#capitalism

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bogleech:

guerrillatech:

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It’s the story of a man with no scientific background using sheer wealth to make more experienced people create something to his inexperienced specifications. A manchild who may not be consciously malicious and is fully convinced he’s making the world a better place, but has no healthy respect for the natural world and no concern for the potential danger to human life nor the environmental ramifications.

It’s not dinosaurs, but we’ve now lived to see people actually get wealthy enough to do things that big and they are every bit as foolish and doomed. I wish it could have at least been dinosaurs.

Fun fact, Jaws and the entire Alien franchise can also be seen as a criticism on capitalism and labor exploitation.

A look into a changing world.A look into a changing world.

A look into a changing world.


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zenosanalytic:

roach-works:

elfwreck:

bodhioshea:

Ever since Adam Smith, those trying to prove that contemporary forms of competitive market exchange are rooted in human nature have pointed to the existence of what they call ‘primitive trade.’ Already tens of thousands of years ago, one can find evidence of objects —  very often precious stones, shells or other items of adornment — being moved around over enormous distances. Often these were just the sort of objects that anthropologists would later find being used as ‘primitive currencies’ all over the world. Surely this must prove capitalism in some form or another has always existed?

The logic is perfectly circular. If precious objects were moving long distances, this is evidence of ‘trade’ and, if trade occurred, it must have taken some sort of commercial form; therefore, the fact that, say, 3,000 years ago Baltic amber found its way to the Mediterranean, or shells from Mexico were transported to Ohio, is proof that we are in the presence of some embryonic form of market economy. Markets are universal. Therefore, there must have been a market. Therefore, markets are universal. And so on.

All such authors are really saying is that they themselves cannot personally imagine any other way that precious objects might move about. But lack of imagination is not itself an argument. It’s almost as if these writers are afraid to suggest anything that seems original, or, if they do, feel obliged to use vaguely scientific-sounding language ( ‘trans-regional interaction spheres’, ‘multi-scalar networks of exchange’) to avoid having to speculate about what precisely those things might be. In fact, anthropology provides endless illustrations of how valuable objects might travel long distances in the absence of anything that remotely resembles a market economy. 

The founding text of twentieth-century ethnography, Bronislaw Malinowski’s 1922 Argonauts of the Western Pacific, describes how in the ‘kula chain’ of the Massim Island off Papua New Guinea, men would undertake daring expeditions across dangerous seas in outrigger canoes, just in order to exchange precious heirloom arm-shells and necklaces for each other (each of the most important ones has its own name, and history of former owners) — only to hold it briefly, then pass it on again to a different expedition from another island. Heirloom treasures circle the island chain eternally, crossing hundreds of miles of ocean, arm-shells and necklaces in opposite directions. To an outsider it seems senseless. To the men of the Massim it was the ultimate adventure, and nothing could be more important than to spread one’s name, in this fashion, to places one had never seen. 

Is this ‘trade’? Perhaps, but it would bend to breaking point our ordinary understanding of what that word means. There is, in fact, a substantial ethnographic literature on how such long-distance exchange operates in societies without markets. Barter does occur: different groups may take on specialties — one is famous for its feather-work, another provides salt, in a third all women are potters — to acquire things they cannot produce themselves; sometimes one group will specialize in the very business of moving people and things around. But we often find such regional networks developing largely for the sake of creating friendly mutual relations, or having an excuse to visit one another from time to time; and there are plenty of other possibilities that in no way resemble ‘trade.’ 

