Capitalistic Corruption

Running head: CAPITALISTIC CORRUPTION

Capitalistic Corruption and Political Persuasion
Cody Mercer
Haaii Paci!ic Uni"ersity
Pro!essor #oiner
$ece%&er '() *((+
1
Capitalistic Corruption
A&stract
Throughout the tentieth century) it has &een pro"en that go"ern%ent) in con,unction ith
%ar-eting and capitalis%) has had serious persuasion on the %inds o! A%ericans. Anyone ho
has done the research on this particular topic ill undenia&ly attest to this clai%. This paper
pro"ides situations and assertions that ill %aintain the "alidity o! this argu%ent. Propaganda
de"ised &y %ar-eting institutions) creates inner chaos hich shades our understanding. /ig
&usiness is !unded &y ele%ents ithin our go"ern%ent syste%) and the co%&ined poers are a
!orce to &e rec-oned ith. The assi%ilation o! capitalistic progra%s ith go"ern%ent deception
has sculpted the A%erican %ind to acco%%odate go"ern%ent0s concealed outline. The %ain
goal is to challenge the reader into &roadening their hori1ons) and possi&ly allo the% to "ie
their reality !ro% another angle. 2ith the e3pectation o! &eing a&le to reach at least one person)
they too ill &e a&le to spread the -noledge and initiate a trans!or%ation.
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Capitalistic Corruption
Capitalistic Corruption and Political Persuasion
2hat is your initial response hen you disco"er that you ha"e &een &etrayed4 2e ha"e
all e3perienced that !eeling o! loss at least one ti%e in our li!e) hether it as !ro% a !a%ily
%e%&er that had lied to us) or a partner ho had let us don at the %ost crucial %o%ent.
Regardless) I thin- that e can all agree on the !act that it is not a "ery pleasant !eeling. Let us
ta-e it e"en !urther) ho does it %a-e you !eel to -no that e are &eing lied to &y our on
go"ern%ent4 5lected o!!icials that e put all trust and hope into to do the right thing are in !act
set out to %islead us into thin-ing that the actions that they carry out are !or the el!are o! our
on nation. /y %erging capitalistic progra%s ith go"ern%ent deception) %inds can &e %olded
to !it idealistic goals ithin our A%erican society. The research that I ha"e dedicated to riting
this paper is %eant to enlighten the %inds o! indi"iduals that are loo-ing !or ansers !ound &y
thin-ing outside o! the &o3. The goal is to not &ad %outh A%erica) &ut to unco"er certain
aspects in our culture that need to &e re"ieed !or 6uestioning. I a% a proud A%erican ser"ing in
the United States Na"y) I ,oined the ser"ice to preser"e the !reedo% and rights o! the citi1ens that
represent this !ine country e call the United States o! A%erica. As ith preser"ing these rights)
I thin- that it is %y calling to deli"er certain !acts o! in!or%ation a&out corrupt capitalis% and
!raudulent go"ern%ent o!!icials that has led to the decay o! A%erican ethics.
Capitalis% is %ar-eted &y ad"ertise%ent agencies that spend %illions o! dollars a year to
de"elop %ethods that ill allo tele"ision and radio to access the %ost inner characteristics o!
our personalities. Tapping into these sources per%its a su&tle su&conscious hypnotis% hich is
so slight that e do not notice ho it renders us helpless. 7o"ern%ent and capitalis%) or &ig
&usiness) are synony%ous entities that or- in con,unction ith each other) and !e reali1e ho
destructi"e o! a poer these co%&ined !orces are on &oth children and adults.
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Capitalistic Corruption
Properly discerning the !acet o! %ind control is not an easy tas-) people o!ten associate
%ind control ith conspiracy theories. To co"er the aspect o! %ind control) or propaganda as it
relates to this research paper) e are going to ha"e to assu%e that go"ern%ent and capitalis% are
responsi&le !or a large percentage o! propaganda generated throughout the aira"es. Let0s &e
realistic) A%ericans do not ant to ad%it that e are &eing controlled &y an o%inous !orce.
Un!ortunately pale reasoning ill hide the a&solutes !ro% us. So%eti%es it is easier to li"e in
denial) then to ha"e to actually !ace the realities o! truth regarding our political and capitalistic
syste%. Regarding political corruption) you ha"e to as- yoursel!) are e controlling the
go"ern%ent or is the go"ern%ent controlling us4 Reggerio 8'99': presents a certain speculation
hich clai%s the !olloing) ;As shepherds possess a superior nature to that o! their sheep) so the
shepherds o! hu%ans) that is their go"ern%ents) are assu%ed to &e superior to those they go"ern<
8p. '=:. 2e %ust accept the &elie! that e are hat the go"ern%ent %a-es us. In a per!ect orld
all political action ould e3ist in the people) &ut this is a state o! a!!airs that is unattaina&le.
