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Buying things sucks now. This drives me nuts all the time and is one of many reasons I want a democratically planned economy. In addition to too many choices to
by 0x262d 7y ago
Buying things sucks now. This drives me nuts all the time and is one of many reasons I want a democratically planned economy. In addition to too many choices to meaningfully use, the vast majority of them are trying to essentially trick you into buying them. The drive for each glove (or whatever) manufacturer to increase profits causes them all to buy fake reviews, use cheap materials, imitate the style of the authentic, high quality ones... There is a persistent problem in clothing where whenever a brand gets a reputation for being good and not over-expensive, it is quietly bought out or switches to lower quality material in a year or two to cash in on its reputation. The same thing, of course, happens to the review sites (like the wirecutter) over time... It's hard to imagine the waste of resources that goes into this insane battle over the same purchases.
By contrast, if all the designers, manufacturers, and sellers were working not individually for their own profit, but for a salary (and intrinsic motivation) along consciously, democratically planned lines, we could have a rational and sane number of good quality gloves (etc) to choose from.
As Marx said, "In bourgeois societies the economic fiction prevails, that every one, as a buyer, possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of commodities." What is funny is he said that in about 1850.
- AnimalMuppet 7y agoHard pass. I admit the corruption (wasn't the FTC supposed to be about preventing false advertising?), but your alternative is worse. It won't actually be "democratically planned". It will be as democratic as a "democratic republic". It will be bureaucratically planned (by your salaried people). Historically, that has worked out badly. It hasn't worked out with the consumers being happier. Yeah, I know, "this time will be different, because we'll hire the right people". I'm very skeptical.
- dsego 7y agoAren't big corps not hierarchical bureaucracies anyway? Historically there were centrally planned economies. Nothing to say we can't organize things differently with collectives and worker's self management. "Consumers" might not be happier, but working people just might live a more fulfilling life.
- AnimalMuppet 7y agoBig corps were hierarchical bureaucracies, but they were replaceable. Let's say that GM messed up, and didn't build cars that people wanted to buy. Well, you could buy a Ford or a Chrysler instead. You could even buy a VW or a Honda. But if your central planning bureaucracy messes up, there's no way to bypass it to get what you want to buy. Or was your point that workers' fulfillment is more important than consumers' satisfaction? That might be a workers' paradise, but it's a lot less nice for the consumers. But the problem is that workers and consumers are the same people. I'm not sure that it would be a net win...
- dsego 7y agoBig corps are still hierarchical bureaucracies. They are replaceable in theory though not in practice. Funny that you mention car manufacturers which are consistently kept afloat by bailouts and subsidies in the current economy. VW can't go under, it would nosedive the economy of Germany and they would never let that happen. Workers without jobs aren't really good consumers.
- zozbot234 7y agoBig corps get replaced all the time. It's a slow process, but it's effective. And even if they aren't replaced outright, the management can be replaced if the board so decides - the top layer is in fact "democratically managed" by their stakeholders, to the extent feasible. The problem is that even then they're still big, with no market discipline operating within.
- 0x262d 7y agothis isn't a real distinction. people only displaced things like standard oil with a lot of outrage and after years.
- 0x262d 7y agothe argument is actually "this time it will be different because without material deprivation people will participate fully and democracy is oxygen to a planned economy, in contrast to Russia which was desperately impoverished when it started this".