Let’s list just a few, all drawn from North American material, to give the reader a taste of what might really be going on when people speak of ‘long-distance interaction spheres’ in the human past:

  1. Dreams or vision quests: among Iroquoian-speaking peoples in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it was considered extremely important literally to realize one’s dreams. Many European observers marveled at how Indians would be willing to travel for days to bring back some object, trophy, crystal or even an animal like a dog they had dreamed of acquiring. Anyone who dreamed about a neighbor or relative’s possession (a kettle, ornament, mask and so on) could normally demand it; as a result, such objects would often gradually travel some way from town to town. On the Great Plains, decisions to travel long distances in search of rare or exotic items could form part of vision quests.
  1. Traveling healers and entertainers: in 1528, when a shipwrecked Spaniard named Alvar Nuriez Cabeza de Vaca made his way from Florida across what is now Texas to Mexico, he found he could pass easily between villages (even villages at war with one another) by offering his services as a magician and curer. Curers in much of North America were also entertainers, and would often develop significant entourages; those who felt their lives had been saved by the performance would, typically, offer up all their material processions to be divided among the troupe. By such means, precious objects could easily travel long distances. 
  1. Women’s gambling: women in many indigenous North American societies were inveterate gamblers; the women of adjacent villages would often meet to play dice or a game played with a bowl and plum stone, and would typically bet their shells beads or other objects of personal adornment as the stakes. One archeologist versed in the ethnographic literature, Warren DeBoer, estimates that many of the shells and other exotic discovered in sites halfway across the continent had got there by being endlessly wagered, and lost, in inter-village games of this sort, over very long periods of time. 

We could multiply examples, but assume that by now the reader gets the broader point we are making. When we simply guess as to what humans in other times and places might be up to, we almost invariably make guesses that are far less interesting, far less quirky — in a word, far less human than what was likely going on. 

Notice what’s missing from most of these: A profit motive.

There are, technically, “markets” in every human culture we can identify. There are exchanges of goods & services, even in the most socialistic of societies.

There is not always any attempt to get “profit,” to wind up with more value than you had before.

(Gambling may have a profit motive. Gambling may also have competitive motive: the goal can be winning, with the prize being wanted as a trophy more than for its technical value.)

The initial post here is taken from The Dawn of Everything, an anthropological/historical survey written by David Wengrow and the recently and lamentably passed scholar, David Graeber.

brutereason:

I had a realization the other day that seems obvious in retrospect, but I hadn’t put these two things together before.

I was telling my mom that I’m kind of dreading having a private practice someday because it’ll mean working lots of late nights to accommodate my clients’ schedules and make enough money, and as I know from working 12-8 last year, that’ll wreck my social life. She was like, “So you’ll have a social life on the weekends.” And I’m like, and what, spend every weekday night alone in my apartment because it’s too late to go out and see people? She gave me this knowing look and was like, “Well, hopefully you won’t be *alone*…”

That’s when it hit me that this thing–this whole monogamous couple/nuclear family ideal thing–directly enables work to take over our entire lives. Because, yes, if I had someone living in my house–in my bedroom, even–who prioritizes me higher than anyone else in his (because, let’s face it, it would always be a he in this scenario) life, who doesn’t sleep with or date any other people, who treats his free time as our shared time, who drops plans with friends or family the moment I need him, who convincingly promises to never leave me–if I had someone like that, and if I believed in that fantasy, then yes, I’d be fine working late every night and coming home at 9. I could see my friends on weekends sometimes, but I wouldn’t *need* to because I’d never be lonely or bored.

Because however you look at it, cultivating and maintaining a group of friends and a broader social circle or community takes more effort–especially more *intentional* effort–than cultivating just one person with whom you share your life. When we have to work unreasonable hours just to get by, guess which one’s more likely to fall by the wayside?

No wonder it feels like my like-minded friends and I are constantly wading through waist-deep snowdrifts. It’s not set up to work the way we want it to. Yes, life would be easier if I had someone who is always a few yards (or less) away from me when we’re not at work and who can provide romance, friendship, emotional support, entertainment, household help, financial assistance, AND hot sex (and maybe eventually co-parenting) without me ever needing to seek out other people or even leave the house. But that’s…horrifying.

elvenpriestess:

don’t you hate it when you’re being interviewed and they’re like, “tell me about yourself”?

ma'am, i do not have enough of a sense of self to accurately describe myself. in fact, i try very hard to avoid self-perception. but i swear i can do the job, please hire me

You all know basic mathematics:

1+1=2

50+50=100

100,000+100,000=20,000

10-8=2

100-70=30

100,000-1,200=98,800

But now add any currency sign behind those numbers and you’ll understand, why basic mathematics don’t apply to capitalism.

