Paul Andrew Bourne, B.Sc. (Hons); Dip. Edu.
Capitalist ideology is the main source of interpreting the socio-political world since the late fifteenth century. (Addo, 1985, p.20) This Eurocentric edifice is generally promulgated as the ontology of this social and physical universe. Europe has not governed the world since its inception but their philosophy is so similar to that of the Greek-imperialism, the Roman-supremacy and the Babylonian-dominance but the former has made its theorizing as fundamental as an abstract. The irony though is during the period of the African civilization and dominance of world affairs, much of man’s present creation began there and they fashion a culture that had militarization as its tool of enforcing deviance but Europe has entrenched those same principles through a mindset as against physical dominance. The world has sacrificed all other paradigms because Europe’s doctrine incorporates the entire social and political institutions. Individualism is the principle that fosters ‘development ‘, and this has become a reality for many. The reality is perception and the likelihood of materialism. Profiteerism is the principle that catalyses the materialistic end of this phenomenology, and a concept that we all have accepted as an epistemology, which is a distant ingredient of humanitarianism. One of the hallmarks of humanitarianism is explained by Marx’s social ideology, which surmises that social equity is important for ‘development’ but that man has accepted the doctrines of individualism. Social transformation is not an illustration of the capitalistic world-system but in order to maintain that social balance it offers ‘development’ that in and of itself dwindles any revolt. The construct does not uphold socialistic tenets but is so designed that ‘minimalistic’ offerings are provided as a cushion against possible social deviance. Thereby creating an illusion that avenues are available for advancement, which if not taken, militarism is automatically enacted to suppress the deviant while the general society acts with support.
This conceptualization of the capitalist caste is a theorizing that has been re-engineered in order to keep abreast of the times. A number of authors (Addo et al., 1985) penned a position that obviously explains the construct even more. ‘This conceptualization of capitalist world-system with the exception of the understanding of the socialist countries’ is predominantly a view of individualism, an underpinning of the new socio-political order, which guides all future ‘ideashanal’ in the capitalist phenomenonology. In order to maintain the social order, militarization is used as a mechanism but not the same degree of brutality of the past. This dialectic tool is a medium of suppression for those who are disadvantaged and is equally a conquering principle over the oppressed masses while endeavouring to create the perception that there is an internal mechanism of ‘development’. The end is usually in favour of the productive class, which if is oppressed is refashioned and revamped but when the reverse becomes the reality the military is unleashed on the class to suppress present and future ideology of such a perception. The proletariat class is not perceived as a valued contributory to the structure, which explains segregation from particular consumption and social accumulation. The Western world has bought into the Eurocentric phenomenology as they seek to continue the traditions and in extension expand on its supremacy. Therefore, the role of the bureaucrats is to maintain the social order, which provides the class with power, supremacy and wealth. What happens when the proletariats become desirous of the wealth seeking opportunities? This is where the military and police become active in an effort to topple any aspirations of the under-class.
Eurocentric beliefs have so conquered the epistemology of world ideology that it becomes difficult even for the ‘honest’ advocate to be effective. Individualism-profiteerism drives the engine of social existence that humans only protect themselves, even if it appears that another is being helped in the process. Christianity is a by-product of the Eurocentric system and so helps to explain its true tenet. Europe in an effort to corner all epistemologies of the ontology of man’s existence and creation offered spiritualism. Christianity operates as though it has the sole authority to the ontology of creation. Despite its stance, the ideological phenomenology of Christianity subsumes individualism. Unlike the other traditional epistemological construct of man, humanitarianism is a tenet of their doctrine but they are not the iconic thought because they were fashioned prior to Europe’s delineation of world ideology.
Eurocentricism is not the only sweeping generality of man, a system that unites man and defends the interest of the average person is an alternative. The current world ideology was so dominant that even in periods of its alternative, political individualism was present. The depth of capitalism is so entrenched in our socio-political meaning system that it infests ‘social development’. From within the view of social transformation, Eurocentric dominance cripples its ‘development’.
