• Snowies@lemmy.zip
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    22 hours ago

    My girlfriend thinks capitalism is fine and doesn’t care about billionaires existing.

    She’s never had a minimum wage job or worked in the service industry 🙄

    • 小莱卡@lemmygrad.ml
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      4 hours ago

      99% of the people that think capitalism is awesome, are not remotely aware of what capitalism is.

    • mrductape@eviltoast.org
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      7 hours ago

      Just curious, what is the alternative you propose? We have seen communism, that doesn’t work either.

      In my country we also have capatalism but we still have workers rights and all of that. It is just in America that employers managed to get everything their way. Other countries have free markets without abusing their workers.

      • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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        3 hours ago

        This is wrong on several accounts.

        1. “Communism” the economic system has not been realized. Communist parties have led socialist countries, but communism as a mode of production is a product of the future.

        2. Socialism works, the largest economy on the planet is the PRC, which is seeing rapid and comprehensive improvements in the living standards of its people. Even the USSR, now no longer here, achieved impressive economic growth, provided free healthcare and education, and much more.

        3. Capitalism, by definition, requires that the capitalists be in charge and the workers exploited. It isn’t just the US.

      • Snowies@lemmy.zip
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        6 hours ago

        Socialized Democracy.

        Basically democracy with robust safety nets, strong regulation on business, strong labor unions, and socialized healthcare and higher education OPTIONS.

        Capitalism is good for competition and innovation so we can’t really ditch it completely, but we live in society, not the jungle, so we should have safety nets and socialized options for poor people to gain independence and social mobility.

        • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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          3 hours ago

          Social Democracy is just capitalism with welfare, and as such either funds itself via imperialism like the Nordic Countries, or is ultimately going to see capital use its political power to erase the gains of workers. Markets can play a useful role in spurring development of small and medium firms, but the larger firms and key industries should be publicly owned and planned, as market mechanics begin to lose all benefit towards higher development.

          Really, it sounds like you just want Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.

          • Snowies@lemmy.zip
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            2 hours ago

            I want democracy that works for the people and not just the people with the most money.

              • Snowies@lemmy.zip
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                2 hours ago

                The problem with outright socialism is it always gets toppled, because your success is a threat to the entire world order, and foreign governments can make offensive decisions at a faster rate than you can make defensive ones, since your big decisions have to filter through more eyes and hands in the name of fairness.

                When we’re talking about entire countries, we have to be more pragmatic than idealistic, or our plans just don’t work sadly.

                • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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                  2 hours ago

                  China is still here, and still socialist, and it isn’t leaving. This is because of Democratic Centralism, a fast and cohesive way to adapt to changing conditions while retaining democratic input. For less urgent decisions, the PRC has slower, more comprehensive, bottom-up systems, while it focuses more on a top-down approach for system-wide changes and direction. It’s kinda like “top down, from the bottom up.”

                  I agree with pragmatism over idealism, that’s why I’m a communist and push for socialism. Socialism is immensely practical.

        • fishy@lemmy.today
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          4 hours ago

          Look at you, making sense and coming to a logical conclusion. Doesn’t sound good in headlines though, so it’ll never fly.

          • Snowies@lemmy.zip
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            2 hours ago

            Pro-tip: Channel your frustration into positivity for better reception.

            Nothing you said was unreasonable per se. It was just how you said it that’s getting you flak.

            You may not give a shit, but if you do… I’m just sayin’

      • FatCrab@slrpnk.net
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        5 hours ago

        We have seen authoritarian communism that regressed into autocratic nationalist imperialist communism. We have also seen authoritarian communism that has shifted into state capitalism. Just like there are many variations of capitalism that we have and have not seen, there are likewise many of socialism and even communism that we have and have not seen.

        • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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          3 hours ago

          Not sure what you mean by “authoritarian,” all governments are instruments of class oppression and socialist states oppress the bourgeoisie, but no socialist state has been imperialist before. Further, “state capitalism” refers to a system of heavily planned but ultimately dominated by private property, such as Singapore, South Korea, and Bismark’s Germany, and as such I’m not sure what you’re referencing here either.