Reflaction on Capitalism a Ghost Story

Reflection on CAPITALISM A GHOST STORY

By Zhou Rong

In Capitalism: a ghost story, best-selling writer Arundhati Roy shows totally different article style, writing passionate and indulgent. This book is full of mysterious conspiracy and relentless criticism. The background of her main arguments is about India's economic reform and openness in the 1990s. This reform is intended to push the country into the global market and create a vibrant middle class generation. But it is undoubtedly a fatal blow to the poor. In the article, she writes, "Because of us (the middle class approximately 300 million people), 800 million people have become very poor."

Roy begins her article with a house, belonging to India’s richest man, Mukesh Amnbani. Roy was especially astonished by various luxury structures. Clearly, Trickledown hadn’t worked in this society. It means that the interests of the upper class will never be passed to the lower class. The gap between the rich and the poor widened dramatically. As the author calls that Gush-Up is certainly effectual. According to the rules of the Gush-Up Gospel, the more you have, the more you can have. That’s why with a population of 1.2 billion, India’s 100 richest people own assets worth one quarter of India’s property. The poor in India is not a new product. But the phenomenon of poor had been thought to be India’s historic problems which were just like the redistribution of the poor, etc. Now, the problem actually becomes the rich shuffle again.

Large-scale multinational or domestic enterprises are as the main actor of concentrated wealth. They have the big influence on Indian political system. So, they use their power to ensure that illegal enterprises gain valuable land and resources, resulting in the expulsion of millions of people. Then they can gain magical benefits. This kind of phenomenon is the reason of massive corruption. Millions of people lost their homes and their interest are robbed. In this case, Maoist insurgent communist party appeared which aims to overthrow the government of India through people's war. Needless to say, Indian government sends the troops to suppress. Roy charges that Indian army, one of the biggest armies in the word, treats the poorest, hungriest, most malnourished people in the world like enemies.

Roy also claims that media which is controlled by the big companies allows the plutocrats to control the direction of the public debate. Because most of the media is already an important part of the interest structure. So few media will close to the truth or secret. No freedom of speech. No one mentioned that journalists, academics devoting themselves to subjects unwelcome with the Indian government.

Not a government is elected among the people and it means the government really do something for the citizen profit. It also requires the construction of the system and the balance between power. This process is lengthy and even filled repeatedly. The key is to have a mechanism which can promote continuous self-correcting.