Reading (with great hope and expectations) yet another article suggesting free-market thinkers “Make the Moral Case for Capitalism”…it almost gets there, as have past articles…but doesn’t connect the final dot – messaging at their target audience level.
How, then, would a convincing and effective argument be made?
First – votes decide political leadership, so voters must be the target audience.
Next – understand that arguments for Capitalism must resonate with that audience, not the elites pushing Socialism (they’ll be part of that government ‘helping’ the masses).
Then, make the case: Socialism is just another word for ‘despair’ – it relies on a concept that people can’t make it on their own…they need a benevolent government’s help…but ‘benevolent’ assistance comes at a price: those ranked as masses remain as masses.
Los Angeles is an example of such government: crumbling infrastructure, an education system ranked lowest nationwide, high prices, rising homelessness, fleeing businesses.
So, if socialism relies on despair, who believes those pushing socialism want to relieve it? How hard is it to explain that a socialist government needs to keep masses down?
Capitalism’s another word for ‘hope’…with millions of rags-to-riches stories to choose from which expose the lie that everyday people can’t make it on their own, and story after story about the state and local communities that succeed where capitalism thrives.
Just ask Ben Carson, or Condoleezza Rice. Look at Florida, or better, Texas – a state that created more jobs between 2007 and 2014 than all other 49 states combined.
Capitalism exists to create wealth; Socialism exists to control wealth – ask the masses of Los Angeles how such a system is working for them, their families, and their friends.
The forces of Capitalism are all linked to that which is positive in our human nature, but in Socialism we see all the forces that are negative: envy, despair, totalitarianism.
Arguments for Socialism rely on negative emotional triggers, and can only be countered effectively with the target audience by more effective positive emotional arguments.
Make that message resonate with the real target audience, and Capitalism wins.
There’s a reason America is the success that it is – Capitalism.