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As Schumpeter argued, capitalism enables its own enemies. Under socialism, the critics would be too busy trying to get the next meal to theorize critiques of ca

As Schumpeter argued, capitalism enables its own enemies. Under socialism, the critics would be too busy trying to get the next meal to theorize critiques of capitalism. Despite our serious problems, we've never had it so good as in the last half century. We certainly would be worse off under any other economic system. Unfortunately, this is a generation that gets most of their civic awareness from Hollywood, social media, and a homogenously leftist intelligentsia. Throw in a crisis and some stagnation, and is it really any wonder that young people hold such preposterous views?

devishard 10y ago
> Under socialism, the critics would be too busy trying to get the next meal to theorize critiques of capitalism. Under capitalism in America there are plenty of people too busy trying to get the next meal than to do anything else. People in socialist Scandinavia are generally doing better.
- hodwik2 10y ago
  >" there are plenty of people too busy trying to get the next meal than to do anything else." Incredible that they have on average 6 hours per day to watch television, given how busy you say they are.
  - devishard 10y ago
    What is incredible is that you can't conceive of how an average of six hours of TV watching might allow for many people to watch zero hours of television. But since you brought it up, maybe you should look into what kind of people watch >6 hours of television per day.
    - hodwik 10y ago
      Poor people, which was exactly my point. http://www.marketplace.org/2013/11/04/wealth-poverty/income-upshot/behind-data-tv-viewing-and-income http://www.marketplace.org/2013/11/04/wealth-poverty/income-...
      - devishard 10y ago
        Poor people who are poor because they can't find jobs?
        hodwik 10y ago
        Maybe they shouldn't be watching six hours of TV a day then.
    - dang 10y ago
      Please stop posting uncivil and/or unsubstantive comments to HN.
      - devishard 10y ago
        hodwik is calling the entire poor class lazy. If being uncivil is something that's not allowed here, then why isn't he being reprimanded for being uncivil to an entire class of people?
        deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]
- durandal1 10y ago
  No country in Scandinavia has socialism, it's a mostly liberal states with extensive welfare programs.
dragonwriter 10y ago
> Under socialism, the critics would be too busy trying to get the next meal to theorize critiques of capitalism. Obviously untrue. Even under Leninism and its offshoots (and leaving aside whether or not those are actually socialism) people (not the same people) were able to develop both new critiques of capitalism and critiques of the system that they were living under (in the latter case, this was a dangerous act, but people did it nevertheless.)
swordswinger12 10y ago
My god, you're so right - any criticism of capitalism is indeed preposterous! You should write a strongly-worded letter to the author of the article to set her straight.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
plandis 10y ago
What's preposterous about it? Minimum wage is less now than its been in 50 years. Do you really think that your average person has it better now? It's hard to get into a trade and your only other route is college which will put you in debt. Then once you have a degree you have to actually get a good job. This doesn't even get into the fact that normal people are competing against people with wealth for the same coveted spots in colleges. That typically means better high schools, more opportunities, less debt (parents can cover). It's not surprising to see why younger people are upset. They economically don't have it as good as their parents! It's easy for most of us to simply write off these people as lazy, stupid, whatever. But, we often forget how much easier we had it and just how much luck plays into things. Shouldn't we be trying to find a solution where people don't need luck to make it?
- wfoweoi 10y ago
  I think if you had a time machine and went back 50 years you would quickly realize all the things you're taking for granted that we have now. Right now is the best time ever for humanity. The thing about capitalism is you need to find a path that lies in the intersection of your abilities and what the world wants. Unfortunately in the US the default path is getting a college degree in whatever - and we're continuing to funnel young people down that path even though the world no longer wants generic college graduates. College may still be a good path, but pick your major carefully based on empirical salary data and consider how long it will take you to pay back your tuition.

devishard 10y ago

> Under socialism, the critics would be too busy trying to get the next meal to theorize critiques of capitalism. Under capitalism in America there are plenty of people too busy trying to get the next meal than to do anything else. People in socialist Scandinavia are generally doing better.

hodwik2 10y ago
>" there are plenty of people too busy trying to get the next meal than to do anything else." Incredible that they have on average 6 hours per day to watch television, given how busy you say they are.
- devishard 10y ago
  What is incredible is that you can't conceive of how an average of six hours of TV watching might allow for many people to watch zero hours of television. But since you brought it up, maybe you should look into what kind of people watch >6 hours of television per day.
  - hodwik 10y ago
    Poor people, which was exactly my point. http://www.marketplace.org/2013/11/04/wealth-poverty/income-upshot/behind-data-tv-viewing-and-income http://www.marketplace.org/2013/11/04/wealth-poverty/income-...
    - devishard 10y ago
      Poor people who are poor because they can't find jobs?
      - hodwik 10y ago
        Maybe they shouldn't be watching six hours of TV a day then.
  - dang 10y ago
    Please stop posting uncivil and/or unsubstantive comments to HN.
    - devishard 10y ago
      hodwik is calling the entire poor class lazy. If being uncivil is something that's not allowed here, then why isn't he being reprimanded for being uncivil to an entire class of people?
      - deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]
durandal1 10y ago
No country in Scandinavia has socialism, it's a mostly liberal states with extensive welfare programs.

dragonwriter 10y ago

> Under socialism, the critics would be too busy trying to get the next meal to theorize critiques of capitalism. Obviously untrue. Even under Leninism and its offshoots (and leaving aside whether or not those are actually socialism) people (not the same people) were able to develop both new critiques of capitalism and critiques of the system that they were living under (in the latter case, this was a dangerous act, but people did it nevertheless.)

swordswinger12 10y ago

My god, you're so right - any criticism of capitalism is indeed preposterous! You should write a strongly-worded letter to the author of the article to set her straight.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

plandis 10y ago

What's preposterous about it? Minimum wage is less now than its been in 50 years. Do you really think that your average person has it better now? It's hard to get into a trade and your only other route is college which will put you in debt. Then once you have a degree you have to actually get a good job. This doesn't even get into the fact that normal people are competing against people with wealth for the same coveted spots in colleges. That typically means better high schools, more opportunities, less debt (parents can cover). It's not surprising to see why younger people are upset. They economically don't have it as good as their parents! It's easy for most of us to simply write off these people as lazy, stupid, whatever. But, we often forget how much easier we had it and just how much luck plays into things. Shouldn't we be trying to find a solution where people don't need luck to make it?

wfoweoi 10y ago
I think if you had a time machine and went back 50 years you would quickly realize all the things you're taking for granted that we have now. Right now is the best time ever for humanity. The thing about capitalism is you need to find a path that lies in the intersection of your abilities and what the world wants. Unfortunately in the US the default path is getting a college degree in whatever - and we're continuing to funnel young people down that path even though the world no longer wants generic college graduates. College may still be a good path, but pick your major carefully based on empirical salary data and consider how long it will take you to pay back your tuition.