Not Being Pro Capitalism Doesn't Make Me A Socialist!

So please stop with the stereotype every time someone points out flaws in Capitalism.

Yeah, I am disgusted with the current form of Capitalism and how it's working. A good portion of people are getting away with legal robbery through underpaying employee's or stepping on someone else to get ahead.

The CEO making huge bonuses, owning 5 houses, and partying on his yacht simply does not deserve what he/she has.

-That person did NOT get to that point in life by themselves
-That person did NOT provide enough intellectual know how to get paid that amount
-That person is NOT working harder than John Doe down at the factory putting your car together

We are all products of our environment, affecting each other on all levels.

Just because someone making $35,000 a year is screaming "unfair" doesn't mean they are socialist.

It means they can see how money is being distributed and know damn well they are WORTH more than they are getting payed.

Yeah ...I'd like to see a little distribution of wealth from the corrupt upper class that seems to be waging warfare on us middle class folk. And I don't want to see it "trickle" down ....cause that is just straight BS.

So anyways.... I'm not a socialist and I hate our current capitalist ways!

End Rant.

Note: This was in response to a lot of posters calling people socialists in Why my mind is closing towards Capitalism.

Good Day ATS

Lets work on creating a new and improved society that may include several forms of ideologies whether it be communist, socialist, capitalist, and everything in between.

Nothing fixing the current corporate trade practices won't fix naturally.

But our country is not a capitalism, it is a corporatocracy...a stones throw down the street from a purchased dictatorship with little more than a puppet show in washington to amuse the plebs.

reply to post by SaturnFX


For the most part that's true.

Now we just need to get people to understand the difference and even acknowledge that the Corpratocracy is the current ideology in place. Instead of calling "this" capitalism.

reply to post by dplum517

I'm probably asking the wrong question, but....Let's assume that you are not attracted to Capitalism because of its faults, nor to socialism (because of it's history perhaps?).

Are you then like the OWSers who protest the system but seem to lack a clear goal? Not meant offensively, I just think it's easier to persuade me to go to something, than away from something.

My question, then, is what are you going toward? What system would you like us to adopt?

reply to post by charles1952

My question, then, is what are you going toward? What system would you like us to adopt?

Those are tough questions that probably can't be answered by a single mind.

What I see us going "towards" now is nothing good. I might use a different word than "Adopt" since I don't think we can simply change to something already in existence.

America is known for innovation. A good portion of technology and inventions come from this country where people are allowed to think "freely."

We need to innovate our economic ideology into something new....something that will last well into the future.

How do we do that? Not sure.... since as usual money is power and power controls the system.

Until our legislators and politicians are forced to stop accepting money from these Corporations then we are going to have a tough time.


....and we can say.... "but these corporations and what they are today isn't what true capitalism is" ....... well the only way to respond to that is.... Capitalism is what lead these corporations to such power and wealth.

reply to post by dplum517

Dear dplum517,

I appreciate your thoughtful answer, and I'm certainly not upset that you don't have the answers to the nation's economy in your back pocket.

How do we do that? Not sure.... since as usual money is power and power controls the system.

Until our legislators and politicians are forced to stop accepting money from these Corporations then we are going to have a tough time.

....and we can say.... "but these corporations and what they are today isn't what true capitalism is" ....... well the only way to respond to that is.... Capitalism is what lead these corporations to such power and wealth.

I've always had some problems thinking about this subject. The first one is incentives. We can give away certain benefits to everyone, enough to live on but poorly, and there will be a certain number of people content with just that. they will provide no gain to the country and will take away some of what's produced by others. We can change that a little to a "If you don't work, you don't eat" policy, But somehow I don't see that happening.

Right now, people have incentives to take dangerous, difficult, time consuming, or expert jobs. I don't know how to change that. We can continue to offer money, but soon some will have more than others. We can offer special privileges, but that sounds almost Soviet.

It seems like the time would come when the government would have to say, you can't spend your money for that. Whether "that" would be for political influence or investments in financial markets, or some other limitation. Then, of course, the value of money would fall and people would start asking, "Why bother making it?"

I don't know the answers either, but I'm really glad you're looking.

With respect,
Charles1952

reply to post by dplum517


The economy has to be organized in some way, if not capitalism what other choice it there?

The economy is either privately owned, capitalism, owned by the government, nationalism, or owned the by the workers, socialism

Why are you afraid to be called a socialist. We have to stop thinking of it is a bad word, an insult, it isn't.

reply to post by ANOK

Why are you afraid to be called a socialist. We have to stop thinking of it is a bad word, an insult, it isn't.

While I agree that it shouldn't be an insult or bad word, at the same time that's what it's being used for.

It's like we are in 1955 trying to weed out the commies....making them out to be some "evil" person

It's not that I am afraid to be called a socialist ....I just don't feel that I fit in with the definition of that word.

You're right though.... our economy needs to be reorganized somehow ......maybe it will include all aspects of those types of economies you pointed out.

I call it Crapitalism,,,man oh man I do not have an answer. I know we are not the only ones.

Star and Flag. I like this line of thinking. There's too much of "if you aren't this, you must be THAT" reasoning in the world today. The world is not black and white and opinions about a wide variety of subjects can have complicated answers.

Good job here!