anna's marx writeup

I was so glad this book was in a cartoon-style format. It made it so much easier to digest all of the information. It was pretty humorous and insightful.

I had never personally read anything from Marx or about him. To me, he was just the guy who started communism. After reading this, I could understand his questioning things during his particular era. That first question or doubt is the only way change happens, ultimately opening up to a new possibility.

Marx brings up valid observations regarding the workplace. The proletariots have no say or credit for their input, therefore, they become diminished. You can see similarties between Marx's workers during the industrial revolution, and our own, with corporations moving their labor overseas. It's through his writings, you can see how unions were able to emerge and did greatly improve the lives of many.

In the 1980's, with Reagan as president, you could witness the weakening of unions with the air-traffic controllers. Unions have been misused in the U.S., but I wouldn't want to consider their extinction. We have corporations today, like Walmart and Starbucks, that have seen their own workers rally to form unions and file lawsuits due to unfair practices. I wouldn't be surprised to see more of this, especially as our economy weakens.

more and more, the U.S. becomes a country based on consumerism. The mind set of a person 'selling themselves to have more, the less of himself remains', is so true. I don't agree though that private property is necessarily the evil. When you look at countries who are communist, there is a real repression of its' people. There is so much poverty, because so much has been invested in the military. In nations like China and Russia, there is no tolerance for voices of dissent. In this country, it's being done in a more underhanded way, which in some ways is more unsettling.

The good that came out of communist thought is, protection for the workforce, the birth of unions, free education, and free healthcare. Cuba has free healthcare for all and free schools. You just can never leave!

I wonder what Marx would think of 21st century communism, as it compares to his original intentions. I think it's important to see the shades of gray in any society. It never is so simple as: communism bad/democracy good. In general, it's just to be more aware of the injustices around us. Also, it's important to remember our own power to overcome adversity and not become apathetic.