What are your thoughts on capitalism?

Capitalism is based upon competition...

Its seems like some people are winning that competition,

then we act surprised that there is less and less for the majority

of humans who are not very good at this game we have set up here.

Will we still defend the results once there is nothing left to compete for?

He's to hoping the Planet Earth wins the whole pot!

I do not like any form of capitalism or socialism or any other MASSIVE BS like that.

I consider it to be a huge waste of power, resources and nature not to mention that this BS costs a lot of lives every day just for some big company to get money.

reply to post by GeorgiaGirl

In my opinion, they represent the one of the flaws of Communism. Both the slacker and the hard worker would lack incentive to produce; or am I misunderstanding Communism in some way?

You are considering the examples of the tried implementations that do not truly represent the systems.

In your comparison between the slacker and the hard worker, you are only making the assumption that the hard worked is somehow guaranteed a benefit by capitalism, this is false, it is an illusion, granted that those few that manage to climb up the capital ladder are benefited but at the cost of the well being of those below. The reverse occurs in Communism the slacker benefits from the hardwork of those above. In what system do you see a greater benefit and global social gain ?

These systems all share the problem of forcing compliance, but only one considers the living standard of those that decide not to participate in it.

Capitalism focus on capital gains and worth (not work, effort or morality, in fact capitalism is corruptive in nature), in a capitalist society power rests only in those that control the capital, to the detriment of all others since they are ultimately competitors. (Nature state when resources are limited, scarcity creates value)

Communism focus in equality, work and production, power is shared and rests in the individuals, the community. Worth is substituted by need. It is not a competitive society but a symbiotic relation of all citizens. (Nature ultimate state of stability, sustainability)

A worker in a capitalist society is exploited and predated upon, a non productive worker is seen as a burden, worthless. Capitalism fosters consumption, production quality and complexity, disregarding total population satisfaction.

A worker in a communist society is seen as a partner, a non productive worker is seen as an unused resource for the community ultimate goal of producing to satisfy its needs. Communism fosters frugality, production quantity and simplicity..

Ok people...

Pay attention: When "supply and demand" are allowed to reach their "point of equilibrium without intervention"...

Spontaneous metaphor:

Say you are sitting in a dimly lit room on a chair in the middle of this room. Across from you is a wall, on that wall is a closed door. Next to the closed door there is a light switch. You say to yourself that you "want" the lights to be turned on, but you do not "want" to get up, walk over to the light and flip the switch to the on position. You know if you did it would result in the lights being turned on, yet . somehow you look past your conflicting "wants" and manage to convince yourself that you still "want" the light on. You think to yourself well I can be creative and come up with something...? A few moments later you start thinking you could use the chair and throw it at the wall possibly hitting the switch turning on the lights. But, you think that your chances are not that great of hitting it in the right spot, coupled with your next thought that you don't "want" to get up out of the chair to use the chair to possibly get what you "want". Then by chance someone opens the door so you ask them... Hey, can you turn on that light switch for me. I mean the person could do it if they "wanted" to. maybe the person cares for you and will do it out of kindness, maybe they would just turn it on without thought, Maybe they won't help you. lets say they don't help you... well, hey at least you bothered to ask, it was an attempt to get what you "wanted" it just didn't workout, right?. So back to square one. You think you still "want" the light on, although you are "not" willing to do whats required to get what you "want". Honestly you do not "want" it bad enough to get what you "want", so you do not "want" it. plain and simple. this applies to many scenarios in life, be it natural living or city living. you want food it takes work no matter what to get it. In the city you have to go to the store pay for gas to get there, pay for the items which is made by working for money. In nature you have to hunt, plant, grow, plan and process food to eat it, it still takes work to accomplish the end result. a free trade system like "free market capitalism" which when "supply and demand" are allowed to reach their "point of equilibrium without intervention, would allow for you to complete equally to provide you what you would "want". Do you "want" the light on? Do you want to eat? If you "want" something, do something about it. If you don't "you lose or die. Society or not. The power of "want" should be more powerful to you! It don't matter what system we use, we still have to do things to get what we "want" and most of all "need".