It’s a bit sad when I consider that one of the kindest things humanity could do for the earth

It’s a bit sad when I consider that one of the kindest things humanity could do for the earth and all the things existing on earth, would be to develop virtual reality to the point that humans no long need to act upon and harm the earth to achieve all of the freedoms, experiences and luxuries we so desperately seek. I picture the Matrix, but instead of the outerworld being dreadfully decayed and infested with mechanical design, it is green and flourishing with life. 

Question is, how many resources would be required to devise of , build and power such a matrix? Think it could be possible and sustainable? 


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Just think, if you work hard, take on massive student loan debts, and crawl on the backs of countles

Just think, if you work hard, take on massive student loan debts, and crawl on the backs of countless others, you too can live in luxury (maybe, probably not, and if not, clearly you are a failure at life). /sarcasm


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fireortheflood:

dorian-they:

dorian-they-ao3:

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) • JIMMY STEWART as George Bailey andLIONEL BARRYMORE as Mr. Potter

wait WHAT i mean that feels accurate but still…. WHAT.

here’s the official fbi memo about it! you can view the whole document here

the fbi presented these “findings” to mccarthy’s house unamerican activities committee (huac) in an attempt to get it’s a wonderful life pulled from theaters but huac decided not to take any action

socalledunitedstates:

If every working-class person in the world decided this afternoon to install solar panels on their roofs and started biking instead of driving, the ice caps would still melt and the human race would still die off. It simply isn’t possible to end climate change while working within a system that sends all your products overseas in massive supertankers wrapped in unrecycled plastic that will be thrown in a landfill the moment it hits land - and practices like that aren’t going to go away because of your purchasing habits.

Nor are we gonna hit some magical point where using clean energy and reducing waste are suddenly the cheapest or most profitable option and so all the world’s big companies fall over each other to switch over. That has never been the case and never will be - the “free market” isn’t going to save us.

The fact of the matter is, this system needs to be torn down if our species is to survive. We don’t have time to delay the revolution anymore. Capitalism is extinction. 

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We now bring an extract from the newly published book: History of Revolutionary Activities of Chairman Kim Jong Il(2015)

Chapter 6. Organizing and Leading the Struggle to Defend People-Centred Socialism of The Korean Style (January 1990 - July 1994)

1. Ideological and Theoretical Activities To Defend And Advance
The Socialist Cause

Kim Jong Il conducted energetic ideological and theoretical activities to
defend and advance the socialist cause in the first half of the 1990s.
He said:

“In order to defend and develop socialism in its fierce struggle against enemies of all hues, we must further develop the revolutionary ideology and theory of the working class and make them perfect as required by the times and the developing revolution.”

In the period between the late 1980s and the early 1990s the people’s cause
of independence, the socialist cause, encountered vicious challenges by the
imperialists and reactionaries. The wind of reform blew hard in some socialist countries, rapidly degenerating socialism and reviving capitalism. Consequently, socialism collapsed and capitalism revived in the Soviet Union and some East European countries. Taking advantage of this, the imperialists and reactionaries made a fuss about the end of socialism and slandered the ideal of socialism.
As rapid progress was made in socialist construction, the limitations of the preceding revolutionary ideas and theories of the working class, those on socialist construction in particular, became more apparent.

With a keen insight into the prevailing situation Kim Jong Il elucidated the essential characteristics and advantages of the Korean-style socialism and the
source of its invincible might in several works including the speeches titled, On
Some Problems of the Ideological Foundation of Socialism
andSocialism of Our Country Is a Socialism of Our Style as the Embodiment of the Juche Idea delivered to senior officials of the WPK Central Committee on May 30 and December 27, 1990, respectively and in a talk titled, Our Socialism
Centred on the Masses Shall Not Perish
given to senior officials of the WPK
Central Committee on May 5, 1991.

