Misconceptions addressed: The Self Made Man and Meritocracy

The reactionary misinformation that perpetuates false consciousness.

There’s a famous quote, the author of which is disputed, that goes “Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as exploited proletariat, but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires,” and I’ve found this to be very true. There are legions of people who will defend to their deaths the rights of the rich, even when they are at odds with their own economic interests. This is because they have been taught to believe from childhood that American capitalism is a meritocracy, and thus believe that:

a. All who are rich got that way through hard work and ingenuity.
b. They, too, can become rich through their own hard work and ingenuity.

I, personally, find this sentiment insulting, as should anyone with a poor/working class background who has seen first hand the most hard working people in the world living in shacks and driving 30 year old vehicles.
The meritocracy myth is taught to us directly, and through the peripheral route. Example: Thomas Edison, a man born with one or more learning disabilities who goes on to invent the lightbulb; he teaches us that, even if we face crippling obstacles, as long as we just happen to be inventors with a great deal of luck in patenting and marketing our inventions, any of us can be an American success story.

Of course, as I said, the American meritocracy is obvious bull pie. In fact, it is something that has lately come under a great deal of scrutiny. Even a professional who makes a living coaching Executives and othe business leaders says, ”I have been struck by how many people blindly follow the images portrayed by the media that try to convince the masses that “you too” can be the next athletic, singing, acting or business star regardless of your background, when the odds are astronomical that it will happen.”

This idea is simply not a reality. Those who defend it have only anecdotal accounts and examples; the millions of examples that contradict them are conveniently ignored.

As American as Apple Pie

Over the last few months I’ve come to realize that many anarchists and socialists in the U.S focus a great deal on the radical traditions of Europe (Spain, France, Russia, Greece, etc) while ignoring the fact that the United States has a very rich Socialist tradition. In fact, many on the right seem to ignore or are unaware of the fact that the Pledge of Allegiance was written by a socialist, and that the song “This Land is Your Land” was not only written by a socialist of sorts, but has strong social justice overtones.

Consider the many acheivements of our labor movement, the influence over politics and culture that early 20th century anarchists had, the leftist influences over the Civil Rights movement and the Anti-war movement, and all of the folksy radicalism of the depression era. Hell, even the term “redneck” was originally a name for striking (more like coup-attempting) coal workers in West Virginia who wore red bandannas on their neck to show solidarity.

As we speak, inner cities are full of people dedicating their time to making their communities better places to live and organizing community members in collaboration with local unions, as well as young people dedicated to fostering class concsiousness through direct action. Campuses are full of students dedicated to social justice, or at least to educating others about it.

Why shouldn’t there be such a rich radical tradition in the U.S? This is, after all, the world’s beacon of neo-colonialism, corporatism, plutocracy and bourgeois dominance. Considering that, it’s a breath of fresh air to think about how consistently present the people’s opposition to power has been in this country. Even a number of our “founding fathers” had the basic ideals (or at least claimed to) that leftism draws from: democracy, equality and liberty. Some, particularly Madison, even proposed agrarian reform very early on.

Pundits and politicians paint the Capitalist system as source of American Pride, and all forms of socialism as somehow anti-American. This is a myth perpetuated by the oligarchy who has a great deal to gain from that reactionary sentiment among the people. Really, though, if Capitalism were so American, why would its opposition be such a huge part of our history, just as old as the Capitalist system itself? It’s knowledge that threatens their power