To the Editor:
In her Friday column, "The Problems of Global Capitalism," Jessica Marshall asserted that "Human exploitation is not one of the central themes of socialism; it is however a basic principle of capitalism." Although this is a nice summary of the Communist Manifesto, it is the complete opposite of reality.
Capitalism regards "workers" -- indeed, all individuals -- as ends in themselves, whose cooperation must be obtained voluntarily. If someone wants you to work in his factory, then under capitalism, he must PAY you. He must not only make it worth your while, he must make it your most attractive option (since others are competing for your labor). Nor are you stuck with your first job -- you can acquire skills and earn a higher salary, maybe even start your own business! Such is the nature of "exploitation" under capitalism, whose central principles are PRODUCTION and TRADE.
In theory and in practice, the "central themes" of socialism are DESTRUCTION and FORCE. Socialism regards individuals as tools of the "Collective" (i.e., the ruling elite). In principle, a tool has no right to demand payment for his services -- socialism demands "production for use, not for profit." In practice, having outlawed profit as an incentive to work, socialism must rely on fear. Where individuals once worked to pursue a better life, they now work to avoid imprisonment and worse. One need only observe the FORCED LABOR (not to mention genocide and mass starvation) perpetrated by socialist countries in the 20th century to see the nature of REAL exploitation. (This includes not only Soviet Russia and Red China, but also Nazi -- National Socialist -- Germany.)
In closing, I would like to remind you, Miss Marshall, that the 20th century was not just an unpleasant dream. The atrocities of that century -- and the 40 million lives they cost -- were real. Please remember them before making such irresponsible statements in the future.
