Is it normal to believe capitalism cannot work because of the people?

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12 Comments

The main problem with capitalism is that it gives the average consumer too much credit. The capitalist ideal is that the market will gravitate to the best products at the most reasonable prices. In practice, this is clearly wrong as we see bad products become more popular than objectively better yet cheaper ones, and as good companies are buried by corporate cults of personality. The fact is, you can't trust people to know what's good for them. It's unwise to continue to allow people to make these kinds of decisions for themselves.

Yes, you could boil it down to saying that I'm claiming people should have fewer rights because they're stupid. But think about this... Are you really doing them a favor by disagreeing, which can only send them further down this spiral?

Socialists often claim that it's a capitalist lie that capitalism rewards intelligence. Actually, it's entirely true, and it's exactly what's wrong with capitalism. It rewards a rare trait. Still, socialists are trying to make a better tomorrow.

The reason capitalism exists is because of the idea many people have that freedom is always a good thing. They see nothing wrong with normal people having a part in the economy. We need to leave behind this thought that we should be free in all parts of our lives. What will make things better of all of us isn't freedom of choice, but freedom FROM choice. If you haven't accepted that sometimes people are better off when you give them less freedom, you need to really think about how your views affect humanity.

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59% Normal
Based on 29 votes (17 yes)
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Comments ( 12 )
  • NeuroNeptunian
    11 years ago

    First off, socialism isn't the perfect system either. We are already seeing the problems with it within the "welfare culture" so to speak. That is, why bother working too hard if you can just fall back on the state? Sure, there are plenty of ambitious, career driven people who would rather drive a BMW than whatever a state check could afford, but, as you have seen from the way our society is working, not everyone is so ambitious.

    I, personally, can not stand the thought of 50% of my income going towards people that are not willing to do the work that I am doing right now to get my degree and make more money. I'm not saying that they don't have the right to survive, but there is a difference between survive and thrive. Why shouldn't I thrive on my hard work and intelligence? Why does it being a rare trait make it wrong for me to make as much money as I want and be able to live a nice life, afford my children healthcare and be financially secure?

    The system could use much reform, I will argue that. It is not right that people can come into our country and be given all of these government benefits while they have never contributed money to the system. But socialism is not the answer.

    I am not saying that this country should not be socialistic at all, no. I think, with the right amount of policy, socialism and capitalism can co-exist. But pure socialism? No. I think it would be a smart idea to impose ethical laws against businesses and enforce them. Regulations, fines, etc.

    But ultimately, you are CORRECT. People are not always very intelligent. There are people that still smoke even though it's common knowledge that smoking leads to a slow, painful death and is a burden on us taxpayers. There are people that still eat fast food on a regular basis and do not exercise even though it is common knowledge that this causes obesity, heart problems etc.

    We can't save everyone from their stupidity. And I don't believe that complete government control is the answer. If it's not what they eat, it will be another bad habit. If you have no respect for yourself, it will affect your life. We can give people as much "opportunity to succeed" as they want. That doesn't mean they'll walk through the door.

    I understand the logic of it all, I really do. Cushion the world for people who can not think clearly for themselves. But when the government has that much power of the people's lives, and the intelligent people are the ones that control other people's lives, we basically have just a glorified human puppet show. In theory, society's intellectuals making the decisions for the rest of society sounds like a great plan.

    But one must remember, all humans are flawed, even the intellectuals.

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    • suckonthis9
      11 years ago

      Well written. Ultimately, it always comes down to politics. You, yourself are trapped in this obviously broken system. You view "the government" as something external, rather than what it should be, a truly representative and controlling body of the people, by the people and for the people.
      You make an interesting point, that the current system rewards laziness, stupidity and persons who do little or nothing to contribute to society.

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      • NeuroNeptunian
        11 years ago

        Thanks.

        Socialism, Capitalism, Communism... all three are great in theory but are only as good as the people that put it into effect and as history has shown, people are flawed no matter how well educated.

        "Sharing the wealth" is a stupid idea, in my mind. I have no problem with helping those in need, but when it comes right down to it, my greed is what causes me to wait to have kids, to go to college, to work many hours... because I want to have nicer things and a better economic outlook. Working for a better future gives my life purpose. Take that away from me and what reason do I have to get up in the morning and do a job that I hate that needs to be done anyway?

        I could go on, but it's a futile effort. 100% of the people in a country will not be happy. So long as someone has more than another, so long as someone WANTS more, there will be discontent. To change this would be to change human nature itself. I'm not even going to go into that argument.

