Arrested Development and Philosophy by J. Jeremy Wisnewski William Irwin Kristopher G. Phillips, J. Jeremy Wisnewski
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Classes cause individuals of one class to see those of the other class as either resources to be used and controlled or oppressors to be feared, revered, or hated. Thus, class-based societies divide people from each other and further alienate them from community.
Perhaps surprisingly, the system of capitalism doesn’t just alienate workers; it alienates capitalists, too. Marx notes that “the propertied class and the class of the proletariat represent the same human self-alienation,” the difference being that “the former feels comfortable and confirmed in this self-alienation, knowing that this alienation is its own power and possessing it in the semblance of a human existence.” 2 Capitalists must follow profits, rather than follow whatever goals, dreams, or passions they might otherwise have, or else other profit-motivated capitalists (like Sitwell) would quickly surpass them, and they would cease to remain capitalists.
Although capitalists do have control over the products and processes of labor, if they want to remain capitalists and not be surpassed by their competitors, then they must use their control over products to distribute goods only where profits can be made, and try to minimize labor costs while maximizing the goods laborers produce—which sounds exactly like the Bluths. The capitalist system forces capitalists to control laborers as resources and aim their own activities towards those that ultimately (even if indirectly) increase profitability.
A Case of “Light Treason”: A Man Who Would Do Anything to Make a Buck
The Bluths have so many flaws it would take a TV series, a movie, and an entire book (much like the one you’re holding now—thanks, by the way) to show them all. So I’ll be selective (those capitalist editors are only giving me so many pages, after all). If I don’t mention your favorite Bluth family secret, blame capitalism.
George Sr. has two roles within the show. First, he is a capitalist, CEO of a publicly traded company he founded (before his arrest, that is), and second, he is a father. Since opening his frozen banana stand in the 1960s, George has been used to having control in all facets of his life. And his position in capitalism, having control over the labor of others, has accustomed him to having power. It’s not surprising, then, that after legally losing control, George still attempts to run the family and the company from wherever he is, be it jail or the attic of the model home. After his time as CEO (which had either created his control tendencies or amplified them), he is habitually unable to release this control, a trait that causes a lot of tension between himself and his family, most notably Michael.
As a capitalist, George Sr. sees things in terms of success (measured by profitability) and failure. George Sr.’s highly competitive and hard-to-please nature shows itself in how little approval he gives his family, especially his sons Gob, Michael, and Buster. Just think of how he manipulated his children to fight each other and then sold it as the video series Boyfights along with “Baby Buster” clips. A typical capitalist, George Sr. defended Boyfights by saying he thought it would foster a competitive spirit in his sons. George’s capitalist habit of seeing things in terms of their profitability even results in commodifying himself—that is, he makes himself into an object to be sold in the capitalist marketplace. We see this in his incarceration and first religious conversion, sold as the video series Caged Wisdom. George Sr.’s obsession with profitability also leads him to create things simply to be sold, despite the fact that these things are basically worthless, such as his fall-apart mini-mansions and the Cornballer. Lastly, consider that George Sr. cheats on his wife, and for the sex alone (as the incarcerated George Sr. says to his son, “Daddy horny, Michael”). This attitude, too, can be seen as a result of class society. George Sr.
Perhaps surprisingly, the system of capitalism doesn’t just alienate workers; it alienates capitalists, too. Marx notes that “the propertied class and the class of the proletariat represent the same human self-alienation,” the difference being that “the former feels comfortable and confirmed in this self-alienation, knowing that this alienation is its own power and possessing it in the semblance of a human existence.” 2 Capitalists must follow profits, rather than follow whatever goals, dreams, or passions they might otherwise have, or else other profit-motivated capitalists (like Sitwell) would quickly surpass them, and they would cease to remain capitalists.
Although capitalists do have control over the products and processes of labor, if they want to remain capitalists and not be surpassed by their competitors, then they must use their control over products to distribute goods only where profits can be made, and try to minimize labor costs while maximizing the goods laborers produce—which sounds exactly like the Bluths. The capitalist system forces capitalists to control laborers as resources and aim their own activities towards those that ultimately (even if indirectly) increase profitability.
A Case of “Light Treason”: A Man Who Would Do Anything to Make a Buck
The Bluths have so many flaws it would take a TV series, a movie, and an entire book (much like the one you’re holding now—thanks, by the way) to show them all. So I’ll be selective (those capitalist editors are only giving me so many pages, after all). If I don’t mention your favorite Bluth family secret, blame capitalism.
George Sr. has two roles within the show. First, he is a capitalist, CEO of a publicly traded company he founded (before his arrest, that is), and second, he is a father. Since opening his frozen banana stand in the 1960s, George has been used to having control in all facets of his life. And his position in capitalism, having control over the labor of others, has accustomed him to having power. It’s not surprising, then, that after legally losing control, George still attempts to run the family and the company from wherever he is, be it jail or the attic of the model home. After his time as CEO (which had either created his control tendencies or amplified them), he is habitually unable to release this control, a trait that causes a lot of tension between himself and his family, most notably Michael.
As a capitalist, George Sr. sees things in terms of success (measured by profitability) and failure. George Sr.’s highly competitive and hard-to-please nature shows itself in how little approval he gives his family, especially his sons Gob, Michael, and Buster. Just think of how he manipulated his children to fight each other and then sold it as the video series Boyfights along with “Baby Buster” clips. A typical capitalist, George Sr. defended Boyfights by saying he thought it would foster a competitive spirit in his sons. George’s capitalist habit of seeing things in terms of their profitability even results in commodifying himself—that is, he makes himself into an object to be sold in the capitalist marketplace. We see this in his incarceration and first religious conversion, sold as the video series Caged Wisdom. George Sr.’s obsession with profitability also leads him to create things simply to be sold, despite the fact that these things are basically worthless, such as his fall-apart mini-mansions and the Cornballer. Lastly, consider that George Sr. cheats on his wife, and for the sex alone (as the incarcerated George Sr. says to his son, “Daddy horny, Michael”). This attitude, too, can be seen as a result of class society. George Sr.
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