Quick quiz, just two questions:
- What’s the opposite of “capitalism?”
- What’s the opposite of “socialism?”
(Hint: They are not opposites of one another.)
That realization came as a surprise to me the other day. I suppose I always knew they weren’t opposites. I’d just forgotten.
I was listening to All Things Considered on the way home Tuesday, and I caught their feature on rural China, which has been running all week. This particular installment was on Huaxi village in Jiangsu province, an interesting story of a centrally planned model for economic prosperity.
There were two comments that put me over the edge. One is from Wu Hao, a local who had studied abroad and returned to the village in order to run one of the textile factories. In heavily accented English he said, “I feel so happy because I make a good salary. Everything is okay.” (I’m pretty sure that’s what he said; it was a heavy accent.)
The other is from his uncle, Wu Xie En, the current party secretary and BMOC. Via translator: “Huaxi is a small place. If all we did was farm, at best we’d just be able to feed and clothe ourselves. We wouldn’t be able to get rich.“
Now back to the quiz. Here are the answers.
- What’s the opposite of “capitalism?” Communism
- What’s the opposite of “socialism?” Consumerism
Capitalism and Communism are about the allocation of resources. The former relies on the collective behaviour of independent individuals. The latter on a centralized plan made by the government. Strangely enough, capitalism tends to be the more efficient method. Emergence theory at work. But, China is challenging that claim. They seem to be saying, “The fall of the USSR didn’t disprove the viability of communism. It only proved that the Soviets were poor planners.” It’ll be interesting to watch the next decade or two unfold.
Now about that other pair of opposites, Socialism and Consumerism.
These have nothing to do with resource allocation per se. They are about ethics and values. Socialism places the the common good at the center, whereas consumerism elevates the individual. Socialism and Consumerism are about ends; Capitalism and Communism are about means.
So, it is with some confidence that I say China isn’t socialist. It’s communist, no doubt. But not socialist. More and more China is more and more like the United States, growing on a foundation of consumerism. What will happen when