7o"ern%ent is gi"en authoritati"e poers &eyond that o! the %asses) and the pri%ary principle
inside go"ern%ent is to escape legislati"e co%%and) and control the ill o! the indi"iduals that
they are %eant to go"ern.
2hen I !inally &egan to reali1e the i%portance o! education I thought to %ysel! ;2o
hy did I aste so %uch ti%e in class not paying attention4< All those days spent in the
classroo% daydrea%ing a&out li!e &eca%e e3hausted years that I can ne"er ha"e &ac-. Our
pu&lic education syste% is a necessary ele%ent that is used to %ap the young %inds o! children
to &eco%e the leaders o! to%orro. Parents reali1e the i%portance o! education and ho
"alua&le literacy and %athe%atics are> there!ore parents and students rarely 6uestion the "alidity
o! educational sources. O!ten te3t&oo-s are opinionated and research &iased not &y coincidence
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Capitalistic Corruption
&ut intentionally to generate a speci!ic !or%ula. Tight 8*((*: argues his point ith the
!olloing analysis: ;The !ight o"er pu&lic education)< she rites) ;has alays &een a !ight o"er
ho ill shape the %inds and character o! the ne3t generation?In la i! not in the hearts and
%inds o! %any A%erican parents) the central go"ern%ent has e%erged "ictorious in that
protracted struggle< 8'@@:. Since the %a,ority agrees that pu&lic education plays such a "ital
position) e un-noingly create a protection &arrier !ro% any criticis% that %ight regard pu&lic
education. The %anipulation o! intelligence &egins at a "ery young age ere %inds are cast)
taste are !or%ed) and ideas controlled &y those in go"ern%ent o!!ice. The notion o! e"er
challenging the accuracy o! history and social studies taught in the classroo% is uno&ser"ed ere
social policy ta-es the !ore!ront. Additionally) Tight 8*((*: insist that throughout the tentieth
century the A%erican pu&lic education syste% has &een !ueled &y go"ern%ent thin- tan-s
designed to esta&lish speci!ic ideology.
The tragic certainty is the undisputa&le !act that i%pressiona&le adolescent intellect is
controlled into thin-ing certain %ental patterns. As riter 7ary 2il-inson 8*((+: co%%ents in
his article Civic Professionalism: Teacher Education and Professional Ideals and Values in a
Commercialized Education World) ;A speci!ic threat hich these policies %ay encourage is the
use o! corporate propaganda techni6ues targeted at schools hich %ay har% children) under%ine
the proper purposes o! education) su&"ert the %oral and social !a&ric o! school li!e and da%age
the !oundations o! ci"il society.< Not only are children0s i%aginations &eing restricted &y %edia)
tele"ision) and radio) &ut also &y the pu&lic education syste%. 7ranted not all aspects o! pu&lic
schools are sinister) alloing children to interact ith their peers and !or% so%e sort o!
indi"iduality is para%ount.
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Capitalistic Corruption
The poer o! in!luence that large scale conglo%erates ha"e on political parties is
re!lected upon the A%erican capitalistic structure. Capitalis% in A%erica creates a co%petiti"e
%ar-et hich dictates an aggressi"e &usiness %entality. Thus li"ing in this type en"iron%ent)
destructi"e corporate poers e%erge causing results that e!!ect not only loer inco%e !a%ilies)
&ut also upper %iddle class !a%ilies as ell. According to To%as Larsson 8*((*:) pro!essor at
Cornell Uni"ersity) ;/usiness associations are here %ore e!!ecti"e channels o! political
in!luence) &ut due to their lac- o! enco%pass%ent and poer o"er %e%&ers) they ill not &e a&le
to internali1e the cost o! corruption) nor to discipline %e%&er !ir%s that see- particularistic
!a"ors !ro% politicians and &ureaucrats. This %a-es it %ore li-ely that the le"el o! percei"ed
corruption ill &e high in co%parison ith the centrali1ed and decentrali1ed "arieties o!
capitalis%< 8p. 'A:.
Unrestricted %onopolies in our !ree %ar-et are at li&erty to !ocus on riches to &e o&tained
&y any %eans necessary. A "enture capitalists cutBthroat approach to a &usiness enterprise ill
re!lect into the surrounding co%%unity. Pri"ate in"estors and lo&&yist raise large a%ounts o!
