What if… All systems are inherently corrupt because of human nature and we just have to choose the best one of the crappy lot to survive and that’s definitely not crony capitalism?
If humans are inherently corrupt, how did we get to where we are now? If we never worked together and wanted to be greedy all the time, how did we get a post information age society?
Not everyone is inherently corrupt, but all social power systems tend to elevate those that are corrupt to power. E.g. corrupt politicians get campaign donations as bribes and therefore win elections. People who don’t mind lying and slander can discredit their opponents. People who don’t mind hiring assassins can get their opponents killed etc.
The interesting thing about capitalism is that everyone who is rich has an incentive to prevent others from amassing enough power to confiscate their riches or otherwise threaten their positions and enough influence to do something about it. That is why democracies fare best in capitalism while other systems tend to devolve to authoritarianism.
So capitalism breeds enough corruption so that the rich can benefit from it, but limits it so that the corruption doesn’t threaten the rich. Of course, that is just general tendency, not a rule or anything so there are plenty of exceptions and mechanisms that can further modify the power dynamics like unions and collective bargaining.
How do you even want to have a communism without the Marx theoretised over abundance and infinite supply of goods? I don’t think we are going to have that any time soon last I checked.
All the attempts so far were so called socialism intermediary step because there is no prophesied infinite abundance just yet and someone would have to regulate who gets what that poses all sorts of problems and abuse risks
Hence we don’t have some kind of god who regulates who gets what extensively and we let the market do this and see it as the most just system currently possible
It’s possible that one day technology enables us to naturally progress to communism. Fusion power, infinite energy is a good bet but even then there will still be limited goods such as land. I personally certainly dream of a Star Trek society why not but it isn’t something imminent.
So far we are stuck with distribution of goods as a competition and we should try to make it as fair and just of a sport as possible but the exact rules of the game will remain a point of contention between American libertarianism and European welfare states
I think you have misunderstood the definition of corruption. That aspect of capitalism might be considered unjust, but corruption has a different meaning. The ruling class might use their gains for corrupt purposes, but that’s something that can happen in any system with a concentration of wealth and insufficient regulation, it’s not inherent to capitalism. You might want to take a look at social capitalism
I feel like we could better spread this idea if we removed the verbiage of communism from it. I think you would convince more people this is the truth if you worded it more like:
Allowing a few individuals to consolidate wealth gives them a sort of power they can use to bend the rules to their favor which furthers their ability to consolidate wealth which gives them more power, so on and so forth until we are where we are now
I feel like more people would agree with this, whereas talking about taking “surplus value from the worker” will automatically turn off peoples interest in hearing anything from you as they’ve been trained against this kind of phrasing.
I agree. You could spread ideas without using complicated lingo or ideology specific lingo. Convey ideas so that it is reasonably understandable to the common person.
Y’all looking at corrupt capitalism and blaming the capitalism
What if… Capitalism alwayd leads to unchecked corruption.
What if, communism always gets corrupt too?
What if… All systems are inherently corrupt because of human nature and we just have to choose the best one of the crappy lot to survive and that’s definitely not crony capitalism?
If humans are inherently corrupt, how did we get to where we are now? If we never worked together and wanted to be greedy all the time, how did we get a post information age society?
Not everyone is inherently corrupt, but all social power systems tend to elevate those that are corrupt to power. E.g. corrupt politicians get campaign donations as bribes and therefore win elections. People who don’t mind lying and slander can discredit their opponents. People who don’t mind hiring assassins can get their opponents killed etc.
The interesting thing about capitalism is that everyone who is rich has an incentive to prevent others from amassing enough power to confiscate their riches or otherwise threaten their positions and enough influence to do something about it. That is why democracies fare best in capitalism while other systems tend to devolve to authoritarianism.
So capitalism breeds enough corruption so that the rich can benefit from it, but limits it so that the corruption doesn’t threaten the rich. Of course, that is just general tendency, not a rule or anything so there are plenty of exceptions and mechanisms that can further modify the power dynamics like unions and collective bargaining.
I’m sure that is how Marx saw capitalism; spot on analysis. (/s in case you need it)
I especially love the apologia you have for the ruling class.
You say all these words as if humans never lived in anything other than capitalism.
Also, you never answered my question.
Where did I do any apologizing for anyone?
Where did I say humans can’t live in anything else than capitalism?
What does Marx have to do with anything?
Perhaps you should try to read my comment better.
“That is why democracies fare best in capitalism while other systems tend to devolve to authoritarianism.”
Your own words…
Apologists.
Indeed.
How do you even want to have a communism without the Marx theoretised over abundance and infinite supply of goods? I don’t think we are going to have that any time soon last I checked.
All the attempts so far were so called socialism intermediary step because there is no prophesied infinite abundance just yet and someone would have to regulate who gets what that poses all sorts of problems and abuse risks
Hence we don’t have some kind of god who regulates who gets what extensively and we let the market do this and see it as the most just system currently possible
It’s possible that one day technology enables us to naturally progress to communism. Fusion power, infinite energy is a good bet but even then there will still be limited goods such as land. I personally certainly dream of a Star Trek society why not but it isn’t something imminent.
So far we are stuck with distribution of goods as a competition and we should try to make it as fair and just of a sport as possible but the exact rules of the game will remain a point of contention between American libertarianism and European welfare states
To be fair, unchecked corruption is certainly not unique to capitalism.
That can also be true. But what if corruption was a feature of capitalism. Not saying that it is unique to capitalism.
Capitalism by default is corrupt. The ruling class taking surplus value from the worker is the corruption.
I think you have misunderstood the definition of corruption. That aspect of capitalism might be considered unjust, but corruption has a different meaning. The ruling class might use their gains for corrupt purposes, but that’s something that can happen in any system with a concentration of wealth and insufficient regulation, it’s not inherent to capitalism. You might want to take a look at social capitalism
I feel like we could better spread this idea if we removed the verbiage of communism from it. I think you would convince more people this is the truth if you worded it more like:
Allowing a few individuals to consolidate wealth gives them a sort of power they can use to bend the rules to their favor which furthers their ability to consolidate wealth which gives them more power, so on and so forth until we are where we are now
I feel like more people would agree with this, whereas talking about taking “surplus value from the worker” will automatically turn off peoples interest in hearing anything from you as they’ve been trained against this kind of phrasing.
I agree. You could spread ideas without using complicated lingo or ideology specific lingo. Convey ideas so that it is reasonably understandable to the common person.