…capitalism
is basically a system where everything is for sale, and the more money
you have, the more you can get. and, in particular, that’s true of
freedom. freedom is one of the commodities that is for sale, and if you
are affluent, you can have a lot of it. it shows up in all sorts of
ways. it shows up if you get in trouble with the law, let’s say, or in
any aspect of life it shows up. and for that reason it makes a lot of
sense, if you accept capitalist system, to try to accumulate property,
not just because you want material welfare, but because that guarantees
your freedom, it makes it possible for you to amass that commodity. […]
what you’re going to find is that the defense of free institutions will
largely be in the hands of those who benefit from them, namely the
wealthy, and the powerful. they can purchase that commodity and,
therefore, they want those institutions to exist, like free press, and
all that.
— noam chomsky, interview by david dobereiner, john hess, doug richardson & tom woodhull, january 1974
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