I am arguing for the statement that it is impossible to be a good person and survive in a capitalist system, throughout the book we can find much evidence for this. First, I will look at the whole basis for the book... prostitute meets gods, gods giver her money, prostitute starts business... then the prostitute is exploited by everyone she knows. After Shen Teh starts her business and rightfully buys the store from the previous owner she is bombarded by that owner for being "bloodsucker" because the women she bought the store from has no money to feed her children and although Shen Teh has been giving the woman rice everyday it is still Shen Teh's fault, according to the woman, that she does not have a place for her children to sleep or eat. Because Shen Teh has been a good person and has been giving the woman rice ever morning the woman then feel that she can exploit Shen Teh and asks her for money... which Shen Teh denies, that is when she is called a bloodsucker. From this it is obvious that Shen Teh is trying to be a good person in a capitalist society and is only getting yelled at in return.
Furthermore, after owning the store for a very little amount of time a family that Shen Teh used to lived with decides to take advantage of her kindness and moves everyone and their brother, literally, into her shop. There was no reason that Shen Teh had to accept these people into her shop because when she was living with them they made her pay rent and as soon as she was out of money they kicked her out. But out of the kindness of her heart she let them live in her shop, they got in the way and prevented her from running her business well. They even made their little kid steel from the bread shop across the street, which became associated with Shen Teh's shop. From these two examples we can see that is is pretty difficult to be a good person and servive in a capatalist society...if you are a good person you will have to taper your kindness or you will get taken advantage of at every and undoubtedly not survive.
Friday, October 9, 2009
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Your argument is very contradicting to the position you are trying to defend. You are trying to argue that good people CAN’T exist in a capitalist system but yet you imply that Shen Teh is a good person. You say that she gives rice to a woman who insults her, but to me, it seems that Shen Teh is being a good person by giving someone who is mean to her free rice. You even state, “Because Shen Teh has been a good person and has been giving the woman rice every morning…” Next you say, “There was no reason that Shen Teh had to accept these people into her shop because when she was living with them they made her pay rent and as soon as she was out of money they kicked her out. But out of the kindness of her heart she let them live in her shop.” The fact that Shen Teh had no reason to allow this family to live with her for free despite what they did to her shows that Shen Teh is a good person living in a capitalist system. Twice you imply that she is a good person who lives in a capitalist system.
ReplyDeleteTo Kevin: I don’t think merely existing in a capitalist society, as a good person, is the issue that is being debated. It is whether or not a good person can survive in a capitalist society.
ReplyDeleteAs for the original post, I especially like the example you used that included Shen Teh getting yelled at and called a bloodsucker just because she couldn’t help out as much as Mrs. Shin wanted. Both of the examples you’ve used make me wonder what it means to be a “good” person. Would it necessarily make Shen Teh become a bad person if she were to look out for her own well being before others, especially those who turned their backs on Shen Teh before?
Kaitlin argues well for the position that it is not possible to survive as a good person in a capitalist society. As an example, how many of us have tried to help a person, or an organization, only to be told that more is needed? How many times have you felt like the product you just purchased was overpriced and, when you research the item, find that the seller is charging twice, or three times the price? Why? Because a systems that allows pricing to be set by whatever the buyer will pay results in dishonest practices. The practices in question may start off in a shopkeepers space, but the ethics involved soon trickle through an entire society and become the way of doing everything; thus, if I make a donation to a cause I believe is a good cause, I am approached and asked for more money at least once if not twice per year until I am forced to tell them to stop trying. I have had the same experience with trying to help a person - the 'give an inch' principle takes over and before I know it I am handing out my last dollar. In a society where the automatic response for every transaction is to take as much as possible while giving nothing away, no good person can survive.
ReplyDeleteFinally, though Brecht's story is amazing, I believe that no one has said in this blog that if the gods had not interfered in the first place, Shen Te might well have had a much simpler life. I find Brecht's assertions about the malleability of religion and ethics particularly telling.