Excellent and hard hitting Episode of the Common Weal Policy Podcast on profit extraction from Scotland. Yet another example of the fact that globalised #Capitalism benefits no one but the ultra rich.
The Common Weal Policy Podcast: Episode #209 - Profit and Politics
@thecommongreen Would one of your #Basque contacts be able to help you with an episode on it? What is the impact of Mondragon (and other workers' co-ops) on the Basque economy, and how do they compare for economic impact to #Capitalist enterprises of similar size? I cannot help but believe that #Cooperatives must benefit their home economy more, because more profit is retained locally.
I always find there’s an interesting parallel to be made between #christianism and #communism .
Does the fact that the inquisition and fascist contemporary evangelical churches exist make the teachings of sharing, non-violence, love and forgiveness wrong ?
Same for existence of gulags or state repression in USSR vs the possibility of a classless society not designed on exploitation and profits.
@Blinxeto@peterg75@Legit_Spaghetti@santiago
Well, #communism doesn't go against human nature. It aligns with our innate desire for cooperation, equality, and solidarity, which have been suppressed by #capitalist systems that prioritize profit and competition.
"But, if plenty for all is to become a reality, this immense capital — cities, houses, pastures,
arable lands, factories, highways, and education — must cease to be regarded as private property, for the monopolist to dispose of at his pleasure."
— Peter Kropotkin, The Conquest of Bread #communism#communist#capitalism#capitalist#socialism#socialist#workers
In a truly equitable society, exploitative #capitalist practices would cease to exist because wealth and resources would be collectively owned and distributed fairly among all members of society, rather than being concentrated in the hands of a few. Dismantling hierarchical structures, advocating for decentralized decision-making, and bringing class education and solidarity among the populace are crucial elements in challenging and ultimately overcoming the oppressive systems of #capitalism.
Just thought I'd call out this right-wing account I just came across that claims to be against the "cancer of Wokeism", whatever that's supposed to mean. It's concerning to see right-wing accounts targeting movements for social justice that advocate for marginalized groups and challenge systemic inequalities. These attacks reflect a broader attempt to silence dissent and maintain the status quo of #capitalist exploitation. If you want to block this account and domain I wouldn't blame you.
"You can't just talk and not listen...That's what the other side does." (#Obama). As if it wasn't what their own side did too. As if their wasn't any other side than these 2 billionaires-sponsored #capitalist shitty party. I think the only #US politician I can hear is #CornelWest (at least for what I know).
Wealth inequality is a result of the private ownership of the means of production, and a redistribution of resources is necessary to ensure equitable access and create genuine equality among all members of society. In a truly just society, resources would be collectively owned and managed democratically, ensuring that everyone's needs are met and no one is left behind due to economic disparities. #communism#communist#capitalism#capitalist#socialism#socialist#democracy
#Capitalism is exploitation. There's no way you can have a #capitalist system that doesn't exploit workers. Even if you try to make it more tolerable through policies and legislation, the inherent nature #workers having to work for those who exclusively own the means of production in order to survive will always be exploitative.
Don't just wallow in your misery over being the victim of exploitation by your boss and the #capitalist system. Wallowing won't solve your problems. Join your workplaces #union, and if your workplace doesn't have a union, then create one, because that's the only way you can win back your life from #capitalism and break the chains of #wageslavery.
@MissingThePt
Yes is does. If a bastard #cop spends 99% of their time protecting the stolen wealth and property of #capitalist and keeping the working class in a state of submission and spends 1% of their time seizing the property of a corrupt politician then they're still a bastard. #acab
The idea that it's justifiable to let unspeakable suffering within your community continue when you have enough excess (meaning losing it wouldn't affect your overall quality of life) resources to stop it, just because those resources "belong" to you and you shouldn't be expected to give them up unless you get something better in return, is absolutely the most selfish, morally bankrupt and evil foundation for a society that always leads to fascism eventually. #Capitalism
@freemo@Vincarsi
Concentrating wealth in the hands of a few individuals inherently creates systemic inequalities and power imbalances, regardless of any perceived meritocracy in wealth distribution, and charitable works and investments by the wealthy do not address the root causes of poverty and exploitation perpetuated by the #capitalist system.
> Concentrating wealth in the hands of a few individuals inherently creates systemic inequalities and power imbalances
While the word "systematic" is a bit nebulous here, and not too important, overall I'd say yes, this is true, it creates power imbalance, and that is a GOOD thing.
There should not be equal power, there should be power imbalance. People who have demonstrated they have produced the most utility for society should have more power than those who dont. This ensures those with a demonstrated track record of providing utility for society continue to maximize societies utility.
Now the important part, of course, is having the proper checks on those powers. A president has more power than a citizen, this is fine because we have checks on that presidents power, checks that (ideally) ensure that if that power is abused they loose that power.
> investments by the wealthy do not address the root causes of poverty
Agreed. I am not claiming that investments by the wealthy alone address the root cause of poverty. While having wealthy people in a society is a good thing I am in no way proposing it solves all of life's ills. I am also in no way claiming we should be without social programs. All countries in europe are capitalistic for example, most of which also include social welfare as part of their capitalist governance, and that is an important aspect of a healthy capitalist government, but must be done carefully to do right as well.
> exploitation perpetuated by the #capitalist system.
Capitalism doesnt exploit people. People exploit people. And if markets allow exploitation then they arent free markets, and therefore are not capitalist in nature.
PSA: Imagination is not just for kids. The idea that adults shouldn't day dream, play, and just generally using their imagination is, imo, a tool of #Capitalist socialization and #Oppression to stunt the growth of #Revolutionary movements.
To those who say "capitalism doesn't force people to do anything. They have free will", if someone put a gun to the head of someone, would that not be a use of force? And how would you feel if the gunman said "I'm not forcing you to do anything. You have the freewill not to give me your money." But if you don't then you'll die, just like the worker will die if they don't do what the capitalist says.
The capitalist ruling class uses propaganda, manipulation, and false promises to maintain control over the masses, just as the axe convinces the trees to vote for it despite the threat it poses. We need solidarity among the working class to counter and dismantle of hierarchical power structures that corrupt our minds and actions.
I just love it when #Activitypub is a walled garden. Who thought it was a good idea to only give the formatted HTML of each person's post? They contain internal links to the original instance, so they make a lot of sense if you want to lock someone in to the original instance, and draw others to it like flies to honey. There's no way to get the original text, and so I'm going to have to parse and undo things like <p><a href="https://pdx.social/tags/test" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag"><a class="mention hashtag" href="https://fedicy.us.to?t=<" rel="tag">#<</a>;span>test</span></a></p> if I don't want my instance linking to some other instance just for a hashtag.
This problem goes deep, in fact. HTML hyperlinks were always intended to be a #capitalist money trap. Ted Nelson's original Xanadu concept in the 60's would have you making a micropayment for every link you clicked, putting in an inherent incentive to trap you into clicking a given site's links, and make them moolah. The whole idea of a #URL is a location that someone owns, controls, and can charge #money for. A URI is the resource indicator for things other than that, but URLs were always about market control, by design.
Workers unite! Form unions to gain collective strength against bosses. Recognize that harm to one worker reflects the systemic exploitation affecting all workers. We have a world to win!
Property and Contract in #Economics: The Case for Economic Democracy by David Ellerman
This book makes 2 arguments.
The employment contract is the core of the #capitalism rather than private property
The employment contract is invalid because it violates #WorkersRights to #democracy in the firm. All firms should be structured as worker #coops for economic justice