First of all, he proved that Korean-style socialism is a unique one, the ideological foundation of which is the great Juche idea. Socialism is a society based on the revolutionary ideas of the working class and its development is guaranteed by the scientific accuracy, revolutionary character and a practicability of the ideas and theories on which it is based. Korean-style socialism is a unique one based on the Juche idea, the most scientific and revolutionary idea of the working class. As it is based on the Juche idea it is marching along the road of victory without vacillation in the face of all manner of pressure and slander by the imperialists and reactionaries.

Next, he clarified the advantage of Korean-style socialism.
He said:

“The basic advantage of our form of socialism is that it is a
man-centred society, a society which considers everything with man at the centre and makes everything serve him. This advantage is defined by the Juche idea, a man-centred idea.”

He noted that Korean-style socialism is advantageous in that it embodies the
intrinsic requirements of man on the highest level. Independence, creativity and consciousness are the essential attributes of a social being and collectivism is an intrinsic requirement of man who can carve out his own destiny only in the social collective. Korean-style socialism is the advantageous socialism which splendidly embodies this intrinsic requirement of a social being as clarified by the Juche idea.

Kim Jong Il elucidated that Korean-style socialism is the most advantageous social system which provides the masses of the people with a genuine independent and creative life. Political life, economic life and ideological and cultural life are major fields of social life. How the working people enjoy their independent rights and creative abilities in every field of social life is the key factor in determining the progressive nature and advantage of society.

The advantage of the Korean-style socialism which is based on the Juche idea lies not merely in that the master of the state power and means of production is the masses of the people but in that it substantially provides them with an independent and creative life in all fields of political life, economic life and ideological and cultural life. Herein lies the advantage of the socialist life over the capitalist life and the greatest advantage of the Korean-style socialism over the one in other countries which was established on the basis of the materialistic world outlook.

Next,Kim Jong Il elucidated the invincibility of the Korean-style socialism and its eternal viability. The driving force of socialist society is the masses of the people. However, only when they are united behind the party and the leader as one can they perform the role of the independent motive force of the revolution and carry out socialist construction successfully. Even after the establishment of socialist system the single-hearted unity of the whole society can not be achieved of its own accord. The work of advancing a correct guiding ideology and scientific strategy and tactics for the masses’ struggle and of awakening and organizing them is carried out only by the outstanding leader and the party of the working class.
As they are guided by the outstanding leader and the seasoned leadership of
the party the single-hearted unity of the masses around the party and the leader can be achieved, and this unity serves as the source of invincibility of socialism and its eternal viability.

In a talk titled, The Historical Lesson in Building Socialism and the General Line of Our Party delivered to senior officials of the WPK Central Committee on January 3, 1992, Kim Jong Il elucidated the reasons for the frustration of socialism in some countries and the lessons drawn from it and the general line to which the WPK was adhering in socialist construction. Above all else, he specified the reasons for the collapse of socialism in some countries and the lessons drawn from it.
He said:

“In short, the basic reason for the frustration of socialism in some countries is that they did not put the main emphasis on strengthening the motive force for building socialism and on enhancing its role; they failed to understand the essence of socialism, of centring on the masses of the people, the makers of history.”

Socialist society is one in which the masses are the masters and that is developed by dint of the creativity of the masses who are united as one. The essence of socialist society which makes it different from all exploitative societies and the driving force which promotes the progress of the socialist society lie in the fact that the masses work in comradely unity and with a high degree of consciousness of being masters and displaying their ability as such. Therefore, the basic way to promote the building of socialism successfully is to strengthen the motive force of the revolution by giving priority to the remoulding of the people, as well as to enhance the role of the driving force by giving the fullest play to the revolutionary enthusiasm and creativity of the masses. Because they did not understand this, the parties in some countries which were building socialism failed to strengthen the motive force of the revolution and enhance its role. Herein lies the basic reason for the collapse of socialism.

