Anti-capitalism is not a Curse Word
In yoga philosophy, there are two large schools of thought: dualism and non-dualism. You might be thinking to yourself, “but Derek, I thought we were talking about capitalism!” We are, hang with me. News flash: Not all yogis believe the same thing philosophically! With dualism, think about it as the body and soul being two separate things within one individual. For example - If you’re a Christian, your soul goes to heaven when you die. With a soul comes a conscience and the responsibility to do good toward others. With non-dualism, this is where you get phrases like “we are all one.” Non-dualists believe that we are all part of the universe and its energy, to put it very simply. A non-dualist may believe that their essence will be reincarnated when they die.
It’s possible to be both dualistic and non-dualist, or neither. Regardless, most of us have been molded into one of these forms of thinking, regardless of our religion or philosophy, both of which uphold a responsibility of good intention toward your fellow human. Right? Right. Then enters capitalism.
It feels like coming out of the closet again declaring openly that I’m an anti-capitalist. If I would have declared that openly when working in Corporate America, it would be the equivalent of saying that I’m a Satanist at a Christian church. I honestly don't know what I am (do we really need another label?), but I guess you could call me a Democratic Socialist. But let’s back up a second.
What is capitalism? First off, it’s a political philosophy. People love saying, “Why do you have to bring politics into it?” The foundation of our economy is political. According to Wikipedia, “Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private property, property rights recognition, voluntary exchange, and wage labor.” Sounds great! In theory.
From working in Corporate America and being the ‘go-to’ friend for HR advice, I’ve seen a lot of shitty things as a result of capitalism. Here are a few examples.
A good friend of mine got fired for having triplets and not being able to return to work a month later. Yes, it was legal. I researched and researched to find a legal loophole, but to no avail. Welcome to American Capitalism.
I’ve seen countless people get fired over mental health issues after their PTO (paid time off) was exhausted. Again, it was legal because it wasn’t technically considered a disability. Not that having a covered disability always helps.
I’ve even seen someone get fired for not recovering fast enough after their spouse’s death. What do you mean 3 days of bereavement leave isn’t enough?
So, how do we get from the cookie cutter definition of capitalism to a complete lack of care for the people that uphold the system? I blame a lot of it on the stock market and the control of the 1%. And of course, gaslighting. If you missed my gaslighting Ted Talk, check out the Work/Life Imbalance blog. We’ve somehow been gaslighted to believe that being anti-capitalist is unAmerican. I’ve mentioned Christianity a few times already. Do you think Jesus would support capitalism? I have trouble believing he would.
Publicly traded companies (i.e. those companies listed on the stock market) have ultimate loyalty to their investors and potential investors - NOT their employees. Does this mean I think all publicly traded companies mistreat their employees? No, of course not. But they are heavily incentivized to put financial stability over the needs of their employees.
Let’s take the pandemic as the perfect example. At the beginning during lockdowns, the economy crashed for a few months. Between the uncertainty of not knowing how long the pandemic would last and concern over plummeting stock prices, many companies jumped the gun and immediately started looking for ways to cut expenses. Of course, one of the best ways to cut expenses while business is down is lay-offs. The employees that were left were stuck picking up the slack, doing more with less. Many employees were literally risking their lives before the vaccine was approved, all while many employers refused to provide basic protection like masks and proper sanitization. Some employers didn’t even hand out hazard pay to those folks who couldn’t work from home. Of course, “they should be thankful they still have a job.” <- - - Gaslighting
When business picked back up sooner than expected, these companies immediately found themselves shorthanded. Shocker! Hiring is still at an all time high, giving highly qualified employees the upper hand in the labor market for the first time in a while. This is why we now have the “Great Resignation,” because employees saw that their employer put their pocket books above their employees’ security and safety during the most unsettling time in most of our lives. Words only go so far; actions are more important, especially in critical moments. Let’s not forget that George Floyd happened during all of this, bringing more transparency to DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) efforts, or lack thereof.
On that note, I also blame the capitalism disconnect on mergers & acquisitions. Do you know what happens after a merger or acquisition? Lay-offs! These huge conglomerates are gobbling up smaller companies, laying a bunch of people off, fighting off unionization efforts (we see you Starbucks), and stripping away the culture. We’ve come a long way from capitalism and are living in much more of a monopolistic society. Can capitalism actually work for the common citizen? The conglomerates keep swelling and gaining more power. Something to think about.
Who are the top employers in the U.S. right now?
Walmart - 2.2 million employees (the population of Houston)
Amazon - 1.3 million employees (the population of Dallas)
Allied Universal - 800,000 employees (the population of Charlotte, NC)
FedEx - 650,000 employees (the population of Memphis, TN)
Home Depot - 505,000 employees (the population of Sacramento, CA)
Companies the size of major cities! Insane.
Does this mean I think business is bad? Obviously not; I started a for-profit yoga studio, after all. I do think it’s a slippery slope though, and so much emphasis is put on the health of our economy and profit margins and not the health of the people that uphold the economy. I do believe that for-profit, for-good is a possibility in our system.
Our goal at Yoga for All Humans is to function as a responsible business in a capitalist society by doing the following.
Paying our teachers and employees competitively (competitively means more than average, don’t be fooled about that)
Charging affordable prices for memberships to make yoga more accessible
Providing financial assistance to those who cannot afford memberships
Giving back to the greater community as much as we can
Sharing profits with our employees
How can you make strides in being a responsible consumer? Supporting small businesses like Yoga for All Humans is a great start! Did you know a small business is any business with fewer than 500 employees? It’s easier to support small businesses than you may think.
If you’re an employer seeking ways to be more responsible, our Yoga at Work program is a great way to prioritize the health - both physical and mental - of your employees. Employees want to see actions, not words.
Author - Derek Haigler, Founder of YFAH