Alienation: Relevant Today?
...enated from the object he produces, from the process of production, from himself, and from the community of his fellows.” “The object produced by labor now stands opposed to it as an alien being, as a power independent of the producer,” forcing the worker use more energy, making the products more powerful, and wears down the worker who becomes less attached to his life and himself. Alienation can also be seen in the “process of production.” Within the production activity itself, the act of producing mass quantities of products in an exorbitant amount of time creates an alienation from himself and his spirit, and long hours alienate their ability to have relationships outside of work difficult. (http://www.2pfeiffer.edu/~1ridener/DSS/Marx/MARXW3.HTML) “Over 150 years ago Karl Marx and Engel’s wrote the Communist Manifesto, which had become one of the most influential political pieces of all time. In the last few years their ideas have been regaining popularity. At the end of 1999 Marx was voted the ‘greatest thinker of the millennium’ in a BBC online poll. Even some capitalist commentators and Wall Street traders have reread Marx and realized how clearly he described capitalism as it is today.” (http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/socialism21/ch4htm) Some examples that show Marx’s theories in today’s society are as follows: As explained earlier Marx stated that in a “capitalist society workers are alienated from the work they do. Today we see that everyday when we stop at a fast food restaurant, get gas, or go shopping. People everywhere have been reduced to ‘mind-numbing repetition and boredom.’” The daily activities of workers have been reduced to flipping burgers, pumping gas, and stocking shelves, all of which require little t...