People cannot be fully free unless there is no fear and insecurity (individual rights and freedoms). In a Left (socialist) type of government fear can be used through the use of secret police which would make the people extremely cautious of what they say/do. Since the people cannot say or do things that they want to do then they have no freedom. A welfare state (welfare capitalism) would give people the freedom to grow financially and educationally so the individuals can be a part of the all American dream (self interest & economic freedom) without the fear of the government, hunger, homelessness and racism while having the ability to develop their individual capacities (through the use of competition) as assured by Freedom and the Welfare State.
Vital Speeches of the Day is saying that the socialist government (the Left) will take things, like farms and natural resources from the people who own them and spread it out to everyone. The farmers do not have self interest so they can grow economically and their private property becomes public property. When the socialist government does this, it leaves the whole fed but not with full stomachs which leads them into hunger. The individuals will grow poor and leave the country hungry from the lack of human labour when applied to natural resources. Without private property, self interest, competition and economic freedom then the individuals will soon meet their demise.
The cartoon represents the rich and elite in their huge house that shows their indulgeant lives. The one male in the cartoon are reading the newspaper in which the title reads “Good times: even the poor gain”. The rich men do not like the poor gaining capital because with self interest, the rich become richer. The economic boom helped out everyone and the individuals who strongly believe in self interest, like the men in the cartoon, do not like that fact that everyone prospers.
With all of the sources they all have self interest that exists among them. Self interest in the first source is represented in “to receive just awards for their talents and to engage in the pursuit of happiness” in that the individuals must have the ability and chance to put themselves first (economically in this case) above anyone else. The cartoon had the same interpretation in that the men had put them first before everyone else economically. In the second source, self interest is mandatory for the individuals in order to grow economically and to keep food on the table. Self interest is shared among all three sources as a principle of liberalism that people should have.
Kabach's Response: Is fear/terror a trait of socialism, or authoritarianism? And, is the first source socialist or modern liberal? What is the ideological perspective in source 2, considering its criticism of socialism, and what principles of liberalism does it use in its criticism? Is the intent of source 3 to support or criticize the perspective of the characters it portrays?
ReplyDeleteThe source analysis makes specific references to liberal principles but misapplies them, suggesting source one promotes individualism above collective principles for example.
It is important to identify the ideological perspective in each source, and be able to support your interpretation accurately.
My Response: Fear can be used in socialism but then that means that it is not really socialism but rather more authoritarianism. Authoritarianism does use fear often. The first source is more of a modern liberal than a socialist, since the source is arguing against socialism and is complying with liberal principles. The second source is using self interest, private property, competition and economic freedom to criticize socialism. The cartoon in source three is to support self interest in a way that the men want self interest and do not like the fact that everyone will be affected in a good way. Once again my arguments, interpretations and evidence is not always as clear as what it should be but I find that I was better at it than my previous writing assignments.