The Capitalist Ground Shaken By The Earthquake In China
By Li Onesto
27 May, 2008Revcom.us
Western media, as well as news reports in China, have suggested that
developers tried to maximize profits by using inferior materials, cutting back
on necessary work and paying off corrupt officials. The Chinese government has
announced there will be investigations into whether sloppy work linked to
corruption is to blame. And there will, no doubt, now be official accusations of
bribery, scapegoats, and a campaign to “clean up corruption.”
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Capitalist Ground Shaken by The Earthquake In China
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But the fundamental problem here is NOT corruption, inept administrators, or bribery in the building of schools. Yes, that is truly horrible and resulted in the deaths of thousands of children. But targeting this doesn’t get to the root of the problem. The real problem here is the dynamics of capitalism—how the drive for profit trumps everything else, how economic growth is driven by intensifying exploitation, short-term gain, and cost minimization. And how these capitalist economic relations get reflected in and played out in the social and political relations in society and the thinking of people. Corruption is very real, but it is an outgrowth of capitalist development.
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