Originally Posted by PepsiFree
While I’m not sure how many examples of socialist governance there are that we can point to as beacons of hope, I do agree that capitalism is failing.
The problem (or one of many) inherent in capitalism is that it creates alienation and a loss of humanity. I think the teachings of Marx are becoming more relevant because we have examples of capitalism’s failure left right and center. The rich are unecessarily rich, the poor are unecessarily poor, economies in even 1st world countries are exceeding unstable, housing prices are both too high and unstable, etc.
The problem, I think, is that because of some especially bad examples of socialism in practice, capitalism has reached a near-religious status for many older generations, and because of their adherence to it younger generations are being left in a very troublesome economic state.
Capitalism has taught older generations to place money above all else. It’s given rise to a highly consumerist culture that values excess and “things” more than education, personal growth, and fulfilment. Younger generations are rejecting this, in part because capitalism is it’s own worst enemy. By creating a system where it is exceeding difficult to have more than “enough,” you teach younger generations to be satisfied with “enough,” and they begin to reject the culture of excess.
The value you give to your employer will never equal the value they get from employing you, not in the current system. And while some major companies and some of the richest people in the world give back in some very positive ways, were they simply to be satisfied with “enough,” then they could put that money back into their company and distribute the wealth among their employees, or put that money towards raising up a much bigger portion of the population.
A system based on greed disguised simply as ambition is one that’s destined to fail. I doubt we’ll ever seen the end to any sort of capitalist ideas, but I do find it ironic that people who look down their noses at “Marxism” are likely generally incomplete people. There is always something else they “could” have, whether it is needed is irrelevant. Many younger people are forced to be complete with what they DO have, and eventually, capitalism as we know it will die because those it has failed will continue to outweigh those who have benefitted from it again and again.
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