The inconsistencies of Marxist theory in contemporary societies
Many of the ideas that Marx posits, although some seem a tad paranoid to me, do have many parallels that are easily seen today. One that I found interesting was his mention of “the immensely facilitated means of communication, draws all, even the most barbarian, nations into civilization”(225). To a certain extent that has become true, but with I think less than 25% of the global population having regular access to a phone, and even less having access to the internet, this idea of bringing all societies into “civilization” is somewhat dramatic. The portion where he says, “In place of the old wants, satisfied by the productions of the country, we find new wants, requiring for their satisfaction the products of distant lands and climes”(224). I thought this hypothesizing of a consumer consciousness that extended beyond one’s own borders is extremely widespread today, for example our dependence on a plethora of eastern technologies.
While there were many observations that seem to be dead on, there was one that I didn’t fully agree with. He states that, “The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations”(223). While I agree with the dissolution of the feudal and idyllic relations, I think patriarchal relations were and still are in tact. Another point I disagreed with is when speaking of the growth of urban centers, he says, “It has created enormous cities, has greatly increased the urban population as compared with the rural, and has thus rescued a considerable part of the population from the idiocy of rural life”(225). The idiocy of rural life? I don’t pretend to be the most pro-agrarian person around, but I think he’s being somewhat classist in this statement, criticizing a non-urban proletariat in the process of his critiques of the bourgeoisie.
I’m sure some of these impressions might reflect my lack of direct experience with Marxist theory, but despite the occasional contradiction, I think many of his ruminations on the structure of society have been indirectly influential to how I see the world.
Justin S.