Capitalism=service to a few, service to self/ego. Since the people at the bottom/middle are not allowed our dream (a nice house and a real amount of quality time with our kids) why should I work hard for the top of the pyramid to have theirs. Right now we are being thought a lesson that caplitalism is not working. But some seem to have to much invested in the system to let it fail. The longer time we keep playing around with power pyramids and ego the more missary we will create.

This is a list of wages arount the world.
en.wikipedia.org...
There are people in the world that have 1 Billion dollars. That amounts to one worker in some countries working a million years to get that amount and he will not be able to save it because he will have use the money to survive. It is the systems that allow people to amass that kind of wealth and it might be legal but it is definatly not moral. But I will call people like that for their real names. Parasites, manipulators, slaveowners and thiefs.

I rather have a billion parasites that get an equal share of everything than the egocoruppted top getting that money. Being lowerclass in a industrialized contry in the 21 century is more comfortable than being a king in the 16 century.

Either we go for the ideal world where everybody is equal or we continue to seed hate and envy around the world. Im sorry that I can't be fooled anymore to belive in the bedtime story that goes around the world that everybody that do not succeed is not putting in the effort. I choose instead to evolve past my own ego and give up some of the money I have over to people that have nothing. I might not be able to pull down the parasites that are above me in the pyramid, but at least I can help those that are below me rise up a little more from below. Namaste

What are my thoughts on capitalism?

Aren't humans capitalists? If you shed everything in humanity down to bare essentials are we not still capitalists?

Capitalize:

to gain by turning something to advantage.

What am i missing here?

Capitalism vs the other 'isms' .... I'll take capitalism. Its the only really fair system. People keep what they earn and then give from their own wealth however or whatever they feel they can or want to. Anything else is just theft from the productive to reward the unproductive. Capitalism pushes people to do better and to improve themselves and their lot in life. We aren't promised happiness .. only the pursuit of happiness .. and capitalism is the only way that happiness can be pursued fairly to all concerned.

I'm sure the local communists will flame that ... but my statement is true.

Under communism, people aren't treated fairly. Everyone is at the same dull level no matter what effort they make. So why bother trying to improve oneself or trying to make money that will only be taken away. It doesn't work.

With capitalism, people are free and can bloom - or not - depending on how much effort they want to put into life. Avenues are available through capitalism to raise oneself up and better oneself in order to achieve more.

Capitalism offers pride in ones accomplishments and rewards for hard work.
Communism does not.

Capitalism in equations:

Legend: (+) Bigger, (-) Lesser

(+) consumer cicle time = (+) quality of products = (-) economic growth
(+) product effiency = (-) economic growth
(+) rate of economic growth = (+) product recycling updates = (+) trash
(+) company profit = (+) product demand x ( (+) price / (-) cost to make
(+) product abundancy = (-) company profit
(+) company profit = (-) competition = (-) jobs in the industry
(-) product cost = (+) cheap materials AND (-) salaries AND (-) infrastructure = (+) potencial environment danger

Deconstructing is easy....

Originally posted by apushforenlightment
Capitalism=service to a few, service to self/ego. Since the people at the bottom/middle are not allowed our dream (a nice house and a real amount of quality time with our kids) why should I work hard for the top of the pyramid to have theirs. Right now we are being thought a lesson that caplitalism is not working. But some seem to have to much invested in the system to let it fail. The longer time we keep playing around with power pyramids and ego the more missary we will create.

This is a list of wages arount the world.
en.wikipedia.org...
There are people in the world that have 1 Billion dollars. That amounts to one worker in some countries working a million years to get that amount and he will not be able to save it because he will have use the money to survive. It is the systems that allow people to amass that kind of wealth and it might be legal but it is definatly not moral. But I will call people like that for their real names. Parasites, manipulators, slaveowners and thiefs.

I rather have a billion parasites that get an equal share of everything than the egocoruppted top getting that money. Being lowerclass in a industrialized contry in the 21 century is more comfortable than being a king in the 16 century.

