Dr. Sebi Jr.
Trust Me
EMPHATICALLY. White people did not study economics until now. Karl Marx was BLACK.
Is surging inequality endemic to capitalism? - Review of “Capital in the Twenty-first Century”
- Thread starter alybaba
- Start date
seems more accurate to say that capitalism is a mechanical system, full of qualities -- "good" and "evil." e.g. "good": massive creation of wealth, consumer goods, food surpluses, etc. & "bad:" persistent inequality, persistent exploitation of labor, bouts of over-investment and cyclical crisis, etc.
the point is that the "morality" of a person over the long run becomes moot point under capitalism. For instance, i might think I'm a swell guy who supports workers getting fair wages, health insurance, and pensions. And all that is lovely, lovely stuff If I'm just a nobody living for wages. But if tomorrow i obtain a massive loan to start producing x product, I assure you that in no time my ideals will fly out the window. Because for my business to survive -- let alone thrive -- first and foremost i have to pay my creditor, i have to make sure i can obtain additional credit to grow my business and keep up with competitors, i have to make sure i can at least keep up with operating costs, etc. So as I'm maniacally looking at receipts and calculating profit, you really think imma care that some random worker can't feed his family or can't cover his hospital costs. Nah -- it's the livelihood of my enterprise that matters. I'll just fire his ass and get me some undocumented migrants or relocate to sweatshops in the US-Mexico border. The options are limitless.
....(oops, there goes my morality)
Are you suggesting that these bubbles are a result of capitalism?
I agree with this 100%
Capitalism is nothing more than a system of voluntary trade, the moment the voluntary nature is removed it becomes anti-capitalist.
Hulk Hogan
THE HULKSTER BROTHER
SO ALL THAT CAPITALISM ENFORCED BY WACKENHUT UNION-BUSTING THUGGERY WASN'T CAPITALISM AT ALL, HUH BROTHER?
Camile.Bidan
Banned
I wonder how large the gap was between the Roman or Egypt Aristocracy and the commoners. I bet if you traced everyone's ancestry throughout time you might find that the same lineage of families continue to achieve high status and wealth regardless of prevailing economic system.
It all comes backs to one fundamental fact. We are not all the same. No matter how much the leftists try to fight this fact, there are simply a small minority of people who are smarter, take more risks, more motivated, and have more grit and determination. for example, There is a small subset of engineers that are 10x+ more productive than all other engineers.
Economic inequality is only an effect of human inequality. That's just the way the cookie crumbles folks. One day we will just accept reality, and maybe that day we will offer solutions that will actually make humans more equal less jealous competitive, but it will take a cold-hearted appreciation of reality-- a reality that isn't clouded by personal bias, political ideology and political correctness.
It all comes backs to one fundamental fact. We are not all the same. No matter how much the leftists try to fight this fact, there are simply a small minority of people who are smarter, take more risks, more motivated, and have more grit and determination. for example, There is a small subset of engineers that are 10x+ more productive than all other engineers.
Economic inequality is only an effect of human inequality. That's just the way the cookie crumbles folks. One day we will just accept reality, and maybe that day we will offer solutions that will actually make humans more equal less jealous competitive, but it will take a cold-hearted appreciation of reality-- a reality that isn't clouded by personal bias, political ideology and political correctness.
"capitalism enforced"
Hulk Hogan
THE HULKSTER BROTHER
LYING ON YOUR BACK LIKE THAT IS A GOOD WAY TO EAT A LEG DROP, BROTHER!
No, not what I'm saying at all dude. You were trying to paint a picture of the current situation being a rising tide lifting all boats with some rising faster than others, when that is clearly not the case. You love to switch between theory and reality whenever it's convenient.
Yet, under this definition, capitalism becomes theoretically impossible, since people born without access to capital are (analytically, not morally, speaking) coerced into selling their labor power. i.e. if you have no choice but to work for wages, "voluntary" merely becomes a question of whom you you will sell your labor power to, not if you will sell your labor-power. Isn't a crucial element of 'voluntary trade' the ability to not make an exchange?
There's always a choice in capitalism. What it sounds like you are doing is removing bad,unsavory, or ridiculous options, when like it or not, the choice is there.
Nowhere did I argue that capitalism doesn't involve choices. I explicitly stated someone lacking significant access to capital certainly has the choice to work for X or Y entity. However, choosing itself is not an option -- unless you consider choosing to starve to be a "choice." "Voluntary exchange" thus cannot be applied to the sale of labor-power under capitalism -- at least not without qualification. And, by your standards, this should be agreeable. You said that the moment "voluntary nature" is compromised, capitalism no longer exists.
In the end though, you're A) making a tautological argument about what capitalism is. And b) even if I accepted that capitalism is simply a system of voluntary trade, that explanation would make an indigenous peasant selling surplus corn in Meso-America into a capitalist. I hardly think your definition would be useful to understanding difference between that peasant and say, NIKE or SONY.
I do.The voluntary nature of it all is implicit in the need for coercion no? 
Julius Skrrvin
I be winkin' through the scope
...
Why don't you humor us and spend some time destroying this flimsy analysis.
