What do you dislike about Capitalism?

[ManTimeForgot]

I hate how it's green paper 1st, purpose 2nd.

It should be the other way around.

Capitalism the way Adam Smith wrote was purpose 1st and capital second. The problem is that the system has been corrupted to assume capital = money, money should be the only valuable thing, and that purpose is irrelevant because no one will punish you when you violate the tenets.

MTF

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

I would dump capatilism today,
If I could think of any thing better.
The best we have is where Capatilism is tempered by the law.

Unfortunately in most western countries the Law is founded on Ownership.
and so it is enslaved by capatilism.

 

[Quiddity]

Nothing.

I only hate how people misuse it.

 

[[WURM]]

For me it is a question of simple ethics: do we care about people more or less than profit or, what seems more common, nowadays, is the addition to this question: when should we care about people more than money - because obviously we have chosen money over people in a lot of ways already.

 

[painted wolf]

Exploitation inherent in the drive to maximize profits.

When profits are the goal, then everything else can be sacrificed.... safety, well-being, ecosystem health and culture.

I don't think it has to be this way... but somewhere along the line money became the end-goal and not just the token of exchange. Greed became good.

wa:do

 

[Noaidi]

So, having talked about how bad it is, what are we going to do about it?

 

[Sunstone]

Exploitation inherent in the drive to maximize profits.

When profits are the goal, then everything else can be sacrificed.... safety, well-being, ecosystem health and culture.

I don't think it has to be this way... but somewhere along the line money became the end-goal and not just the token of exchange. Greed became good.

wa:do

I'm in substantial agreement with this.

 

[painted wolf]

So, having talked about how bad it is, what are we going to do about it?

Shop local, second hand and when possible barter/trade.

Freecycle is an excellent program for example.

wa:do

 

[Yes Man]

It's seemingly uncontested monopoly in the world.

 

[Ecclectic Seeker]

The Banks. I really resent the fact that I, my children and probably their children will be paying for their greed. Really ticks me off. Where are the free marketeers hiding now that the transfer of wealth is from public to private.

WE are out there protesting the massive GOVERNMENT interference that allows them to take OUR money and give it to the rich, greedy bankers!

It's the Keynsians, Corporatists, and other Faux-Capitalists who support regulations that favor the rich. Obama (Keynsian), Bush (Corporatist), and McCain (Corporatist) ALL supported the bailouts, while the few actual free marketers (like Barr and Baldwin of the Libertarian and Constitution parties) opposed them passionately.

Free Market is the only thing I can support, as it is the only system that does not force anyone to do anything against their will. I really don't think it's a good idea to give a group of rich elites power over the economy in hopes that they will somehow magically govern in favor of the poor. The bailout proves this. Regulation helps the rich, at our expense.

What I hate about "Capitalism" is that it describes way to much! People use it to mean Free Market or Corporatism alternately and end up grouping the two together. Free Market is no regulation. Corporatism is regulation in favor of the rich. What we currently have, is corporatism. If you want an example of a true Free Market, look to the internet. it is seldom regulated, and ideas, art, tools, and more flow through the system and let anyone pursue their passions, all at low cost to the consumer (how much do you pay for this site?). In a true free market, everyone profits in every transaction. If you trade money for a car, it is because you value the car more then the money. If you valued the money more, you would keep the money. The dealer trades it because he values the money more then the car, else he would not sell it. You can argue that people are being "exploited," but if they valued their pay less then their labor, they would not make the transaction. Marx's critical flaw is that he doesn't understand that the concept of "value" is a subjective one. With subjective value and freedom to trade, mutual profit results.

 

[painted wolf]

Regulation is needed to protect mutual resources like air, water and ecosystem integrity.
Not to mention health and safety.

wa:do

 

[Noaidi]

Shop local, second hand and when possible barter/trade.

Freecycle is an excellent program for example.

wa:do

Yes, the only way we can opt out is by opting out. I gave up a job and a mortgage in a city and moved to an island community where I had to cycle everywhere and buy locally (where possible) because I felt it was the right thing to do. Biting the bullet and following your heart is hard (it cost me dear in terms of a relationship), but if we are going to decry a system, then we should be prepared to sacrifice.

 

[painted wolf]

Yes, the only way we can opt out is by opting out. I gave up a job and a mortgage in a city and moved to an island community where I had to cycle everywhere and buy locally (where possible) because I felt it was the right thing to do. Biting the bullet and following your heart is hard (it cost me dear in terms of a relationship), but if we are going to decry a system, then we should be prepared to sacrifice.

My family of three is currently living quite happily with less than 500 square feet of living space. We are also going through the sometimes painful process of pitching items we don't need... with the goal of having just a fraction of what we once did.
(by "pitching", I mean we are donating the items to local charities like voices against violence and the community closet.)

wa:do

 

[Noaidi]

Painted Wolf

And once we realise that we don't actually need a lot of the stuff we have, moving it on can be a liberating experience.

 

[painted wolf]

Absolutely!

wa:do

 

[Sunstone]

Some years ago, I was lucky enough to see very clearly that everything we own owns us. I then tore down the lifestyle I was living and started over again.

 

[painted wolf]

Some years ago, I was lucky enough to see very clearly that everything we own owns us. I then tore down the lifestyle I was living and started over again.

You saw Fight Club to huh...

New beginnings are always healthy.

wa:do

 

[Sunstone]

You saw Fight Club to huh...

New beginnings are always healthy.

wa:do

Now you've made me want to see Fight Club!

 

[Peacewise]

I dislike that capitalism has an inaccurate way of valuing things.
It is so focused on placing a number on value that when it cannot place a number on something it by default places 0 as the value.
What is the value of the environment? what is the value of a culture? These have at one time had the value = $0. and this led to destruction of environment or culture because there was something, indeed nearly anything is more valuable than something defined as worth $0.

I dislike some of the opposites in capitalism, for instance.
The reasoning behind keeping some things secret that could benefit people, yet are bought and shelved because they would devalue something already making easy profit. Compare this with the ongoing advertisement of things that do not benefit people and how these things are shouted out and made to seem highly important.

I dislike that the capitalists, that being the industry moguls and the corporate executives have more than 1 vote in an election, they have their personal vote and something much greater, they have power over the political arena when they say "I employ 1000 people, listen to me" and what they say is always essentially "help me make more profit".

But to be fair it seems to me that a capitalist democracy is the best system that has yet been tried.

 

[Father Heathen]

I dislike the shallow materialism.