posted on Aug, 2 2008 @ 10:45 PM
Originally posted by Slothrop
reply to post by verbal kint
what is "wrong with this picture"? companies are supposed to make money. exxon is making a lot of money right now. that's the point of running a
business. why do people fear and hate success so much?
Succeed all you like, may your life be filled with joy and self-esteem. But please don't do it at my expense. Here's a telling set of metaphors to
clarify capitalism:
Suppose there are to relatively primitive guys living together in the wilderness - we'll call them Thug and Werko (I don't know anything about their
sex lives). Thug went out today and killed a squirrel. He came home, cooked the squirrel, and ate. He gave the left overs to Werko, who was hungry
'cause he was tired and hadn't done squat all day.
That is NOT capitalism.
Take the same situation, except after eating, Thug goes to Werko, "If you go to the river and wash all my pelts, I'll give you the squirrel
leftovers to eat." So off to the river with an armful of pelts Werko decides to go.
This IS capitalism. It is the creation of a power hierarchy and exertion of that power over others based on being in an advantaged position (that the
advantage was or was not obtained via ones own efforts is irrelevant).
Conceivably Thug could get Werko to do quite a bit more work before handing over the leftovers. It's likely it may go beyond the point that Werko
really regrets not going hunting today, but he's in this far so he may as well finish up.
With a trying time of change, the first scenario is possible, even with a population in the billions. Power and control over others is not a
necessary component of human life.
I don't fear nor hate success. I just prefer a different definition of what it entails.