Is Capitalism the best?

[vindicatorx]

No, end game of capitalism is not good for anyone who isn't a billionaire. Your poor example of bailouts aside if no regulations were in place You would have no competition business wise at all. If you take an economics course outside of the mandatory one for a high school diploma you learn about how monopolies are bad. It's cute that people think Wal Mart would act in our best interests if only the mean old governments of the world wouldn't stop them from destroying the competition on a global scale. In a completely capitalist economy big companies either buy out or or run off smaller companies. Imagine Comcast being the only iSP in the world then they can not only set their rates, set the bar as low as they possibly can, and give even less of a shit about customer satisfaction. You silly delusional people think that oh the hard working people like me would truly strive in a capitalist economy Not how it would play out at all.

[Louisa Bannon]

All political and economic systems are regulated and hampered for the benefit of a few. Today we tend to identify this group as the 1%. Yes, it's real and incredibly obvious.

As I already said in another thread:
http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...5#post48292755

Further, it's actually the rich that work the system the hardest and always have their hands out. Most people in the 1% are created that way because the laws are set up to favor them. So sure, they make that "welfare mom" feel bad for trying to make ends meet.

Don't any of you watch Archer? Classic misdirection...

The most obvious example is the financial crisis of 2008. Hands were slapped, nobody went to prison for what had to be the biggest series of fraudulent business behavior the world has ever seen. Not only were the "banksters" not imprisoned, many of them were made solvent on the basis that what they controlled was "too big to fail." That's a protected class of persons doing a protected type of business under Title 12 of the Federal laws in the U.S.

The most crime taking place today is performed by the predatory rich.

[Rudkobing]

It's Top Gunn, yo.

[Deleted]

Capitalism is clearly not the best system or even close. I like what the Scandinavian countries are doing now, and I long the long term aim of what China is attempting. The current form of of the United States is an outdated relic of the past, and it is on its way out come 2020 election time.

The nordic model is based around a free market capitalism with high taxes and a large welfare state. How un-communistic of you to advocate that

[Forogil]

That's just Socialism. It's a mix of communism and capitalism.

No, it is not.

That's a mix of state interventions and capitalism - who owns the healthcare isn't that significant whereas socialism is about the state owning the means of production). Healthcare is normally regulated by the state - so you cannot sell every snake oil; and states normally sponsor research on various drugs - but let capitalistic companies develop them and sell them.

[Keosen]

Trump just fucked the majority of middle class america and made every rich person richer with his tax plans.
Keep this thread open for a few years and well see how "capitalism" plays out.

So what did you really expect when you vote a billionaire for your president?
To feed the poor and take care of the of the weak?

What Trump and average American Joe have in common? Nothing, you have contradicting interests and to him you are what the beggars are for you.

[Hilhen7]

Pure Capitalism requires that you have no government intervention. Yeah that's not going to work.

No anti trust laws, no regulations on drugs, food or guns.


What you want, and what the US has in a hybrid system.

[RicardoZ]

I think Capitalism is the best blueprint for an economic system, but I don't think it can exist that way, in its rawest form, in any kind of a major population center. It requires some tweaks, checks, and balances to adapt itself to its host nation and accompanying culture.

But as compared to socialism, communism, etc., yeah, it's far and away the best economic system we've come up with.

[Musik-Diversity86]

At least socialism is an attempt at trying to maintain a form of economic equality.
I think the worst part about capitalism is that it's just about economic growth. I believe we're at a point today where the greed of the world is running rampant and it always affects those that already have it the hardest. At least socialism is an attempt at a working state with a philosophy backing it.

The capitalism is like the void, relentless and uncaring, all it wishes to do is grow and feed.

In my personal opinion we need to find some semblance of balance and try to think objectively about what is best; what kind of people do we want to be and what kind of world do we want to live on? Hopefully a world where sick people get treated even though they can't afford it, a world where we won't ruin lives and pollute the very air because it's what yields the most economic growth. What a waste it is to lose lives to money, sadly it's a reality.

Perhaps if the world was more compassionate we would spend and prioritize money differently, sadly it's not.

You.... don't seem to know much between the two. Socialism has never worked better than Capitalism... it has not worked better on it's own in the first place.

[Vash The Stampede]

Capitalism works so long as we understand how the system works. The problem is we are stupid when in comes to understanding how delicate capitalism is. One wrong move and the system fails, causing a recession.

#1 Competition should always exist. No monopoly or oligopoly should ever exist.
#2 No bail outs to companies. Capitalism is all about winners and losers and losers shouldn't get help. Businesses are expected to fail. That failure is what drives businesses to do better.
#3 Don't privatize essential services for the people. Mail shouldn't be private as well as healthcare to ensure a standard of living.

The problem with capitalism today is that it almost always breaks these rules. Worst yet, we can't explore anything else cause people say that capitalism is the only thing we know that works. Why fix what isn't broken? Except capitalism is clearly broken. It can be fixed but it needs heavy regulation. Democracy is what makes capitalism functional. In other words the government is what prevents capitalism causing chaos.

[Independent voter]

Capitalism is something that happens naturally.

Say you have two tribes on an island, one day they get together and trade. One tribe trades a handful of salt for the other tribe's dozen coconuts. The tribe the got the salt made a profit because salt is a lot more difficult to collect than coconuts but in the end everyone is happy with the deal.

