And that’s worth fighting for? Maybe not.
Critiquing capitalism (out loud)
Capitalism wrecks democracy. Yanis Varoufakis TED Talk, 2016.
Neoliberalism (deregulation of markets) wildly favors the rich, no matter what they tell you. Even as inequality grows, neoliberal economists say the only answer is even more deregulation, and austerity for the population. They’re wrong. It isn’t competition that produces prosperity, it’s cooperation. TED talk by “top 0.01%” earner Nick Hanauer, 2019.
(cont’d)
Why do some of us scorn “socialist health care” and the many other benefits that should be provided by our national wealth, but accept socialism for wealthy banks and corporations that are invested in, subsidized, and bailed out of trouble using public funds–? Wealthy people adore socialism for wealthy people, but everyone else is scolded to just “work harder and you’ll be rich like us.”
We have been brainwashed since childhood into this myth, taught and conditioned by a capitalist system to believe it is good for us and good for the world. Most of us weren’t around in that brief, fabled time of Roosevelt’s New Deal, when markets were constrained and directed by government to contribute more to the public good. The restraints came off long ago, and our national wealth has been vacuumed out of the economy into the private accounts of the ultra-wealthy, who couldn’t spend it all if they lived 1,000 years. Meanwhile, other Americans live in poverty, or die because insurance companies won’t approve their health care, if they even have health insurance.
The job of a capitalist, remember, is to make a profit. And that is done by paying employees as little as possible and giving them as few benefits as possible. Same goes for the Earth. Pollution control equipment costs money, so it’s better if you can prevent the government from requiring you to use it. Taking responsibility for your company’s toxic chemicals, plastics, and mountains of unrecycled cardboard costs money, so it’s better for your bottom line if you just don’t. Take as much as you can from the land, air, water, and people, and give the absolute minimum, and there you have it—the best way to maximize profit.
And that’s worth fighting for? Maybe not.