Essay On Colbert's Argumers

Colbert’s segments focus mainly on Super PACs and how they are run and used, however the segments demonstrate even larger issues in the country. While Super PACs are extremely problematic themselves, their existence points to flaws in the way the country operates and who has power in our government. Power is mostly skewed towards the wealthy. Colbert simply illustrates the power imbalance through a bit where the voting ballots are replaced with bills and a one-dollar bill equals one vote (Colbert). Although Plato, Rousseau, and Marx and Engels have varying views on how government and society should be run, they would all agree that the reality of modern US government, as depicted by Colbert in his segments, is a far cry from any kind of ideality.

Using the Cave allegory, he suggests that reality as we know it is merely an imitation of true reality—the Platonic form of reality (Plato Book VII). His idea of the perfect society begins with the disappearance of everyone over the age of ten. Then, in their formative years, he will teach children music and literature, but none that contain lies or depict gods as erring or deceptive. Plato, through Socrates, states that in his society “God is not the author of all things, but of good only,” (Book II). God is unchanging and does not lie, giving young people a virtuous foundation to build upon rather than one relying on fear of punishment. This can be related to the way the people will subsequently view their society and government. Plato’s society relies on the idea that people can be taught from a young age, by philosophers, how to behave, interact with others, and what to seek out in life. The society will be a utopia because power is given to philosophers who only seek wisdom and Platonic good rather than pleasures of gain. Such a virtuous society run by philosophers could never produce greed for power and capital in the way modern US society does. Plato also focuses on occupation and specialization. These rely heavily on who would be the best for each role (Book II), and every occupation is valuable because they are specialized, unlike the proletariat industrial workers, as described by

Marx and Engels write that “ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions,” (Marx and Engels 34). This will only be successful if the proletarians work undivided. Marx and Engels believe that a perfect society would be one run by the proletariat. They must rule over all and take away private property, inheritance, they must establish State capital, communication and transportation, production, industrial armies, public schools, child labour laws, etc. (26-27). Rousseau would agree with Marx and Engels on the point of private property (Rousseau 83), but they do not wish to abolish all property. Personal property will still exist in communism; it will only lose its class characteristic