The culmination of slavery in Third World societies has not dwindled the bourgeois, individualistic, philosophies of Europe. The ‘new social order’ that is needed to commence an unbridled social transformation is highly unlikely to blossom in this society. The post-slavery hegemony in Third World societies share the same pigmentation and cultural history of the masses but the present bourgeoisie class consider themselves the new slave master, which affords them the helm to oppress the disadvantaged. This is a clear case of socio-political maneuverings instead of social transformation. Marx’s dialectic doctrine is evident in this happening; it is a situation like that in “Animal Farm”. The process heftily compensates the mercantile class with the remnants being offered to the labourers.
The non-European constituents of this world are not Europeans, which is a philosophy that Third World countries need to inculcate in their peoples in order to build social capital and by extension ‘development’ void of Eurocentric biases. Intellectual dishonesty is highly pervasive in Jamaica where some academics recognize the social order but they are not concerned with dehumanization, which is complex but the hegemony can be tackled. They have Europeanized the Jamaican ideological landscape by offering nothing in response to the caste system and the blatant socio-political dishonesty. Their silence has become a weapon for the continuation of the social order than a tool for its destruction. This is another dialectic that Marx would identify as a result of the caste system.
The philosophical foundation of social transformation is based on an ‘ideashanal’ which resides opposite to Eurocentric ‘developmental’ theorizing. The primacy of social development is an enormous politics which interfaces many challenges as a non-alternative form of development. This non-alternative vehicle of change is a necessary prerequisite for capacity building while the world rulers maintain their political order. The crisis that this needed positive change faces is trying to springboard ‘development’ while the established individualistic structures breed a social and political system that change evens in increments so long as they uphold the order. The first necessary and feasible mechanism that will liberate the period of transition from economic to social development and will reduce the power structures is the collaboration of academic globally with a thesis on communal development. Concurrently, Third World leaders are to institute a self-reliance development programme that will foster the creativity and arrangements of its peoples in an effort explore the possibilities of profound changes in the caste system. This established transnational ideology will be the direction of social transformation and gradually reduce the bourgeois-democratic state in operation, inasmuch as removing the bourgeois-military state. They will forge socio-political and economic alliance with the south and the east as alternative form of arrangement with the end of proletariat development.
The problematique that Michael Manley encountered in the 1970s should be understood as this capitalistic world system destroyed a construct that was people driven. The reality is clear that Marxist socialism as much as it is just cannot be a contender with modernization that is underpinned in individualism. Capitalism modernity is dishonest as its crisis with particular poignancy is a parameter of ‘development’ but not a desirable alternative of comprehensive development. Some people may argue that Manley’s ideology was or was not relevant, and that the construct was some 30 years ago but the principles of social transformation cannot be undersold if we intend to that development be a social transformation. The fallacy of many peoples is that the bourgeois-militarization will protect them indefinitely but history shows that empires and great cities have been destroyed and infants born. The edifice of this Eurocentric-Jamaicanization is oppressive and dehumanizing to many innocent lives, a reality that is philosophical for many in the caste system.
‘Each race has conflicting feelings of repulsion and attraction for the others’ but Jamaicans are predominately African descendants, which should be the catalyst for social transformation instead of the massive socio-political rhetoric that binds the disadvantaged group. The real monster that threatens us in Jamaica is the acceleration of dishonesty and economic inequality and not the DJs, the dance hall music, the spoken ‘clothe’ and the marijuana smoking. I am cognizant of the Eurocentric system of hegemony that exists in Jamaica but it has produced profits at the expense of dignified human existence. Many a man is analyzing the lifestyle of the affluent, the middle-class and the oppressor among the oppressed while they juxtapose to their own meager existence. The bourgeois-militarization will not hinder a revolt as history showed where the Haitians taught a super-power the misery of frustration.