Paul D Amato Analysis

Paul D’ Amato makes many great points about why he thinks Marx still matters. One of the first main points that the author makes is that capitalism is not a system that helps all of society. D’ Amato (2006) says “ Poverty is always horrible. It only becomes an obscenity when the material means exist to eliminate it, yet it persist. But the priorities of world capitalism are such that the two things - unimaginable wealth and great misery - exist side by side.” (p. 52). Additionally, D’Amato (2006) argues “As the misery worsens, the glaring class divisions give rise to what Marx had argued was the motor of historical change - the class struggle.” (p.53). These two quotes lead to the point the capitalism is not a system that is sustainable and will eventually lead to a change in system. Another main point that D’ Amato makes is that the American Dream is almost impossible to achieve. D’ Amato says at the start of the industrial development in the United States people were able to buy cheap land which allowed them to leave wage labor to become a farmer (D’ Amato, 2006, p. 53). Since then things have changed, rather than becoming a farmer, people want to become their own boss. However, this goal does not normally go

In his paper he supports this argument with many examples. D’Amato (2006) says “ his ideas are alive because his indictment of capitalism - though first penned in the 1840s - is still confirmed on a daily basis. As misery worsens, the glaring class division gives rise to what Marx had argued was the motor of historical change-that class struggle.” (p. 52). What this quote is saying is that throughout history when we have struggled we started to see such a divide in the upper and lower classes in a capitalist system. The capitalist system works by “ the exploitation of many by the few for profit” (D’Amato, 2006, p. 52). Even with this exploitation very apparent the capitalist system is still alive