Does anyone besides me view corporate America today, which will do anything necessary to maximize profits, regardless of the effect on people's lives, as being modern day Scrooges? How about a government that cuts programs helping the poor while giving tax breaks to the rich? This all seems so much like what Charles Dickens was protesting in his literary works.
shareI think a capitalist society will always be viewed that way regardless of the age. Robber barons of the 19th century, oil tyccons of the early 20th century, or oil companies of the early 21st. I think though, that without such a capitalist society as that existing in the western world Christmas would not be at the level it is today. Christmas is designed to guilt the rich into distributing their wealth. A worthy cause, made less so if there were not much wealth to spread around to begin with. I think Dickens would agree with you about "a government that cuts programs helping the poor while giving tax breaks to the rich?" In the same respect, Dickins historians will acknowledge that Dickens was a pretty fair capitalist himself who chased after profits as well as any 19th century man. Dickens understood capitalism and had no problem profiting from the system, he just believed in sharing the weath, maybe not with his agent though....
This isn't a good ground for bashing W. Bush though. Not that it's so bad, it's just that there are so many better ways...
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The only reason "corporate America" - a term I hate - succeeds in its ways is because people buy the goods that the companies make. If there were a true boycott of, say, Wal-Mart...that would say something.
Oh, and if you pay taxes, you've been getting checks in the mail from Dubya...so he may be dumb, but he's no Scrooge.
Asps. Very dangerous. You go first.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MDxMO0YiI0 (this works!)
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Dickens was writing at a time in early modernism when it seems that the Industrial Revolution and other things magnified differences in the capitalists and plebes in a growing London. Scrooge was an example of one of those engaged in "excessive capitalism" where profit is superior to all, including the welfare of his fellow man (in this case his own employee's family).
In reality there is nothing wrong with corporations placing a high emphasis on profit. In fact, our capitalist system would not work at all without it, and I think many more would suffer without the benefit of such a system. However, problems are created when individuals (not necessarily corporations) completely neglect their fellow humans who are clearly in need. This was Scrooge's downfall.
My history forum @http://www.westerncivforum.com
I think Mr. Scrooge was just lonely.
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