Lefties and Conservatives

Ted Rall has put up his latest cartoon about the difference between Lefties and Conservatives. My comment is below the fold.

Strange as it may seem, I am actually commenting on the cartoon of 25 August not the one about Jenna Bush. Somehow, the comment threads got warped.

I think Cde Rall's cartoon about the difference between Lefties and Conservatives is one about the contradictory nature of Capitalism: the unrelenting quest for doing things better; and the mindless conformity of work.

What Cde Rall has described in the first five (5) panels is the essence of the progressive nature of Capitalism: you can always improve something. There is no finality to improvement. Relentless questioning of everything gives Capitalism its dynamism.

For those of us who work in these types of jobs, there is nothing unusual in this. Our employers gain a temporary competitive advantage of doing things better, faster, or cheaper. Then the process of questioning starts again. The only final authority is whether it works or not. Reputations are transient.

In contrast, Cde Rall presents the last panel in which the Conservative says 'Good enuff'. This is dead weight in the Capitalist world but essential for its operation. For without these people to do the mind-deadening drudgery of necessary labour, how can wealth be produced? If they are not willing to shorten their lifespan by decades by literally working themselves to death, how can the economy grow through Capital accumulation?

The work a conservative does follows the instructions given by someone else. As long as everybody does their part, everything works fine. Questioning disrupts the established order. Even though it will kill him, a conservative will follow orders because that is what he has been conditioned to do.

So Capitalism operates by killing off its most ardent supporters while rewarding its most vocal critics. You won't see me down a coal mine avoiding the collapsing rocks. This is a job for conservatives.

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