%oney to !und ca%paigning politicians. The ulterior %oti"es o! pri"ate in"estors ill donate
astrono%ical a%ounts o! %oney in order to carry out underlying actions. Coning las) ta3es)
ad"ertising) and pro%otion are ,ust a !e ele%ents that &usiness de"elopers -eep in %ind hen
deciding on hich politician to in"est in. Politicians are to &e elected &y ho ell they can
pro%ote the%sel"es) and capital is at the heart o! e"ery ca%paigning !unction. Durther%ore)
Larsson 8*((*: contends that go"ern%ent ta-es a particular interest in !lourishing and success!ul
co%panies !or election purposes) and ill pro%ote the el!are o! these assured co%panies.
Hence!orth) political corruption is occurring right &e!ore our eyes and there is little that the
destitute can do to pre"ent such atrocities.
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Capitalistic Corruption
Loer inco%e !a%ilies ith the least a%ount o! %oney su!!er the %ost hen it co%es to
&usiness corruption> hile the rich ill rarely e3perience the conse6uences o! in!lation.
Alan Ship%an 8'999:) %ar-et econo%ist) descri&es the i%pact that go"ern%ent has hen they
inter"ene ith corporate strategy:
The ad"antages o! lea"ing resource allocation to pri"ate action B &y indi"iduals or
"oluntary associations o! indi"iduals B are accentuated &y the distortions i%posed on
the econo%y &y state inter"ention. The go"ern%ent0s e3posure to con!licting internal
interest and unrepresentati"e e3ternal pressure groups delay and distort its allocation
decisions relati"e to those reached in the %ar-et. Price signals are disregarded) resulting
in o"erproduction o! products and o"erin"est%ent in lo return pro,ects on unclear
Ee3ternal &ene!it0 grounds. 5"en here resources are correctly allocated) inade6uate
%onitoring o! resultant production and distri&utionBo!ten related to the state &eing &oth
purchaser and supplierBlets production costs creep up unnecessarily. Da"ored co%panies
and industries are pro%oted &y su&sidies and tari!! protection at the e3pense o! the ider
econo%y. 8p.@9=:
This is only a s%all e3a%ple to ho go"ern%ent can in!luence &usiness production) and ho the
outco%e is later e3perienced &y A%erican consu%ers. 7o"ern%ent ill intercede ith &ig
&usiness organi1ation to carry out pri"ate a%&ition !or !inancial gains. Little can &e done &y the
co%%on ealth to co%&at these !orces) and e are to su&%it to su&ser"ience.
The capitalistic syste% that su&sists in our culture has nu%erous in!luences !ro% around
the orld. 7lo&al capitalis% as a hole plays a -ey role in the ay that our econo%y operates.
Poer points located in other countries i%pact certain aspects o! our current capitalis%) and
e"ery consu%er residing in the United States ill so%eho !eel the repercussions o! such
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Capitalistic Corruption
entities. ;/ut here the pro&le% e3ists the ethnically do%inant %inorities are per!ectly
positioned to pro!it !ro% econo%ic glo&ali1ation) so that the %oney !ro% !ree trade !los al%ost
e3clusi"ely into their poc-ets. One reaction to this situation is a %o"e%ent to nationali1e
industries. Not Co%%unist ideology) &ut popular resent%ent a%ong a&,ectly poor %a,orities
against %ar-etBdo%inant %inorities is the !orce &ehind such %o"e%ents< 8/ec-er) *((@) p. *:.
Fey players in "arious areas o! the orld ha"e an i%pact on ho are !ree %ar-et operates. The
in!luence o! these players tric-les don to e"en the s%allest aspects o! our econo%y.
Ti&or Machan 8*((@: concludes that) ;In %y %any years o! trying to understand the !ree
%ar-et econo%y) I ha"e &een ha%pered &y the si%ple !act that no such thing e3ists. Li-e ideal
%arriages) genuine !ree %ar-ets are %ostly so%ething e can concei"e o! and understand in
theory &ut rarely encounter in the actual orld. Get) ,ust as ith ideal %arriages) e can as-
hether !ree %ar-ets) i! they did e3ist) ould &e &etter !or us all than) say) so%e other
conception o! econo%ic li!e) such as %ercantilis%) socialis%) the el!are state or co%%unis%4<
The idea o! a per!ect econo%y has e"aded us since the conception o! the !ree %ar-et. It is hard
to &ring ,ustice to such an in!luential poer that e3ists in A%erica ith so %any outside sources
%anipulating areas o! our %ar-et.