Kim Jong Il clarified that another reason is that they failed to recognize the qualitative difference between socialism and capitalism and adhere consistently to the fundamental principles of socialism. Defending the masses’ desire for independence and their interests and embodying them is the fundamental principle that should be consistently adhered to in socialist construction.
In order to build socialism to meet the masses’ desire for independence and
their fundamental interests it is imperative to strengthen the working-class party organizationally and ideologically, ensure its leadership of the revolution and construction, steadily enhance the functions and role of the socialist government, safeguard and develop socialist ownership and resolutely combat
imperialism. In the past the people of some countries that were building socialism wavered in the face of transient difficulties that arose in the course of
building socialism and went so far as to yield to the pressure of the imperialists,
gradually conceding and abandoning their revolutionary principles. This resulted in the frustration of socialism and revival of capitalism.

Kim Jong Il pointed out that the frustration of socialism in some countries is also due to the fact that the parties of those countries had not strengthened international solidarity based on independence in their relations. To unite and cooperate with one another on the basis of independence and maintain their independence while strengthening international solidarity is a basic principle that the parties of socialist countries must hold up in their relations.

On the basis of the comprehensive analysis of the reasons for the frustration of socialism in some countries Kim Jong Il concluded that historical experience shows that when people steadily strengthen the motive force of the revolution, with a strong conviction in socialism and a correct guideline, hold fast to socialist principles in all circumstances and strengthen comradely unity and cooperation on the basis of independence, the socialist cause will advance along the road of victory; otherwise it will suffer setback and frustration. He added that this is a serious lesson mankind has learned on its path to socialism.

Next,Kim Jong Il elucidated the general line the WPK pursues in socialist
construction and its validity. He formulated that to carry out the ideological, technological and cultural revolutions thoroughly while strengthening the people’s government and steadily enhancing its functions and role is the general line for building socialism put forward by Kim Il Sung. He clarified that the general line is a scientific and revolutionary line indicating the road for accomplishing the socialist cause and fully realizing the independence of the masses of the people by embodying the Juche idea. He stressed that this line is applied in the building of the Korean-style socialism and its validity and viability have been substantiated through practice.
He advanced principles to be maintained in laying bare the absurd nature of the sophistry by the enemies who are slandering socialism and in shattering it to accomplish the cause of socialism.

Kim Jong Il published a discourse titled, Abuses of Socialism Are
Intolerable
on March 1, 1993 in Kulloja, the official magazine of the WPK
Central Committee.
He said:

“It is sophistry to call socialism ‘totalitarian,’ ‘barracks-like’ and
‘administrative and commanding.’ ”

He laid bare the impropriety of the sophistry of the enemies who call
socialism“totalitarian.”

Totalitarianism served as the political idea of fascist dictators. The fascist dictators like Hitler and Mussolini stamped out even the most elementary democratic freedom and rights of the masses of the working people and enforced unprecedentedly tyrannical policies, behind the misleading name of
“national socialism,” claiming that for the sake of the whole nation and the
whole state no working-class movement and no class struggle could be
permitted. The reactionary nature of totalitarianism is that the interests of the
working people are sacrificed for the sake of the rapacious interests of the
reactionary ruling class under the pretence that the individual should be
subordinated to the whole. 

image

The two fascist dictators Hitler and Mussolini who tyrannized Europe in the first half of the 20th century.

