Intellectuals have always been more inclined to profess their leftism, but not always for the right reasons. This is especially true in countries like the United States where leftists have had little access to power. The marginality of leftism appeals to many people who reject the status quo, not because they want to provoke change, but because they want to be different. But as necessary as it is to critique this sort of leftism, there is a danger that we may go too far, deciding that all desire to reject the status-quo is a mere fashion statement. For leftism to be meaningful, leftists have to remain critical of society.
Capitalism is like a huge monolith that presents a smooth surface to the world.
If we look at it from the front, it appears deceptively simple. Think of capitalism as a movie set that recreates a town. From the angle we are supposed to view it, it looks like a real town. From other angles, however, we can see that this town is a fake, like the one in Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles . The real structure of capitalism differs radically from the way it appears to function.