In '99A $ale Mason Cochran) #onnie Cochran0s i!e) as aarded a '( %illion dollar
contract to launch an up starting &usiness "enture. Dor anyone ho is not !a%iliar ith the na%e
#onnie Cochran) he as the in!a%ous de!ense attorney that alloed O.# Si%pson to al- out o! a
Cali!ornia court roo% a !ree %an. Anyho) in '99A a progra% as designed that ould help
&ene!it o%en and %inorities ho ere considered ;disad"antaged< &y gi"ing the% !inancial
assistance to upstart !uture &usinesses. In order to apply !or this type o! support) you ould ha"e
to &e considered ;socially< and ;econo%ically< challenged and your co%pany ould ha"e to &e
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Capitalistic Corruption
classi!ied as a $/5) $isad"antaged /usiness 5nterprise. This go"ern%ent !unded organi1ation
-non as the Ne Orleans A"iation /oard) granted $ale Mason Cochran0s co%pany) Concourse
Concessions) a '( year contract to operate concession stands ithin the Ne Orleans
International Airport. In a !our year period = %illion plus dollars had &een contracted to the
Concourse Concessions endea"or. Research as conducted on the net orth o! #onnie Cochran
and his !a%ily and they ere &y no %eans considered ;socially< and ;econo%ically< challenged.
Ralph R. Reiland 8*((+:) a Ro&ert Morris Uni"ersity pro!essor in Pitts&urgh) e3plains that
;Cochran) ho typically earns at least H' %illion per year) told The Times he as orth HI
%illion. That included ho%es in Los Angeles) a condo%iniu% in Manhattan and to apart%ent
&uildings in 2est Hollyood BBB &ut not the "alue o! CochranJs la !ir%. 2ith a rapidly groing
se"enB!igure inco%e) CochranJs net orth as e3pected to reach H*I %illion to HI( %illion
ithin !i"e years) his accountant reported.K The %ain reason &ehind pointing out this
circu%stance is to unco"er in,ustices &ehind go"ern%ent order> ne %ethods are de"eloped on a
daily &asis &y our go"ern%ent hich in actuality is pro%oting tension a%ong di!!ering races.
The supposed idea &ehind $/5 is to eli%inate ine6uality) hile in reality e are actually
en!orcing it ith these types o! corporations hich are de"eloped to encourage ci"il rights. Ci"il
Rights should &e a concept %eant to li&erate all sides o! the racial spectru% not ,ust the !or%er
pre,udices e3perienced in the past.
In de!ense o! capitalistic corruption) an e3cerpt ritten &y 2oods 8*((A: o&,ects that not
all co%panies in our capitalistic syste% are out !or &lood. RentBtoBon stores pro"ide a ser"ice
!or those ith lo credit scores) ho ha"e !iled !or &an-ruptcy) or ha"e no credit history at all.
The don side to this is that that the interest rates on the ite%s &eing rented are at the highest
interest rates alloa&le &y la. Leri!ication pro"ided &y 2oods 8*((A: con!ir%s that) ;Dirst)
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Capitalistic Corruption
%uch o! their anecdotal e"idence points not so %uch to the ic-edness o! rentBtoBon stores as
to the silly and irresponsi&le spending patterns o! people ho should atch their %oney %ore
responsi&lyMa character !la !or hich these stores are not to &la%e. Second) they !ail to
ac-noledge the indispensa&le ser"ice that these stores pro"ide to poor people ith &ad credit
histories ho cannot ac6uire the su&stantial ite%s they need on any ter%s anyhere else< 8p. ':.
These types o! stores do see% to co%e in handy hen people ith &ad credit history ant a ay
to re&uild their credit. I can spea- !ro% personal e3perience that hen you do not ha"e the &est
credit score) it is o!ten "ery di!!icult to get loans and apply !or things that ill "eri!y your credit
history. These stores gi"e indi"iduals a chance that a %a,ority o! other &usinesses or &an-s
ould not consider.
I! e are to regain any sort o! co%posure e %ust atte%pt to step aay !ro%
con"entional thin-ing. Con!or%ity has pro"en to &e the ene%y in the groing struggle !or
independence. The predicta&ility o! our attitudes constricts our i%agination lea"ing us una&le to
recogni1e the truth o! our present condition. Roc-ell 8*((A: proposes that) ;The anser to our
standardBo!Bli"ing oes is a radical restructuring that ould %a-e education) health care) and
energy loo- and &eha"e %uch %ore li-e retail discount stores and apparel.< A hole ne
approach %ust &e ta-en i! e are to achie"e personal !reedo%. $rastic change in all aspects o!
go"ern%ent and the !ree %ar-et has to occur i! e desire an attitude o! so"ereignty.
