Calcutta and Reification of Capitalism

Alan writes about capitalist violence:


"But it is surprising that so many people posting on this network either 
utterly
ignore, or too casually dismiss, the massive violence inherent in capitalism
today, which, from the streets of Rio to the slums of Calcutta and Chicago, 
has
murdered hundreds of millions of children. The sound of a baby needlessly 
dying
of cholera in an imperialist-protected fascist police state may not ring as
loudly in the ears as the sound of a gunshot, but I'm not sure it is any 
easier
of a way to die."

Strong language for a questionable argument. First, we should really be 
careful
about reifying capitalism as an agent in history that "murders". There are
capitalists who seek profits. SOme with fewer scruples than others. THere 
are
military strongmen, sometimes supported by capitalist interests, sometimes 
not.
(Sometimes they were set up by the USSR in opposition to whomever was being
backed by NATO) Sometimes the poverty is caused by well-meaning by misguided
international economic organizations. Then there are all kinds of difficult
circumstances that cause immense pain in which is rather difficult to 
isolate
exactly the source of the problem. Take Calcutta, for instance (I've been
there). There is a little matter of a population problem (with illiteracy 
and a
total lack of reliable infrastructure) that overwhelms most attempts to 
help the
situation. By the way, Calcutta is also interesting since the mayor is a
Marxist, but Calcutta is certainly not Stalinist; indeed, I would say it is 
more
capitalist than many Indian cities with non-Marxist . Calcutta, at one 
level, is
a city that works, at least in comparison with New Delhi. Most Indians 
regard
the relative superiority of Calcutta as due to its greater amount of 
business
sense and activity (as opposed to gov't employment in the capital).

Randy Groves