First-year breaks through with ingenious new reading of Marx

Ann Karneus, Rejected Mathlete

Whitman first year Tom Jones, who recently finished three chapters of “The Communist Manifesto” in Encounters, thinks that he’s ready to take a stab at what exactly this Marx guy is all about. After conducting an in-depth interview with expert Tom, let’s hear what he has to say about that tantalizing little red book: “Honestly, I think that Marx’s discussion of communism is really well rounded. His discussion of Marxian economics is pretty spot on.”

Jones’ course load this semester consists of General Chemistry, Introduction to Psychology, Encounters and Beginning Drawing, all of which are being taught through a Marxist lens. Tom’s two-and-a-half-hour long interview consisted of his lamentation of the ruling class, and has deduced on his own that the masses must rise up if they ever wish to overthrow the dehumanizing system in place.

However, being this knowledgeable about the woes of the world comes at a cost: “I’m finding that I can relate to my peers less and less … they all purport this idea of a ‘false consciousness,’ and won’t even hear it when I tell them that their ideologies, their beliefs, their values … are all a reflection of the ruling class. It’s really sad to be honest. They just don’t see the truth of this vicious capitalist society,” laments Tom, whose father is the CEO of Best Buy.

Tom says that he can’t wait to familiarize himself with more Marx, and plans on delving into “Das Kapital” during Four Day in Aspen. Keep at it Tom!