Capitalism Doesn’t Work

[Rhyfelwyr]

It is true, capitalism is creating an increasingly wide economic gap between the rich and poor, and everything in between. Everybody lazily buys into the narrative that life is, for the most part, getting better. The reality is that it is not. There is a massive underclass, especially in the UK, which live in such a state of economic helplessness, political apathy, social collapse and general hopelessness, that has not been witnessed since the advent of industrialisation.

What is remarkable about this current situation is the lack of awareness that such an underclass exists, at least on the scale that it does. We're talking about 33% of households in Scotland's biggest city where not a single person is working. Try telling them that capitalism is working. Or maybe the people in parts of Glasgow who can expect to live to 54. People are unaware of these things because the Thatcherite consensus of recent decades has completely eradicated all traces of the working-classes from civil society, from politics, from media representation. Thus, all political debate, whether you are a liberal-lefty Guardian reader or a UKIP Daily Mail type, is based on certain axioms that only hold true from those in the middle-classes or the working working-classes that actually have any stake in society. No party feels the need to tailor its policies to protect the poorest in society, because these people are so isolated from the political system and from civic society in general that they do not engage in it.

Capitalists of all shades are just as guilty of supporting this system - I do not care if you are neoliberal or social democrat; I am aware of nuance but when it comes to the bigger picture you are all the same to me. Hence why even though I hate Westminster, I have no sympathy for the social democratic platform of the SNP and such (English equivalent would be Lid Dems I guess). They get a lot of support from the sort of 'working-class who made it in life' types (which I believe are a new sort of 'Essex Man'), who are so drunk on their own success and their confidence in civic society and their narrative of social progress, that they thought it would be a bit of riveting, light-hearted fun to demolish several blocks of the most deprived housing areas to open the Commonwealth Games. Yes, truly showing a care and compassion towards those at the bottom - and these are the people who think they stick up for the poor against the Tory establishment, and who ramble on about how Scotland's sense of social justice makes it different from England, LOL!

This is the vision of the new, bold, confident Scotland - where you are told you are a problem and the destruction of your life is reduced to entertainment for the sort of middle-class young Turks that can afford to attend the live screening and work themselves into a drunken frenzy as your life is blown apart in front of them.

OK I got a bit off topic but apply the above to social democracy and you get my point. Capitalism of all shades isn't working.

[HopAlongBunny]

But, but...what about "trickle down" economics and the "shower of gold" from the top of the fountain!?

[Sarmatian]

But, but...what about "trickle down" economics and the "shower of gold" from the top of the fountain!?

You know you invite peeing jokes, right?

Must... control... the... urge...

Ahhhh, what the heck

[Fisherking]

But, but...what about "trickle down" economics and the "shower of gold" from the top of the fountain!?

Obviously there is a serious plumbing problem. And the is getting pretty deep.

[Strike For The South]

The idea that any economic system will save is stupid

[Greyblades]

A theory: is the end result of unrestricted capitalism; feudalism?

[Montmorency]

Feudalism? Maybe something like it, but only transitionally.

Transitionally between our contemporary way of life, and the disintegration of our civilization into fragmented high-tech enclaves and scattered subsistence-level villages.

But there are other (apocalyptic) factors at work, so we won't see that happen, I don't think.

[Ironside]

A theory: is the end result of unrestricted capitalism; feudalism?

No. Neo-Feudalism would require that the goverment gives up the monopoly of violence to the companies (that creates their own fiefdoms). That can happen (look up early industrialism), but it's not a default. Feudalism also that the companies are formally obliged to the goverment/supercompany/whatever that are higher up. Companies taxing their workers and paying the company tax to the higher ups would be a sort of neo-feudalism, but there's no drive for that structure.

Capitalism as a concept wasn't even invented until after feudalism had became obsolete. Many concepts only survive for a limited time.

[Montmorency]

First of all, shoutout to drone for posting that study.

Capitalism as a concept wasn't even invented until after feudalism had became obsolete.

Well, modern rationalized capitalism, yes. But capitalism in the sense of the exchange of goods has existed since even before agriculture.