Author 7aret 7arrett 8'9*N: arns us in his &oo- The American Omen) ;The !irst
necessity is to co%prehend A%erican prosperity as idea. Its or-s are !or use and onder> &ut
the or-s o! a people can &e nothing else than their thoughts e3ternali1ed.< Thoughts are "ery
poer!ul energies) e"erything that that surrounds us) all li!e and the earth e al- on originated
!ro% a thought. I! e ere to challenge oursel"es and e3ceed the &oundaries o! original thought)
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Capitalistic Corruption
then it is not i%possi&le to i%agine seeing through the deception. Society has succu%&ed to a
%ini%al thought process) and e are illing to accept any notion gi"en to us as a %eans !or hope
and inspiration. /eing a&le to de"elop ne ideas and put the% into action ould not &e a
re"olution &ut ne understanding. Corruption is going to plague society till the end o! eternity
and there is little e can do a&out it. Ges) spea-ing our %inds and letting the syste% -no that
e are not &lind to the tric-ery is a cause !or action) &ut ulti%ately e ha"e to &e illing to start
the trans!or%ation ithin oursel"es.
7ranted) the in!or%ation presented in this argu%ent has not &een the %ost
con"entional topic to rite a&out. /eing a&le to properly intertine propaganda) go"ern%ent)
and capitalis% into a !loing riting piece hile at the sa%e ti%e doing the% ,ustice is a tas- in
itsel!. Loer inco%e households) and the young and poor) in!re6uently ha"e a "oice to represent
the%. People need to rise up as a hole and ta-e the poer &ac-. 2e %ust re"olt against
con"entional thin-ing) and co%e to the reali1ation that e are &eing not only &eing ro&&ed o! our
integrity) &ut ro&&ed !inancially and spiritually. Thought control is designed !or %onetary gain)
and the go"ern%ent has -noingly &linded us into %or&id suggestions o! sel! orth. The need to
recogni1e treason &rought on &y the disloyalty o! &ig &usiness is "ital to our ell &eing.
Fnoing is hal! the &attle) and &eing a&le to identi!y the ene%y is the pri%ary o&,ecti"e.

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Capitalistic Corruption
Re!erences
/ec-er #. 8*((@) No"e%&er @:. To /e Read ORe"ie o! the &oo- World on Fire: How E!ortin"
Free #ar$et %emocrac& 'reeds Ethnic Hatred and (lo)al Insta)ilit&P. Carne"ie
Council*The Voice for Ethics in International Polic& 'oo$ +eview Column) pp.*.
Capitalis% Maga1ine. 8*((+:. The ,n-ust %iscrimination of Central Plannin". Retrie"ed
$ece%&er N) *((+) !ro% http:QQ.cap%ag.co%Qarticle.asp4I$R*='9
7arrett) 7. 8'9*N:. The american omen. Ne Gor-: 5.P $utton.
Larrson) T. 8*((*:. Political corru!tion and varieties of ca!italism. Ithaca) NG: Cornell
Uni"ersity.
Roc-ell. L.8*((A:. In!lation: Pu&lic ene%y 8electronic "ersion:. The Free #ar$et) *=) =.
Ruggiero) L. 8*((A:. ,nderstandin" Political Violence: A Criminolo"ical A!!roach. /er-shire:
Mc7ra Hill.
Ship%an) A. 8'999:. #ar$et +evolution and Its /imits : A Price for Ever&thin". London:
Routledge. p @9=
Stri-e the Root. 8*((@:. CEO Pa&: 0ormal or ,nfair4 Retrie"ed $ece%&er =) *((+) !ro%
http:QQ.stri-eBtheBroot.co%Q@Q%achanQ%achan9.ht%l
Tight) C. A. 8*((*:. %e!endent on %.C.: The rise of Federal Control over the /ives of
Ordinar& Americans. Ne Gor-: Pulgra"e.
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Capitalistic Corruption
2il-inson) 7. 8*((+:. Ci"ic Pro!essionalis%: Teacher 5ducation and Pro!essional Ideals and
Lalues in a Co%%erciali1ed 5ducation 2orld. 1ournal of Education for Teachin":
International +esearch and Peda"o"&2 "@@ n@ p@+9B@9I.
2oods) T.5.8*((A:. $o capitalist prey on the poor 8electronic "ersion34 The Free #ar$et) *=)'.
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