What is meant by the whole in totalitarianism is not the whole of the masses of the people but a tiny handful of the privileged circles. Calling socialism, under which the masses of the people are the masters of everything, “totalitarianism”is, ultimately, a preposterous lie which identifies the most progressive idea that reflects the demands of the masses of the people with the reactionary idea of fascist rulers.
Kim Jong Il laid bare the impropriety of the preposterous lie of the enemies who are calling socialism barracks-like. Socialism is the most progressive of ideas that reflects the intrinsic demands of people, and the socialist system is the most advanced of systems under which the masses of the people enjoy an independent and creative life to the full. The restraint of their independence and creativity occurs not under the socialist system but under the capitalist system in which the working class are the slaves of capital. Claiming that socialism is“barracks-like” is pernicious propaganda that attempts to turn black into white.

Kim Jong Il also clarified the impropriety of the sophistry of the enemies
who claim that socialism is barracks-like. In general, the administrative and commanding method of management is an old method of rule that serves the demands of the privileged classes by invoking legal authority in an exploiter society. In socialist society the masses of the people, who have become the masters of the state and society, hold the position of masters and play the role of masters in the administration. The administrative and commanding method of management which was manifested in socialist practices in the past did not emanate from the essential nature of socialist society but was a legacy of the exploiter society. Therefore, accusing socialism of being “administrative and commanding” is also unreasonable.

Kim Jong Il also presented important principles to be maintained in defending and accomplishing the socialist cause. He said that if the socialist cause is to be defended and completed, the socialist idea should be developed and perfected constantly and the masses of the people should be equipped with it, so that they accept socialism as their unshakeable conviction.
He clarified that in order to defend socialism and add eternal brilliance to it,
people should regard it as their moral duty to defend it. He noted that the party and the state of the working class should concentrate their efforts on giving full play to the advantage of socialism by carrying on the construction of socialism properly in order to defend the socialist cause and bring it to completion. He put forth concrete ways of giving full play to the essential advantage of the socialist society. He underlined that the principle of collectivism should be thoroughly applied in every field of social life to safeguard and defend socialism.

The pernicious propaganda of dubbing socialism “totalitarian,”“barracks-like”and“administrative and commanding” is aimed at undermining socialist collectivism and eulogizing bourgeois individualism. So opposing individualism and applying the principle of collectivism to the letter in all fields of social life is crucial to defending and accomplishing the socialist cause. Kim Jong Il’s ideological and theoretical activities in the several years of the first half of the 1990s rendered a great contribution to revitalizing on a new ideological basis the socialist movement that was undergoing temporary setback.

History of Revolutionary Activities of Chairman Kim Jong Il, Foreign Languages Publishing House Pyongyang, Korea Juche 104 (2015)

maxofs2d:

Eat the rich.

This letter from 1994 is interesting to look back on today because not only is this doctor correct, but something that seemed so bizarre and out of the ordinary to him is so common we don’t even think about it anymore:

As I turned the page of my local newspaper, I was stunned to s a large advertisement in the health section the bold headline: CANCER PAIN? Under this was a statement that if you had uncontrolled cancer pain you could call a l-800 phone number to receive a list of “cancer pain specialists” in your area. The ad was placed by the maker of invasive pain-management devices. Upon calling for information, I was sent a packet of information including a list of local physicians who presumably are skilled at placement or refer patients for such devices. At best, one could argue that such advertisement helps to improve patient access to specialized pain-treatment techniques. At worst, I believe such an advertise-ment to be an unfair exploitation of patient fears for the benefit of a commercial endeavor. This example of American entrepreneurship is a disturbing trend in the commercialization of palliative medicine.

m-rachlan:

this whole “job thing” is rlly starting to get in my way. i need to watch made up people falling in love on tv, and then i need to read more extensively about it online. why is that so hard to understand

exigencelost:

Tying health care to people’s ability to work is eugenics.

sapphixxx:

Weird that the fact that it is effectively impossible to redistribute Jeff Bezos’s wealth because it’s mostly stocks and the moment he gets hit the value of those stocks plummets is used as a rhetorical ‘gotcha!’ against wealth distribution and not itself a giant flashing sign that our economic system is a ridiculous house of cards built on smoke and mirrors where a few men are given unconscionable levels of power more or less completely arbitrarily

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