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        • suckonthis9
          11 years ago

          I agree with you. What we need to do, is get rid of all the -isms, except Capitalism, for the time being. Money is the one thing that almost everyone understands and agrees on. There is nothimg wrong with wanting a better life for yourself and your family. Money is also an inducement and motivational force. You have admitted that you are greedy, however. We all need to know when enough is enough. People with money really need to ask themselves if what they are spending their money on, is necessary and/or damaging the planet. Should we not change our society to a sustainable one, your money will not be worth anything, and everyone's life will be worse, including yours. Once you have enough money, you really need to ask, how can I use the extra money to make the world a better place for all, instead of wasting it on luxury items and lifestyles?

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          • NeuroNeptunian
            11 years ago

            What do you consider to be a luxury lifestyle?

            My ideal for a luxury lifestyle would be to have a new Mustang, a nice, non-defective house with space for my children and some gardening, health care, good food, new clothes that fit, financial security and enough spare time to enjoy it all with my husband. Maybe go on vacation once or twice a year, take the kids to see a foreign country, provide them with education and proper care. I don't really see that as a waste of my money. I'm fine with my one bedroom apartment in ghetto-ville and my 17 year old rust bucket, but when I get the money to get that decent house, you bet I'll be getting it. Like I said, I'm greedy.

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            • suckonthis9
              11 years ago

              Let's see. The Mustang, the metals are recyclable so are all right. But how many plastics are used in it's manufacture? How much energy was used to produce it? Where did that energy come from? It runs on petroleum, and most of the petroleum reserves will be used up in only 40 years. What about the road you are going to drive on? More energy to build and maintain. Probably coated in asphault, another petroleum product. Most of our roads need to be re-built every 15 to 40 years. The house, again how many plastics
              used in its manufacture? Asphault roof? If it is wood frame, that's all right, unless there's too many people depleting
              forest reserves. Heating, air conditioning, electricity, where does all this energy come from? How are you (and your family) going to get to work, school, shopping, doctor, etc.? Walk? Gardening is fine, but many gardeners end up spreading exotic and invasive plant species, simply because they thought they looked pretty and/or are easy to grow. You could put the same time, effort and expense into growing edible foods (fruits, vegetables and herbs) instead, because we do not have any more arable agricultural land left, without destroying the last little bit of more or less intact ecosystems. Plus, modern agriculture is heavily dependent on fossil fuels. New clothes, check the labels to see if they contain plastics (polyester, nylon, rayon, dacron, etc.). I recently read an article that found that every time we do our laundry with these plastic clothes, we release 1900 particles per garment of microplastics into the environment.

              <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/science-environment-16709045" rel="nofollow">http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/science-en...</a> &gt;

              How are you going to get to the foreign country? Fly? Jet fuel is another petroleum product (kerosene). Remember, only 40 years left.

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  • Strat
    10 years ago

    The most dangerous ism I see is controlism,the lust to have other people live as you would have them to live,live your own life and let others do the same,the planet will be fine and both you and they will die and be forgotten.

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    The basic idea behind capitalism is to screw the next closest person in "competition" with you over as much as possible. AND to be as greedy as possible, if you are greedy you will be successful. If you just want to make a "good" product that "helps" people you probably will be somewhat successful, but it wont last as some other company will take you over. Or take advantage of you and force you out of business.

    Also capitalism, for some reason, opens the door to all types of legal wiggle room and the need for an abundance of lawyers for some reason. Which is the last thing any society needs.

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  • dappled
    11 years ago

    When I first read your post, I wanted to debunk it, but you've actually drawn me in. Capitalism allows poor products simply because ill-informed people buy them. Things that affect population health are my own personal annoyance, especially food.

    I'll happily rail against corporations for selling us tat, but every transaction is a two-way deal. Food corps don't let the janitor decide a marketing policy. Why should consumers let the ill-informed of our own ranks determine buying policy?

    If all my choices in food were selected by a group of experts (who were on my side and the side of my health, not the side of profit), I believe I and anyone else shopping this way would be better served.

    Good post. One tiny thing I'd pick up on, though, is about how intelligence is the main trait rewarded in capitalism. I think capitalism also rewards the way people look.

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  • anti-hero
    11 years ago

    I will keep it simple. There is no such thing as a perfect system. All people and all things are stupid and flawed in some way.

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