That's capitalism, albeit in its simplest form.

Problems happen when someone tries to game the system, corner the market on coconuts etc.

BTW both communist powers, the Russians and Chinese had thriving black markets, the black market being the purest form of capitalism there is.

[Karfal]

Capitalism is the best, crony capitalism is not. Might as well be communist then.


But yea capitalism with a free market(there has to be some rules and regulations but minimal) is the best.

[Masark]

Capitalism is something that happens naturally.

Say you have two tribes on an island, one day they get together and trade. One tribe trades a handful of salt for the other tribe's dozen coconuts. The tribe the got the salt made a profit because salt is a lot more difficult to collect than coconuts but in the end everyone is happy with the deal.

That's capitalism, albeit in its simplest form.

That is barter trading, not capitalism. You've got no private ownership of the means of production, which is the cornerstone of capitalism.

[Kujako]

There is no best economic or political philosophy, pick from each the aspects you like best.

[Ehrenpanzer]

Trump just fucked the majority of middle class america and made every rich person richer with his tax plans.
Keep this thread open for a few years and well see how "capitalism" plays out.

Why dont we call Greece and see how that liberal fantasy of Tax and Spend works out in the end?

[Priestiality]

I know I’m arguing about economics not politics. I don’t think we need to implement a socialist system. Private charity could solve the issues of the community and small towns can form their own system to help with problems.

Ah yes, the mythical benevolent capitalist that donates his wealth instead of hoarding it.

[Deleted]

Why dont we call Greece and see how that liberal fantasy of Tax and Spend works out in the end?

For the past 5 years the Greek economy would be better described as 'Tax and don't spend' as opposed to anything else.


I think we should be wary of anyone who believes that the current paradigm is the be all and end all of socio-political and cultural development.

[Talsar]

Raw capitalism is basically the AnCap (Anarcho-Capitalist) utopia, and actually getting rid of government would create the opposite of a Capitalist utopia. Would Anarcho-Capitalism, or simply getting rid of the Government produce a Glorious Free Market Utopia? While it might seem obvious, with the name Anarcho-Capitalism, it would just be Capitalism but without the State. Finally! Freedom right? I say wrong. Actually the opposite would come about.

One of the defining characteristics of capitalist mass society is the change from relational to transactional methods of interaction. In brief, relational social interaction suggests a series of social exchanges which have history and emotional significance. These two dimensions--history and emotional energy--establish the power of the relationship to the participants.

The most obvious form of relational interaction is familial. After familial there is the type of traditional community role--priest, family doctor, local merchants such as barbers or grocers, and so on. In mass society it is not possible nor practical for a capitalist society to function entirely on a relational method--that is, repeated and emotionally meaningful interactions with the same people. The sheer volume of social behavior, and the continuous movement within a larger space, necessitates a very different kind of social interaction: transactional.

Transactional social interaction is characterized by the lack of connection between the participants. The ultimate transactional interaction would be an anonymous commercial exchange, such as purchasing goods or services.

This means of largely impersonal interaction depend on a high degree of trust. Mainly that both the merchant or the customer cannot rob or cheat the other, and some trust that mechanisms exist to enforce that. So, I sell candles, I want to be sure I won't be robbed by someone and that someone wants to be sure they don't have to duel me with pistols to get justice if I sold him or her bad or somehow defective candles. The other aspect is that we both depend on being socialized into certain normative behaviors, so for example if I hire someone, they will expect to work for a wage per hour ect. Not say someone who is accustomed to a task system or other forms of labor that existed for most of history. Or just the idea of how to buy and sell goods and services, and interact to purchase them. These socially normative behavior is taught, largely by the state and schools which standardize this behavior.

Now imagine if we removed the State entirely. How could transactional relationships have any security? A shopkeeper might encounter some mountain savage who is not raised with certain social norms on how to behave in a shop or be employed in accordance with the current standards we are all socialized to behave in. Second there is no security to enforce contracts or ensure everyone confidently will behave without violence or the threat of violence needed to protect themselves.

I think many AnCaps (Anarcho-Capitalist adherents) believe firmly that if the State were absent it could free Capitalism to its maximum potential, but in all likelihood it would make it again non-workable since the collective loyalty of ones family or community would become entirely critical for survival. But maybe I'm wrong and glorious AnCapistan would be wonderful Free Market Utopia. XD

Funnily enough the problem i have with anarcho-capitalism is similar to the one i have with communism. Both systems are workable if and only if every person in the system fits into this extremely narrow and optimistic ideal of what a person should be. Humans, as they are today, are just not "good" enough for these systems. People can be selfish, cruel, and corrupt, and with enough people like that both of these systems will collapse into dystopian hells.

[Theodarzna]

Funnily enough the problem i have with anarcho-capitalism is similar to the one i have with communism. Both systems are workable if and only if every person in the system fits into this extremely narrow and optimistic ideal of what a person should be. Humans, as they are today, are just not "good" enough for these systems. People can be selfish, cruel, and corrupt, and with enough people like that both of these systems will collapse into dystopian hells.

Plus, even if you find the perfect willing AnCaps, or AnComs, you don't know if that will last, or if the next generation will share the enthusasm for the project.