove trucks, unloaded trucks. I was a janitor. I trimmed Christmas trees. I was a fish & chips car hop in Lincoln Park, Michigan. My (leftish) wife waited tables. My (leftish) son was a hotel room service delivery guy. I don’t know any of my (leftish) friends that didn’t find honest work laudable, although most of us have managed to do other things as time went on.
What I might like to hear from you, rather than your guess about how liberals/progressives/socialists/Bernie-ites are, is how the right thinks.
How is that the main components of Obamacare are concept of allowing a kid to stay on his parents health insurance to 26, how no one is to be denied health care because of a pre-existing condition, are to be kept as a part of the new NotObamaCare plan? Or do we kick people off, and have them have the opportunity to buy whatever they wish (and can afford)? What about the “awkward” connections to Russia that keep coming out? What do the Trumpkins say about that? And what to those same Trumpkins say about The Donald’s assertion that Pres. Obama bugged his Trump Tower? I know what Spicer said: we don’t need to provide evidence. There needs to be an investigation, and we won’t comment. An investigation based on an accusation without an allegation. That’s not how these things work. What happened to the tax returns Trump promised to release? He “walked back” that promise. I understand the preference for straw man attacks. They’re easy, and fun.
Mr. Basura,
Sir, thank you for the comment. What a guy, you got your hands dirty before the welfare state was adopted, good for you. Once again, the column is on free enterprise democracy, not President Trump’s taxes or The Affordable Care Act. Nice try though, changing the subject to what the left wants it to be. Points for the attempt.
Thank you for recommending subject matter for the column, but I will pass on your advice this time.
How was the vacation? To afford it you must be a good capitalist, glad to see a brother Veteran make it in the world.