Either we go for the ideal world where everybody is equal or we continue to seed hate and envy around the world. Im sorry that I can't be fooled anymore to belive in the bedtime story that goes around the world that everybody that do not succeed is not putting in the effort. I choose instead to evolve past my own ego and give up some of the money I have over to people that have nothing. I might not be able to pull down the parasites that are above me in the pyramid, but at least I can help those that are below me rise up a little more from below. Namaste

I love you man... well said.

If we continue on the path of causality, imbecilization of the masses is the key to
'progress' and the ignorance is the means and ways to bliss....

if you educate gods as automatons, dont complaint when the whole thing falls
short apart.

Perception = Reality and Reality = Perception ...

The existencial binary is form when observers learn from the cosmos and the
cosmos persist their decisions.


-Robert

reply to post by FlyersFan

People keep what they earn and then give from their own wealth however or whatever they feel they can or want to.

The problem is that there is no incentive to give up anything, capitalism is selfish the more you keep to yourself the better you are positioned in the rat race.

Anything else is just theft from the productive to reward the unproductive.

Capitalism is not about production is about profit. There can be profit without any production, in fact any way to get profit without spending anything is preferred.

Capitalism pushes people to do better and to improve themselves and their lot in life.

Yes capitalism pushes you not only to be better but to make all others inferior to you in all ways possible, that is the nature of the competition.

capitalism is the only way that happiness can be pursued fairly to all concerned.

capitalism do not support moral considerations, fair is only used to foster the idea that you have a chance of success... in fact you do not have any fair chance you can however have luck, especially if someone above you sees you as having worth and decides to exploit you, because that it the nature of the system. You use others to advance yourself.

I'm sure the local communists will flame that ... but my statement is true.

I'm not a communist, I'm an anarcho-communist (not the same), and I have rebutted all your statements and can find easy real life examples as proof, even if the best example we have is the USA that does not implement a fully capitalistic system.

I do not know if communism does not work, but I can state that capitalism does not. This by looking at the attempts to implement the systems, however I agree that communism can not work if in competition with capitalism, the best example of communism we had was probably Cuba and it initially was not a communist revolution, it was forced to Communism as to get support from the URRS. Today there are no attempts to implement communism. We seem to be in a steady path toward socialism with some zigzags toward capitalism and totalitarianism.

The worst ism is fascism...

read most recent post I posted. scroll up...

Many people believe we have a capitalist economic system but that is not true.

Capitalism carries a bad connotation, which many liberals tend to blame for our woes.

What we have is fascism...


I think true free market capitalism is a good system if left unviolated from government intervention. The free market corrects itself but we wouldn't know it....

Originally posted by eLPresidente
Many people believe we have a capitalist economic system but that is not true.

Capitalism carries a bad connotation, which many liberals tend to blame for our woes.

What we have is fascism...


I think true free market capitalism is a good system if left unviolated from government intervention. The free market corrects itself but we wouldn't know it....

Bravo!

PS. liberal carries a bad connotation also. I like the Term Classical Liberal

Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets.

reply to post by NeillieN


sorry, I actually meant progressive, I personally don't try too hard to make the difference between the two since today's term is loosely used as 'liberal'

FUnny how they use progressive to make it sound like its better for us...

Originally posted by phishyblankwaters
reply to post by NeillieN

 

Good op, but it's flawed.

If you end the FED and attempt to rely solely on a free market, the US is doomed as the US produces next to nothing, free market works because of the exchange of goods and services, the US has outsourced all of this to foreign countries and any actual manufacturing and producing still operating within the US is teetering on the brink.

Capitalism can work, so can socialism and communism. It's the damn people that don't work, the people corrupt the system from the top down and it fails

Although a lot of manufacturing work (over 44,000 factories) has shifted over to the far east since September 2001, the US is still the worlds largest manufacturer.

"The workers are enchained by hunger. Hunger compels them to hire themselves out, that is, to sell their labour power. There is no other solution for the worker; he has no choice. With his hands alone he cannot produce 'his' product. Just try without tools and machinery to found steel, to weave, to build railway carriages. Under capitalism, the very land is all in private hands; there remains no spot unowned where an enterprise can be carried on. The freedom of the worker to sell his labour power, the freedom of the capitalist to buy it, the 'equality' of the capitalist and the wage earner - all these are but hunger's chain which compels the labourer to work for the capitalist."