I rejoiced when I read this article today. Facebook has afforded the disgruntled Filipino youth an alternative, and dare I say more productive, way of venting out frustration at politics than joining the communists. It is a sick irony that more poverty creates more demand for socialism. Far leftist groups have more recruits when the voices of the marginalized in society are not heard by the government. But it is unfortunate since the government is philosophically similar to the communists. They all think in terms of egalitarianism and 'from each according to his ability' philosophy. The far left, then, only serve an emotional purpose for the marginalized when what they really need is an understanding of 'why' they are poor and marginalized. The last thing the Filipino poor need is a decrepit ideology which has failed too many times to count. Socialism is mankind's greatest failure, an attempt to play god, a misunderstanding of what it means to be human. The fact that the leftists now resort to indoctrinating the children of the elite rather than propagandizing the masses shows utter hypocrisy in the stubborn attempt to redeem leftist falsehood. Socialism has broken many eggs but has never made any omelets. Those who stick to it in the face of mountains of evidence are slaves to false idealism and are unable to live in this world.
In contrast, capitalism has provided a way to satiate the urge of the marginalized to be heard. The Philippine government might have severely hampered the life-giving market process through inflation, taxes, licenses and regulations, but capitalism has still managed to deliver the goods in the unregulated sector of cyberspace. The most unproductive in society cannot find employment because of the economic ignorance of politicians in legislating minimum wage levels. They are curtailed from having a good education because of tax-funded 'public' education. But whereas before such conditions encourage extremism and anti-social behavior, now facebook is there to provide an avenue for communication and entertainment. Capitalism has filled in the social gap through peaceful means, and on top of all the bureaucracy and wealth destroying government programs. In comparison, the socialists have to expend so much effort taking over the government and dispensing of the bourgeoisie. And only then can progress be possible, they say.
Capitalism works even without an intellectual vanguard. The universities and schools are stacked with leftists of all sorts trying to pound the common sense out of young peoples' brains. But their irrational ideology is most of the time pushed aside as untenable, because let's face it, who could honestly take the stance business, that institution which we acquire our daily meals, is a harm to society. Business provide goods, services, allow labor to be integrated into the structure of production. How can an institution which we depend on to live, simultaneously be a great evil in the world? In fact, capitalism not only provide the means for material satisfaction but opportunities for spiritual satisfaction as well, as the high levels of social production in capitalism allow more time to go to Church or on a noble advocacy. The fact that capitalism delivers even without or with little of an intellectual vanguard is a source of hope. No words better express my sentiments than that of Ludwig von Mises in saying,
"Neither economic thinking nor historical experience suggest that any other social system could be as beneficial to the masses as capitalism. The results speak for themselves. The market economy needs no apologists and propagandists. It can apply to itself the words of Sir Christopher Wren's epitaph in St. Paul's: Si monumentum requiris, circumspice(If you seek his monument, look around)"
It is a sort of a joke that 'social' networking has weakened the growth of the socialists. They must all be seething in their self-righteous rage in the mountains. And we are all better for it!
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