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Freedoms? I guess they are an illusion. I wonder why so many Americans, Europeans etc. complain about being unemployed and not having a vision for the future when they are living in countries where they are free.
I think you are missing something. A free society does not equate to a Utopia. There will always be people who are unemployed or miserable.
Also, you do realize that America and European countries are rich in comparison to all the other countries in the world.
The same countries that score high on the economic freedom index score equally as well on the human development index. Countries with command economies or tight restrictions on economic activity tend to score poorly on both, and are generally at the top of the list of countries with human rights abuses. I am not going to tell you that capitalism always equates to freedom, but I will say there is a high correlation between economic freedom and social progress. When people live stable lives with comfortable standards of living and reasonable incomes, they are more receptive to social change for the better..
We'd have to define "capitalism" a bit more precisely. Sometimes, people defend policies that actually support or produce something closer to oligarchic corporatism, and confuse this with capitalism.
BINGO!
When most people that "hate capitalism" begin railing against the system they loathe, it becomes very clear they aren't speaking about "captialism" at all. Giant, yes greedy, corporate powers descending from on high to determine the fate of their subjects has absolutely positively nothing to do with capitalism. Capitalism, in its most basic and pure form, is an economic system where goods, services, and therefore wealth is distributed based on simple supply and demand-it is distribution is based on how THE PEOPLE want it to be distributed. It is efficient and fair. True capitalists FAVOR all kinds of regulations that makes for an efficient and fair marketplace. What most people that again, "hate capitalism", actually hate is the same thing capitalists hate- corruption. Corruption throws a free-or otherwise-market off and allows it to work in ways where cause and effect make no sense. It throws of the logic of supply and demand. "Oligarchic Corporatism", as tablemtn suggests, is what all but the powers at the top of the oligarchy despise. The opposite of capitalism isn't collectivism, it is corruption. We'd be better served hating it and seeking to destroy it instead of a system of economic trade that it resides in. Capitalism did not give birth to corruption-or even greed- and the freedom that a pure capitalistic approach affords is the only vehicle we have to defeat corruption. I'd rather fight corruption and greed from within a free capitalistic society than a backwards oppressive collective state.
All of human history is defined by the struggle for food. And yet, that struggle has been eliminated. Not by government but by capatilists. And not just for the rich but for everyone living in capitalist countries.
The same can be said for medical advances, energy needs, housing needs, clothing needs, security needs and the list goes on.
Capitalism gave us the airplane, the automobile, roads, the internet, the telephone, the computer and the list goes on.
It gave us art, music, architeture, leisure and the list goes on.
Kids out live their parents for the first time in history because of capitalism.
All corporate profits do is let a company know if they are providing a service people want in an efficient manner. Without profit how do they know what they are doing is beneficial?........This is one reason why government will never be as efficient or as beneficial to society as capatilists. No matter who is in charge or what the ideology is.
Whatever the specifics of the case in question, government interference always means overriding the free decisions of individuals and replacing that capacity for decision making with some overarching plan by the state. For anyone it may help it takes away freedom from someone else. Government doesn't prduce anything. It has to steal from one group in order to provide for another.
Everything we love and has made our lives better is because of capitalism. I can't think of one thing the government has ever "provided" that helps us or couldn't be done cheaper and better by a capitalist.
If capitalism didn't work the United States would have been collapsing in the late 80s and early 90s. Not Eastern Europe.
What corporations such as Big Oil, Big Pharma, The Health Insurance Industrial Complex and Wall Sreet too big to fails banks were and are doing is not true Capitalism. Why do you not understand that because it is a corporation, does not make what they do or how they conduct business lawful and acceptable? If these big corporations are above the law, that is not true Capitalism.
What corporations such as Big Oil, Big Pharma, The Health Insurance Industrial Complex and Wall Sreet too big to fails banks were and are doing is not true Capitalism. Why do you not understand that because it is a corporation, does not make what they do or how they conduct business lawful and acceptable? If these big corporations are above the law, that is not true Capitalism.
I never said we live in a true capatilistic society. Nor did I say anything a corporation does is lawful and acceptable.
Why do you not undestand I made a list of things that capatilism has given us. Maybe you shoud read my posts before responding.
You must of went to government schools, what with the lack of reading comprehension and all.
@ohioisthebest, rayinak, flycessna, thomas_thumb
Oops, had overlooked this thread Here my belated replies:
In my view the problem with your pro-capitalist attitudes is that they ignore the fact that only a fraction of humans are interested in / suitable for capitlism. Just like not everybody is interested in or suited for socialism. Thus they both suck, whenever they are forced upon people who don't want them.
I remember when the wall came down in Germany. First there was a lot of euphoria, people in the East said great, free at last. But just a few years later a nostalgia movement set in that has lasted till today. And why? Because people miss their modest, but stable lives in the former East Germany. Now they are treated like dirt by our oh so great capitalist system, many are unemployed and never will be employed again. Back in the socialist days there was a job for everybody regardless of capability, qualification etc., people were not afraid of the future. Now many are very worried and even depressed and that shows for instance in demographics. There are statistics and studies saying that people who are afraid of the future stop having children (unlike in Africa, probably due to a different culture and mindset). Thus Germany and a lot of other regions in Europe are suffering from an aging population, with all the problems that come with it. Similar situation here in Portugal, the greater the eonomic problems get, the fewer children people have.
The same thing happened in Russia. While there are a few people who have managed to adapt to capitalism, many have not, and they long for the old, slow, modest but secure system where there was a place for everyone and people still could afford a modest life.
Like it or not, to many people material safety is more important than freedom. Capitalism causes way too much dynamics and speed in life, which many people are not made for. That is why there are things like the Slow Movement now. Let's not forget that our bodies including our brains are still basically identical to those of stone-age people. They don't change within 150 years, maybe within 15,000 or 150,000 years they will adapt somewhat.
I don't believe in your social darwinist attitude, we are all humans and not some primitive animals. Like it or not, not everybody is productive, efficient, industrious, intelligent etc. But these people also have the same right to live decent lives just like everybody else. I don't want some people to lead lives of luxury at the expense of an underclass.
Nor do I believe in the goals of capitalism as such. To me countries such as the US or European countries lack meaning and content, which many people are quite aware of. It is all about shopping, consumption, business, trade, work. To me those things should be minor aspects of life, things that cannot be avoided completely, but should be kept to a minimum.
Yes, theoretically Europe and the US are rich compoared to other regions. But I don't think we are happier, actually there are statistics saying we aren't. We have a lot of worries and problems because not only do we earn more, we also have to pay more and constantly try to keep up with the ambitious few who want to lead the world I don't know where. I guess that to many people is the main problem with our current system, we don't know anymore why we do what we do, we don't see a goal anymore. It is not like with a farmer who grows stuff that he can eat or swap for a tool or whatever. Many of us go to work only because of the money, not because we think the outcome of our work makes sense. Since we have invented money, growth has exploded, which is a huge problem in my view.
What corporations such as Big Oil, Big Pharma, The Health Insurance Industrial Complex and Wall Sreet too big to fails banks were and are doing is not true Capitalism. Why do you not understand that because it is a corporation, does not make what they do or how they conduct business lawful and acceptable? If these big corporations are above the law, that is not true Capitalism.
Only our government has made them too big to fail. The capitalistic way would have seen them as history. You screw up, your gone. Not a government bailout from mommy.
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Here my belated replies:
