The Revolutionary Socialist Network, Workers
NC -- AT: Cap Good - Human Rights
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2NC -- AT: Cap Good - Human RightsCapitalism and the pursuit of profit are not compatible with the maintenance of human rightsAlexandra Smith 21 [Alexandra Smith, 4-26-2021, "Can Human Rights And Capitalism Ever Be Truly Compatible? — Human Rights Pulse," Human Rights Pulse, https://www.humanrightspulse.com/mastercontentblog/can-human-rights-and-capitalism-ever-be-truly-compatible, smarx, HHW] When French economist Thomas Piketty declared the 21st century a new “gilded age” in his seminal work, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, he was acutely aware of the impact that mass wealth accumulation had on human rights and equality across the globe. While proponents of capitalism have long argued that, in its purest form, capitalism can bring about healthy competition, egalitarianism, and accessibility, the late-stage capitalism that, at present, dominates the global system, has instead become a means of exploitation for those at the bottom. In light of the ongoing pandemic and climate crisis, which have only further exposed the ills of capitalism and widened the disparities between the so-called “haves and have nots,” the entire system is due for serious re-evaluation. CAPITALIST STRUCTURE While capitalism comes in many forms, the central tenets that underpin capitalist systems are common amongst almost all market economies. The structure of capitalist economies is dependent upon the following: maximisation of profit, the existence of private property, free and accessible markets, market mechanisms that self-correct, and the free exchange of labour and services vis-à-vis the division of labour. Additionally, behavioral economists have emphasised the role of intangible elements like “self-interest,” which drive the market forward and push individuals toward innovation and competition. In today’s economy, this “self-interest” is realised in the spirit of entrepreneurship that supposedly bolsters the free exchange of goods and services. However, what the pandemic and current global system have revealed is something far more sinister. Without due and enforceable regulation, the most obvious of the aforementioned tenets, maximisation of profit has become a means of exploitation and exists to the detriment of human rights across the world and has forced the question: can human rights and capitalism coexist? PROFIT PRINCIPLES Perhaps the most central idea that upholds capitalist economies is the maximisation of profit. Human rights have taken a back seat as companies and individuals seek to maximise their financial gain and fulfill their corporate mandate to maximise shareholder profit. In a globalised economy, the maximisation of profit has been linked to a “race to the bottom,” wherein companies seek the cheapest labour possible and export primary production to countries typically located in the Global South where a lack of enforced regulation on industry and labour leads to serious abuses. This phenomenon produces the images we see today of overcrowded, unventilated garment factories and unsafe mining conditions across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In this system, abuses are not only tolerated but profitable. But, who profits? Certainly not workers. According to the latest report by the International Labour Organization, millions of workers around the world reside in countries where no minimum wage exists and where labour standards are either dismal or effectively nonexistent. Download 2.09 Mb. Share with your friends:
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