| Richard Branson's image has appeared all over | | | | else.Any act to change the political system of a |
| South Africa done up as Che Guevara.Promising a | | | | society will result in an adaptation in the way the |
| mutiny in the way South Africans can purchase | | | | effected people value things. A government may |
| cell-phone airtime, Branson is taking on the | | | | decide that food is a strategic resource and a |
| monolithic incumbent operators using the language | | | | food staple will henceforth be sold at a fixed price |
| of a revolutionary. His intention is to make money | | | | no matter what it costs to produce. Farmers will |
| for himself and his investors by undermining the | | | | look at that price and, if they realise it will cost |
| fat profits that existing businesses are already | | | | them more to produce than they will earn from |
| making. The reason he is able to do so is because | | | | selling, they won't farm. Communist governments |
| of free market capitalism which allows anyone to | | | | frequently find themselves buying in vast |
| start a business in competition to anyone else and | | | | amounts of expensive food that they used to |
| will protect them from anti-competitive behaviour | | | | grow themselves from the very capitalist |
| while they do so. | | | | governments they hate.Any wild accusation can |
| Capitalism is certainly a brutal system; but that | | | | be levelled at businesses: they harm the |
| brutality is not aimed at consumers. It is aimed at | | | | environment; they exploit poor people; the steal |
| the very businesses that revolutionaries hate so | | | | from the masses. Business owners listen and |
| much. Any change in customer preferences (the | | | | observe. If they note that the accusations are |
| choices of the proletariat) results in a massive | | | | affecting their business then they adapt. If the |
| concentration of effort by businesses to keep up | | | | adaptation costs them then they simply pass |
| with those preferences. Businesses that can't do | | | | those costs on to their customers. If they aren't |
| so (such as businesses caught using child labour | | | | allowed to do so then they quietly close down |
| when it is no longer politically acceptable to do so) | | | | operations, cut their losses and move |
| get left behind and shut down.Branson has claimed | | | | elsewhere.Give businesses a measurable problem |
| the very principles of subversion promoted by | | | | and they will solve it. WalMart - a US-based |
| arch-Communist Guevara in the pursuit of | | | | retailer - has frequently been accused of causing |
| globalisation and capitalism. It was Guevara who | | | | environmental harm. A new WalMart in Aurora, |
| said, "We must bear in mind that imperialism is a | | | | Colorado has been built entirely to appease |
| world system, the last stage of capitalism -- and | | | | environmentalists: recycled asphalt parking lot, |
| it must be defeated in a world confrontation. The | | | | solar panels and a windmill for power, waterless |
| strategic end of this struggle should be the | | | | urinals, efficient lighting.Major retailers have come |
| destruction of imperialism. Our share, the | | | | out with organic and locally sourced produce. |
| responsibility of the exploited and underdeveloped | | | | Restaurants and coffee shops dutifully sign up for |
| of the world, is to eliminate the foundations of | | | | Fair Trade goods. Major manufacturers buy |
| imperialism: our oppressed nations, from where | | | | carbon credits. And brands, like Virgin Mobile, have |
| they extract capital, raw materials, technicians, | | | | adopted the discourse of anti-globalisation |
| and cheap labour, and to which they export new | | | | campaigners.There is no hidden agenda in this. |
| capital -- instruments of domination -- arms and all | | | | Business owners are quite up-front about their |
| kinds of articles, thus submerging us in an absolute | | | | intentions. Firstly, no-one wants to be a target of |
| dependence."The commercial sector appears to | | | | insults and slurs. Secondly, they want to stay in |
| have an astonishing ability to reinvent itself and to | | | | business and keep providing for themselves and |
| claim the very criticism aimed at their destruction. | | | | their families.The customer is always right and, if |
| For socialist revolutionaries the problem is that | | | | you like the teachings of Che Guevara, then the |
| they have misidentified capitalism. Capitalism is not | | | | teachings of Che Guevara you shall have.People |
| a political system; it is simply a mechanism by | | | | may fight for the cause of socialism, or freedom, |
| which people value things they want and trade for | | | | or democracy but - while they're out fighting - |
| these things from their possessions which they | | | | someone is going to have to stay home and |
| consider of lesser value. A person's time and | | | | make sure the revolutionaries are fed and clothed. |
| labour is sometimes all they possess. If they value | | | | And they're going to charge you for it. Any |
| it less than any amount of money then they will | | | | attempts to stop this process results in a lot of |
| trade their effort for that cash. The economic | | | | people sitting around waiting for the government |
| thinking behind ending slavery was that slaves | | | | to provide.If revolutionaries really want to put |
| should enjoy the right to sell their own labour for | | | | business under pressure then free market |
| a price of their choosing - just like everyone | | | | capitalism is the way to do it. |