Capitalism... why so bad?

Lets start off with the definition.

Webster-
: an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market

Ok so basically a free market, or capitalist market is set up so that normal people like you and I can make money for ourselves.

Question:
What is wrong with that idea?

Last week I got an e-mail from someone who seemed to feel that my business is helping terrorism by posting this image on my website.



Ok so let me get this straight. I come from a poor family. I figure I do not want to be poor so I work my ass off and figure out how money can be made using the internet. I then start a business and begin to profit and see life getting more comfortable. I then give the credit to capitalism as that is exactly why I now have money.

So it sounds like people are pissed at me for making money.

Quick Question:
What is wrong with that idea?


Seriously, if you write a book and then sell it for millions are you a bad person? Are you supporting terrorism? Are you evil to the world?

Of course the not!

I really am amazed at how many naive people there are in this world. Ive circled the globe several times now and it still stuns me to see that people cant figure this shit out.

Capitalism is freedom! It is the freedom to start a website like DP and make a liitle cash, it is freedom to do whatever the flying fuck your noggin desires and making a living from it.


Many companies that were built on Capitalism are sending millions of dollars to help flood victims in NO. Wouldnt be able to do that without capitalism now would we?

You buy cheap shoes, cheap clothes, cheap food, cheap hotel rooms, cheap everything because of Capitalism.

Can someone please explain to me why it is seen as something bad?

Are we not all on this forum to make money?

 

you make more money than me, so that makes it bad.

(Especially if I don't really want to work, you should make up the difference and send me a check.)

Gotta love socialism
LOL

 

I think that capitalism imitates human nature and socialism goes against it, plain and simple. I'ts not about being fair or not. no one ever said life was fair. But when you try to create an artificial society, no one is going to be happy. People need to compete. It's what drives us. Your spirit dies when you don't strive for anything.

 

There's nothing wrong with freedom do do what you ever you like as long as you don't take advantage of people.

How many companies are ripping off people putting ads on tv telling them to send an sms for no apparent reason or "call this number" with a $1.50/min disclaimer so small you cant read it?

 

In my cafepress shop I sell shirts that say
"Silly liberal, checks are for workers"

 

But that happens in any society. I dont see that as being related to Capitalism.

 

Whats wrong with capitalism ? There isnt a single place in the UK I can go that isnt owned by someone.

Constant consumption with no way out.

Its flawed but there is no better option.

 

I think when people criticize capitalism they aren't talking about the economic theory or "free markets".

I definitely agree with the economic concept of capitalism. Like a few people said before, any system will become corrupt - capitalism, communism, dictatorships. You might as well have one that encourages competition.

It's more of a criticism of globalization, "McWorld". The imposing of economic policies on countries who don't want them has also been unpopular in certain parts of the world, namely South America. If a country's populace elects a communist government, the US government and others have been known to take action to replace it with a more capitalistic one.

Is this right or wrong? I'm not sure personally, hard to say unless you were there on the ground in the midst of it all.

 

How about the millions of homeless people in the US alone, the richest country in the world. There is a flaw right there. My grandparents spent their entire life in communist regime. They had a decent home, cars, boats, cottege, regular vacations and no worries about getting laid off from work - as did all the other people. They lived the "american dream" in a country that is considered 3rd world.

 

Stalin had a great life too.

And Castro... he's a gazillionaire!

 

LOL "millions" of homeless people? Where do you get this figure from?

 

You don't believe that?

 

It depends on your definition of homeless. I used to be couchsurfing a lot when I first left my parents house, but I don't really consider that homeless

 

There's nothing wrong with capitalism, the same as there is nothing wrong if you choose not to be poor for the rest of your life.

 

Exactly. I feel bad for the homeless and usually end up caughing up some change here and there, but it needs to be made clear that a quick shower and a shave can land you a job at McD's. Hell that is where I started.

 

Many homeless (actually a majority) are disabled.

And isn't that NICE!

And I believe ~30% of homeless people are veterans!

 

Good point. For those we actually need to do something I agree.

 

And you can't just say "They can go to a Shelter"

Sadly a lot of shelters (the majority that I know of although they are in major cities) can be quite dangerous and many homeless prefer their chances on the street.

There are a lot of organizations that are able to provide safe shelter. Places like http://www.citymission.org/

Yes, I know its a Christian organization but I believe they do really good work. They have a lot of requirements for those staying there but it creates a safe environment.

If Dominic sees this thread he can supply a lot of statistics whcih would be helful as my knowledge is only from my personal involvement in homeless organizations.

 

This brings me back to the whole discussion over the Red Cross. When I've lived in San Francisco, I knew some people who ran a non-profit organization on the side. They had a site and everything and were asking for donations here and there. They made about 3-4k + a week in donations. So what did they do with the money?

Once a week they opened a little place downtown for 2-3 hours and gave free coffee and bagels to the homeless.

They called it outreach bringing in volunteers.

The problem is not capitalism, but those who abuse it. Don't judge a society by those who take advantage of the system.