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1、REVIEWOFTHEMONTHCapitalism,theAbsurdSystemAViewfromtheUnitedStatesRObERTW.McCHEsNEyandJOHNbEllaMyFOsTER1Afewyearsago,inaclassoneofustaught,adiscussionaroseabouthowcapitalismworksasasysteminwhichtheneedforthefewtomaximizeprofitdrivestheentirepolitical-economicstructure.Thestudentsap
2、pearedtograsphowthecapitalaccumulationprocesshasastrongeffect,oftennegative,onthecourseofasociety’sdevelopment.ThediscussionthenturnedtoSalvadorAllende’sChileoftheearly1970s,wherethegoalwastodevelopasocialistpoliticaleconomy.“Knowingwhatyoudoabouthowcapitalismfunctions,”thestudents
3、wereasked,“whatwouldasocialistsystemlooklike?”Theywereunusuallyquiet.Finally,oneofthemblurtedout:“Idon’tknowhowitcouldwork.Iguessthegovernmentwouldhavetokilleverybody.”Thequestionofhowasocialistsocietywouldoperateraisedahor-rible,dystopianimageinthisstudent’smind.Suchlibertarianfea
4、rsRobertW.McChesney(rwmcches@uiuc.edu)isGutgsellEndowedProfessorofCommunicationsattheUniversityofIllinoisatUrbana-Champaign,andauthorofThePoliticalEconomyofMedia(MonthlyReviewPress,2008)and(withJohnNichols)TheDeathandLifeofAmericanJournalism(2010).JohnbellamyFoster(jfoster@monthlyr
5、eview.org)iseditorofMonthlyReview,professorofsociologyattheUniversityofOregon,andauthorofTheEcologicalRevolution(MonthlyReviewPress,2009).TheauthorswouldliketoacknowledgethehelpofFredMagdoffintheresearchgoingintothisarticle.12MONTHlyREVIEW/JuNE2010ofatotalitarianstateimposingsocial
6、ismbyforce,eventothepointofannihilation,onanunwillingpeople,whoarepresumedtobecap-italistbynature,arealltoocommon.ThisbringstomindFredricJameson’scomment:“Someoneoncesaidthatitiseasier[formostpeo-pleintoday’ssociety]toimaginetheendoftheworldthantoimaginetheendofcapitalism.”2Perhaps
7、nothingpointssoclearlytothealienatednatureofpoliticsinthepresentdayUnitedStatesasthefactthatcapitalism,theeco-nomicsystemthatdrivesthesociety,iseffectivelyoff-limitstocriticalreviewordiscussion.Totheextentthatcapitalismismentionedbypoliticiansorpundits,itisregardedinhushedtonesofre
8、verenceforthegeniusofthema
