5 ms·

Oh my god, I can't believe I just saw an unironic use of the "TVs and refrigerators" argument. Of course it was on HN.

tuna-piano 9y ago
Look at the poor in Bernie Sanders types economies in Venezuela or Cuba and tell me how many TVs they have. Maybe the US should be more like Denmark, maybe not. But when inequality comes up the socialists come out, so i make the point.
- croon 9y ago
  Bernie Sanders type economies are Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany, etc... I took your initial posts as a sound argument I disagree with, now I think you're trolling.
  - tuna-piano 9y ago
    I don’t ever hear Sanders saying one good thing about capitalism. I don’t hear his supporters saying anything nice about it easier- i really do feel like it needs defending. In 2011, Bernie Sanders explained that "These days, the American dream is more apt to be realized in South America, in places such as Ecuador, Venezuela and Argentina..." http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/bernie-sanders-jeremy-corbyn-and-the-starving-children-of-venezuela/article/2626078 http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/bernie-sanders-jeremy-corb...
    - croon 9y ago
      I'm more inclined to interpret that as an observation on the opportunity of upward mobility in the US rather than an appeal to mimic Venezuela. And as for capitalism, the core of it mandates a perfect information symmetry and rational actors, of which the latter is dependant on the former, and the former has never been actualised. The US (or any country really) doesn't have a fair capitalist market, nor does it need defending.
    - RepressedEmu 9y ago
      Most people don't jump up to "defend capitalism" because it is already the status quo in America. It is already being aptly defended by the oligarchy of big business that profit off of the inequality being discussed here. You argue in another comment that "you just want it to be said" that modern American poor are better off than the poor people in Laos in the 1800's. Congratulations, you've won that strawman argument. Now you should move on to how to solve the actual current problems of the modern poor and the hollowing out of the American middle class rather than wasting your breath defending the current status quo and arguing against improving people's lives. It might be a better use of brainpower.

Look at the poor in Bernie Sanders types economies in Venezuela or Cuba and tell me how many TVs they have. Maybe the US should be more like Denmark, maybe not. But when inequality comes up the socialists come out, so i make the point.

croon 9y ago
Bernie Sanders type economies are Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany, etc... I took your initial posts as a sound argument I disagree with, now I think you're trolling.
- tuna-piano 9y ago
  I don’t ever hear Sanders saying one good thing about capitalism. I don’t hear his supporters saying anything nice about it easier- i really do feel like it needs defending. In 2011, Bernie Sanders explained that "These days, the American dream is more apt to be realized in South America, in places such as Ecuador, Venezuela and Argentina..." http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/bernie-sanders-jeremy-corbyn-and-the-starving-children-of-venezuela/article/2626078 http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/bernie-sanders-jeremy-corb...
  - croon 9y ago
    I'm more inclined to interpret that as an observation on the opportunity of upward mobility in the US rather than an appeal to mimic Venezuela. And as for capitalism, the core of it mandates a perfect information symmetry and rational actors, of which the latter is dependant on the former, and the former has never been actualised. The US (or any country really) doesn't have a fair capitalist market, nor does it need defending.
  - RepressedEmu 9y ago
    Most people don't jump up to "defend capitalism" because it is already the status quo in America. It is already being aptly defended by the oligarchy of big business that profit off of the inequality being discussed here. You argue in another comment that "you just want it to be said" that modern American poor are better off than the poor people in Laos in the 1800's. Congratulations, you've won that strawman argument. Now you should move on to how to solve the actual current problems of the modern poor and the hollowing out of the American middle class rather than wasting your breath defending the current status quo and arguing against improving people's lives. It might be a better use of brainpower.