Capitalism - Capitalism works, in theory.

[Moskitto]

You know that quote from the Simpsons, "I agree with you, In theory, Communism works, in theory."

Well my brother said that to something my mum said while half looking at me (there's a constant capitalism vs communism war going on between us.)

Then my dad said the most unexpected thing. "Capitalism works, In theory."

And hell, my dad isn't even a socialist and he can see the system has flaws.

[peaccenicked]

Marx in 'Capital' criticises capitalism as being wasteful,
if we look at unemployment, the crap on the TV and Radio. The emptiness of much of the education system.
The culture of crime and fear which infiltrates peoples life.If we look at the dire poverty in the third world. And
then who will go around saying capitalism works. The ones who are happy, with an 'I am alright Jack' mentality.These people are conservatives. They have got a few more crumbs of the rich man's than a crippled Afgan child.
So they become loyal to the State, support the war.
After all they believe it is their side.
Now they all read Animal Farm which proves that Communism does nt work. They point to Stalin and corruption in the workers movement but they can't see
their own petty corruption. They want to believe communism doesnt work, they don't want it to work,
because they think they are too weak and powerless to do anything about it. They go on about selfish human nature because they are the ones who are selfish but in the most short sighted manner. They can't see that they are helping to destroy the future. For the State that they are loyal to, is polluting the planet. At the end of the day they can't really be bothered with politics
because it means thinking about the planet seriously.
These people have no solutions and have blind faith that the crumbs will keep on coming off the rich man's table. Unfortunately, it takes tragedy to move them at all and usually they go the wrong way at first , but
if they don't die miserable, they might have found the natural home of humanity, in the resistance.

(Edited by peaccenicked at 4:35 pm on Jan. 6, 2002)

[Mclaren]

Everything works in theroey in the practice that counts

[Dreadnaht1]

Actually in theory Capitalism doesn't work. It shows the use of classes wich will easily lead to a class gap in which povery stricken people will arise and become the magority and eventually will feel the need to change the system. Hence Capitalism in theory is really just the eventual demise of itself somewhere down the road. Any system with an increasing gap cannot survive and cannot have 100% support of it's people. CAPITALISM DOESN'T WORK.

-Dread

[Reuben]

If we are to look at capitalist theory, I.E. adam smith etc, it tells us that the mnarket will universally supply for peoples needs. Cleary not the case.

[Mclaren]

Well how come it does. Okay nit well but it works and may be not yet ti thenteroey but it wirks

[Moskitto]

i wouldn't tell someone in africa who's so thin you can see their bones that capitalism provides for their needs after showing them a picture of an obese american.

[Dreadnaht1]

Hahaha...

[HardcoreCommie]

I see how capitalism makes american's obese, but if africans don't have capitalism how does it make them emeciated? just wondering how this can be reconciled.

[Reuben]

Africans do have Capitalism. Africans do not have the industrialized western luxury economy which we are taught to associate with cpaitalism. However the world has a distinct role within the global capitalist system.

CommieBastard, what you said is exactly the point, that peopole advocate that capitalism works merely because it is able to perpetuate itself, without setting any criteria.

[HardcoreCommie]

so then africans have capitalism without the capitalism? I don't understand. If they don't sell anything or BUY anything, then they don't have capitalism.

[Imperial Power]

CommieBastard your correct South Africa buys and sells alot, but then again then used to be a British Colony.

[Guest 128411319]

"Africans do have Capitalism."

Ha. Haha.

"ok, WTF?!?! do you have NO awareness WHATsoever? since the fuck when did africans not buy and sell anything? WHAT THE F U C K? ? ? ? ?"

Capitalism, my friend, does not exist in anarchy. An authority to enforce contracts reliably is a prerequisite, and one which very few Africans enjoy. That's why they're poor. Not because we're rich, but because they do not have stable governments and legal systems to allow real market transactions. Yes, they can buy and sell anything, but this is not neccessarily capitalism. They can also steal anything without fear of reprecussion (unless they steal it from the wrong person). Starving Africans do not live under capitalist systems. Moskitto's repetition of his perplexing comment about starving Africans and pictures of heart attack victims is as inane now as it was yesterday.

[Son of Scargill]

Sorry Guest 128411319,but YOU ARE talking bollocks!!!
African capitalism is the shitty end of the stick of your beloved system,if you can't except it,then fuck off and live the rest of your comfortable life in blissfull ignorance.Western corporations own nearly all of the productive land.Cash crops abound,the people who formerly lived on this land are given the ultimatum of working for the man,at a seriously shitty wage,or they can fuck off and live on a rock pile and starve.The elite in these countries are paid off handsomely to enforce these resettlements,and to protect the corporate interests with extreme prejudice.Just because a lot of the elite are corrupt,and end up embezzeling millions,does not mean it is not capitalism.It just means that they are not as adept,or subtle,as their western counterparts.So,because labour is shit cheap,the goods produced are sold to mainly European and American markets at a fraction of the price than if they were produced here.Then you're stereotypical"Fat Bastard American"can afford to buy as many hamburgers/corn dogs as he can stuff into his face with his vastly inflated wage(brought to you by our sponsor"200 yrs of trades union and labour activism!").
As for your asumption that you can steal whatever you like,with no fear of reprecussions you can't have seen african law enforcement at work.Brutal is not the word.They shoot first,with pump action shotguns,then try and work out if the person they just blew away was actually commiting a crime.If not it doesn't matter,what's anyone going to do about it anyway.The justice system is as corrupt as the police and business community.If a criminal is actually caught alive,then they can expect sentences of hundreds of lashes(as well as a stay in a beautiful african jail),or,if it's serious enough,hundreds of lashes and death by hanging.Hmm!Looks like they've got nothing to fear there then.

As for I.P.s theory that South Africa "buys and sells a lot"because it used to be a British colony,nearly all of africa used to be a colony of one European power or another,that's a seriously weak point.Maybe he should have said it had a better economy because the white minority held onto the slavemasters mentality for longer,and were quitely kept afloat by Britain,Holland,Germany and America,even though these same nations were supposed to be upholding sanctions against S.A. I would have thought I.P.was an uncaring,self-serving wanker,but at least he would have been right.

[HardcoreCommie]

look capitalism sucks and all, but you're wrong about how it works in africa. There is no such thing as african capitalism, western corporations do not own all the productive land. First off there is nary a parcel of land that can be called productive, second of all one of the major problems facing africa is the lack of foreign investment.
Cash crops do not abound, look at how much africa exports and see if they have any cash crops. The problem is that africa hasn't undergone capitalism...then without this transition stage, they will never have communism.

[Son of Scargill]

I grew up in Kenya,maybe it was all a very long dream.

[Mclaren]

I agree that no system can have 100% suppotrt unles its 1 or 2 people so both captailsim and commuinsm can not have 100% support..

Okay quote me on this "Commuism does work but the challenge is the work on a 10million plus population"