Capitalism : Anti-Intellectualism & The Collective Aesthetic It was the ingenious socioeconomic philosopher -- Karl Marx -- who repeatedly posited that workforces enabling Capitalism in the State become “alienated” as an effect of job monotony and wholly unrewarding labor. Indeed, one only need consider the popular employers these days -- and the nature of their often unscrupulous business practices -- to realize the truth of this line of Marxist thought. As the employee becomes increasingly detached from their eight hour work day and its significance ( f. ex: societal importance and personal fulfillment), their personality and behavioral preferences suffer. They change. The inevitable disaffection manifests itself through negative attitudes, nihilism, changes in behavior, and the implicit acceptance of willful ignorance. This is a degradation of personal value systems, belief systems, and -- yes -- overall quality of personhood insofar a...