Culture And Capitalism Essay

1793 words - 8 pages

Capitalism is responsible for the economic organization across the globe, as it in influenced mainly by culture. It affects the identity, sense of place, and the connection between how (b)orders distinguish the place of belonging. Culture gives meaning and values to particular goods. Capitalism uses monetary currencies to represent the exchange value of products, as profit is the main goal for corporations. Culture and capitalism both give value to each other, but capitalism is most successful when it is combined with the preferences and values of other cultures in order to make money. A thematic representation of culture and capitalism can be seen in a general layout of a supermarket, as ...view middle of the document...

The economic base of capitalism is underwritten but the cultural institutions of its dominating power, as culture controls most of the capitalism that surrounds today’s society. Cultures give meaning and values to particular goods. Capitalism uses monetary currencies to represent the exchange value of products, as it aims for profit through the sale of commodities on the market (Anderson 2010). The means to make money in capitalism are privately owned; ownership of factories that make products, registering of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and ownership of resources, entertainment venues or land (Anderson 2010).
Products work to perpetuate or erode not only material circumstances of society, but also the non-material circumstances, as they affect the particular ideas and value systems that take and make places in a society. Anderson claims another example of (b)ordering culture and capitalism is the process of bringing cultural life into the economic realm (and vice versa), referred to as commodification (2010). The success capitalism has been at injecting culture with its values is increasingly difficult to distinguish where original culture ends and where capitalist commodity begins (Anderson 2010). Culture and capitalism are increasingly interpenetrated; as they both give value to each other. Capitalism has its own cultural logic – the search for profit yet that logic is most successful when it is combined with the preferences and values of other cultures in order to make money (Anderson 2010).
The dominant players in the global capitalist activity are transnational corporations, as they have the power to control and distribute different products to certain places depending on the demand for the product, and if it is culturally suitable for a given place. Through communication technology, aviation, shipping, satellite monitoring, media systems and the Internet, all aspects of trade are becoming increasingly globalized, according to Anderson (2010). Capitalists seek to take and make place in order to intentionally maintain their own profit-making culture; (un)intentionally support the values and customs of some cultural groups, or dismantle and distinguish the cultures of others (Anderson 2010). The concept of othering is of interest, as it shows how the product available at certain stores and/or markets in a certain location can be directed towards a dominant group, or even the minority, to either include or exclude a group of people. The spread of capitalist culture brings benefits such as new jobs, new investment, and the opportunity to purchase new products (Anderson 2010). There are also many negative aspects as it can be overwhelming by dislocating people from local cultures, changing the value systems, and disenfranchising them from conventional politics.
Anti-capitalism action has been further developed in recent years, as capitalism destroys a true market. Although the powerful corporations control most of the global economy,...

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