Capitalism and the Abuse of Power - Analysis #3

The abuse of power that humans exercise against one another is commonplace and oftentimes abusive. In a capitalistic system, the power an owner exercises over his workers often leads to the workers turning against one another, or viewing each other solely as competition. Through Marxist principles, one begins to realize that these same workers, if united, represent a far greater power than the few who hold the means of production – the owners. In conjunction with Marxist principles, the tone and content of the “motivational speech” given by Alec Baldwin in the film, Glengarry Glenross is unsettling, but not surprising. Through understanding the concepts of labor power as a means of subsistence, ideology as illusion, fetishism of commodities, and spontaneous consent, one can see how such a system of abuse becomes socially and economically acceptable, and how these concepts serve to strengthen the abusive power structure that is created by the bourgeoisie class and accepted by the proletariat.

The vast majority of people need to work in order to attend to their basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing. This is especially true when one has children, or other dependents. In this sense, it is critical that if one is to be “happy” or “content” with his life, that he chooses a profession that provides some enjoyment or satisfaction, on a regular basis. Marx notes that, “Labor power is, therefore, a commodity which its possessor, the worker sells to capital. Why does he sell it? In order to live” (Marx 660). The unfortunate reality, however is that many laborers fail to grasp the implications behind this basic concept. In Glengarry Glenross, Baldwin contends that he is “on a mission of mercy,” from which it can be inferred that the salesmen want to retain their jobs, but in reality his character represents the oppression that is possible in selling one’s labor power. Before doing so, the worker should determine his priorities in life – be they spiritual, material, communal, or intellectual – before committing his life to a particular occupation. Too often, these implications are not realized, or are realized too late, and one finds himself “stuck” working in a position that he needs to attend to his basic needs. Marx calls upon the worker to realize that,
The exercise of labor power, labor, is the worker’s own activity, the manifestation of his own life. And this life-activity he sells to another person in order to secure the necessary means of subsistence. Thus his life-activity is for him only a means to enable him to exist. He works in order to live. He does not even reckon labor as part of his life, it is rather a sacrifice of his life. (Marx 660)
It is unfortunate that many people do not take the advice to “do what you love.” It is important to note that even in work that offers its laborer satisfaction and contentment, there are plenty of tasks that will be perceived as laborious, and will need to be completed nonetheless. The overall product and/ or act of creating this product, however, should provide the worker with a sense of self-worth and value. Too often in capitalism, workers become concerned with acquiring more and better objects, and thus become obsessed with acquiring material wealth as a sole means of satisfaction.

This mentality is better understood through Althusser’s explanation of “Ideology as a ‘representation’ of the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence” (Althusser 693). Too often, workers imagine that they will transcend the regimented system of class hierarchy, and forge their way from the proletariat to the bourgeoisie. While not impossible in some systems of capitalism, this phenomenon is becoming increasingly rare. In posing the idea that, “… in ideology ‘men represent their real conditions of existence to themselves in an imaginary form,” Althusser employs a psychological analysis of the worker in order to explain his acceptance of his own subjugation. Althusser’s analysis is seen in Glengary Glenross, when the salesmen ultimately succumb to the abusive treatment they receive from the authority figure, played by Alec Baldwin. Baldwin demands that the character played by Jack Lemmon does not refill his coffee mug. Baldwin states that, “coffee is for closers only.” Once Baldwin threatens to fire all of the salesmen, Lemmon puts down the coffee mug. This scene demonstrates Marx’s concept of interpolation - that a power system is dependent on the cooperation of two parties: the subjector and the subjectee. Here, Baldwin is the subjector and Lemmon is the subjectee. The ideology that the salesmen seem to have accepted is that if they are able to sell property and thus acquire more objects, then they will be more content. The reality of the situation is that from a non-capitalistic perspective, it is inconsequential as to whether one drives a Hyndai or a BMW.

The symbols of wealth and power that are represented in the film are Alec Baldwin’s gold watch and his BMW. It is questionable as to whether Baldwin himself is a member of the bourgeoisie class; perhaps through his wealth he belongs with the petite bourgeoisie since one can infer that Baldwin does not own the means of production, in this case the real-estate firm Mitch and Murray. It becomes increasingly obvious that Baldwin and Mitch and Murray depend on the performance of the workers they abuse, in this case the salesmen. The acceptance of such abuse is further understood through Marx’s explanation of “The Fetishism of Commodities and the Secret Thereof.” In this section, Marx explains that there is “… a definite social relation between men, that assumes, in their eyes, the fantastic form of a relation between things” (Marx 667). Unfortunately, the men have come to perceive their self-worth as measurable through the acquisition of objects. It is ironic to note that Baldwin’s character, although he identifies himself with what he owns, has done nothing to contribute to the actual production of the commodities he so closely identifies with; that is the BMW and the gold watch. That these commodities have been established as desirable (fetishized), and obtainable only by the wealthy few, is part of the dark secret behind capitalism. This is namely that the bourgeoisie gains a grossly disproportionate share of wealth through the subjugation of the proletariat class. Through such subjugation, the bourgeoisie class enjoys the fruit of the laboring class, while the laboring class, even when production is excessive, does not receive an appropriate share of wealth or commodities.

Lastly, Antonio Gramsci discusses the concept of consent in Hegemony. Gramsci’s ideas connect to interpolation, and serve to explain the motivation behind playing the role of subject or subjectee. Gramsci states that, “The spontaneous consent given by the great masses of the population to the general direction imposed on social life by the dominant fundamental group; this consent is “historically” caused by the prestige (and consequent confidence) which the dominant group enjoys because of its position and function in the world of production” (Gramsci 673). It is critical to the bourgeoisie that such consent is accepted by the massive proletariat. If the proletariat were to unite, they have the potential to shatter the confidence enjoyed by the bourgeoisie. Without large numbers however, the bourgeoisie will remain in power. In Glengarry Glenross, for example, the salesmen are expendable to Mitch and Murray, assuming that there would be other workers to replace them. It would require a massive uprising of the labor force to effect any real systemic change. One of the reasons that such uprisings are not more common is due to the fear of “The apparatus of state coercive power which ‘legally’ enforces discipline on those groups who do not ‘consent’ either actively or passively” (Gramsci 673). In the case of Glengarry Glenross, the salesmen stand to lose their jobs if they refuse to submit to Baldwin’s demands. On a larger scale of submission, if one refuses to obey the laws of the state, he stands to potentially lose his freedom, as Gramsci experiences first-hand. Through such a system of power, consent often becomes the logical choice.

Through such examples, one becomes aware of the potential for abuse that exists within capitalism. At the same time, other systems of government have proven to be far more oppressive. It is sometimes difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel through a Marxist lens, but Marx does a great service for the proletariat class, and ultimately for humanity.


Works Cited

Literary Theory, an Anthology (Blackwell Anthologies). Grand Rapids: Blackwell Limited, 2004.