There are several parts of Marx’s theories that I disagree with. One of Marx’s main arguments for a Communist society is the current alienation of workers. However, I don’t see workers as being alienated from their products, or from themselves and others. Often people who work in labor have a pride in the products they produce. I have several friends who work construction, and although they build brand new houses all day long, they still go home to various apartments and basement rooms. If you ask them about their work they will talk at length on how they enjoy it, and how rewarding it is to see the new homeowners come watch the progress of the house being built. I also have a friend who builds guitars and another who builds computers, both of whom will say they like nothing more than to make things for other people and get paid for it.

Assuming the man who has worked in the factory for 30 years is accepting of this scenario, let us move to the work being done. Who decides whether or not Employee A is doing his fair share of the work to earn his minimum wage? There must be some regulatory committee that decides. And from this committee will spring a new employer class. If there is no committee to decide if employees are doing their fair share of work, what is going to ensure that they do it? I know if I knew I would get 10 dollars an hour whether or not I had worked there for 10 years or 10 days, I doubt I would do the best possible work I could. I would let others do all the work for me, and with other people having this mentality, the system would break down quickly.

Giving Marx even more benefit in the face of remarkable doubt, we may assume the workers continue their collective ownership of the products they make. Where do they go from here? Marx says that all workers are to make the same amount of money for their services. No provisions for marriage or children are made, and apparently there is no room for company advancement in Marx’s new order. So a 17 year-old that has yet to graduate high school will make the same minimum wage that a 40 year-old man with 6 kids and a mortgage will make.

Marx’s vision for a better society is, while beautiful to imagine,

Some topics in this essay:
Karl Marx, Giving Marx, ownership class, doing fair share, doing fair, fair share, minimum wage, communist society, products produce, vision society,