Carlos Doesn't Remember - What We Can't Overcome

Capitalization is a word with such an irony.

“Capital”, we write, but talk about the equality of opportunity and how the underprivileged (the ones without capital) can gain success in the society. The word contains the theme ‘capital’. Capital, the money, the privilege, the innate opulence, is not the thing that provides same starting line for everyone. Carlos, a brilliant boy, faced obstacles on his way of capitalization – the word for redemption to pull him out of innate misery – because the capitalization couldn’t act in the society.

           I want to propose a simple formula. An individual under capitalism is merely a useful asset. I want to provide a formula to determine the value of the assets. Let’s say –

Total Value of an Individual = Individual Ability + Inborn Capital

Under the concept of capitalism, where money lays money and that money is inherited, complete equality is impossible from mothers’ wombs. Even though someone’s a perfect human capital, competent and able, that someone would abase him/herself as another variable of inborn capital acts as a huge negative factor, ultimately degrading their total value as a ‘capital’. I found capitalization as ‘the act of raising someone’s value’. Thus, through capitalization, we combine ‘capital’ and ‘-ization’, making ourselves as a useful asset. But one sad thing is that we can’t be useful capitals only by own strivings to enhance our ability. One’s opulence which cannot be changed determines the value of individual as the capital.

           Gladwell at least mentions that America seemed to have certain chances of capitalization, though he thinks that it’s only a mirage. It’s true that so-called American dream existed. That American dream is no longer significant, as now the social system aiding equality is now malfunctioning. In the example of Carlos, it was not governmental or systematic aid, but only Eric who made capitalization of Carlos to be possible, by partially erasing Carlos’s innate capital.

           But there’s no Eric to most children.

So, let’s take a look in Korean society. Is capitalization of the underprivileged accessible? Does Korean government help?

No, definitely not, I would say.

We can first point out the financial ceiling of the underprivileged. Korean high schools, even though most of them are public, doesn’t even provide school uniforms to students. That price is certainly a burden to the family, as typical uniforms are more expensive than casual clothing. What about colleges? The key promise of the elections, reduction of college tuition fee by half, has been disappeared without a single word. If Carlos was in Korea without Eric, he would’ve failed to even dream about colleges as no financial aids from the society exists. The extreme competition-oriented society of Korea can fail anyone like Carlos. Carlos definitely has no ability to afford for private academies for studying. With public education which is collapsing, Carlos would not learn something useful to pursue his dream and interest in Korean system. Korean public education could be explained by a quote of teachers, “you learnt this from academies, right? I’ll skip here”.

Carlos is also born with negative factors in his innate capital – a family to afford. As his parents were not able to take care of his sister, he faced opposition attending to prestigious private school far from his home. Korea has very limited number and range of welfare in nurturing kids who can’t be taken care of the family, just like the sister of Carlos. Even our family, a middle class, faced obstacles in nurturing both me and my sister, and my mother had to give up her dream job. My mother was only a step before her own capitalization, to be a competent biologist whose future is assured to be a professor, but that dream failed because the education and nurturing system of Korea wasn’t sufficient enough.

Capitalization in Korea has similar features with its capital. It’s limited. No further aid to balance the inequality and provide same starting line after birth is expected. The innate wealth is one’s capital that the underprivileged can’t overcome.