Hi all,
I’m seeing a lot of hate for capitalism here, and I’m wondering why that is and what the rationale behind it is. I’m pretty pro-capitalism myself, so I want to see the logic on the other side of the fence.
If this isn’t the right forum for a political/economic discussion-- I’m happy to take this somewhere else.
Cheers!
Lots of good answers in here already.
Some stuff that’s colloquially seen as capitalism is okay. Me paying someone to clean my house because I hate that chore is fine with me.
It quickly becomes Not Fine when you add in all the “if they don’t clean up my shit, they risk starving”, “they work for a boss who takes most of the money I pay”, and “none of us pay for externalized costs like using toxic chemicals for cleaning” parts. Other things too I can’t think of right now n
Left alone, nothing stops capitalism from selling you bread made with sawdust. People might say “well the market would reject an inferior product” but that’s not necessarily true. Monopolies and cartels form. People might not know a product is harmful until it’s too late.
Blah blah blah. Fittingly, I have to go back to work now.
Yeah, anyone who tries to tell you that “the free market will sort it out” when you ask about companies selling dangerous medications, equipment, chemicals, structures, etc. in unregulated markets, is either ignorant of reality or an actual monster.
And that’s not even considering inelastic goods that put corporations in a position where they could continue to profit from human misery without the “free market” ever correcting it. And that’s not even considering rent seeking.
Anyone who considers human lives as acceptable collateral in people’s’ obsession with compulsively gaining and hoarding wealth, has no place in modern society.
Sometimes I do wonder how many “pro-capitalist” individuals actually think we’re railing against exchanging money for goods and services.