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This is the breakdown of capitalism as a resource-routing mechanism. On the one hand, a vital resource with much needed demand. On the other hand, someone havin

This is the breakdown of capitalism as a resource-routing mechanism. On the one hand, a vital resource with much needed demand. On the other hand, someone having to throw that resource away at a cost. I'm pretty sure people starving would volunteer to take animals away, but after the whole process was optimized to the cents before the crisis, there is just no room for flexibility during the crisis.

digi59404 6y ago
This isn't capitalism. Capitalism would mean that instead of culling these animals, The farms would be able to butcher and sell the resources to people nearby and far. But instead, They're prohibited from doing so by hundreds if not thousands of laws. This is more like Corporate-Capitalism, or Crony-Capitalism, or I don't even know. But it's not just Capitalism.
YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago
I'm not sure whether it's capitalism at fault here, or not. For example, the EU is far from a communist utopia but so far I haven't heard anything about farm animals being culled over here. That's certainly not because we lack industrial farming. I don't pretend to understand how industrial farming processes work and I wouldn't be surprised if the same news surfaces about the EU soon, but so far that's not been on the radar. So it's still possible that two capitalist economies can manage their resources in different ways. To be honest I think we should also challenge the assumption that capitalism is incompatible with sustainable production. For example, wikipedia tells me that "Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit". I think most people living in the West today would not consider private ownership and operation of the means of production to be directly responsible for, e.g. the destruction of the environment, or atrocities like the currently discussed cull of farm animals in the US. Different processes seem to be at play here. But I don't exactly have the knowledge to discuss this issue at depth. Edit: I'm 100% with you on the exasperation with the situation, whaterver caused it. It makes me want to pull my hair out just to think about it. People are starving and animals are being culled instead of being slaughtered to feed them. Because profit margins. That is the absolute pinnacle of stupidity.

digi59404 6y ago

This isn't capitalism. Capitalism would mean that instead of culling these animals, The farms would be able to butcher and sell the resources to people nearby and far. But instead, They're prohibited from doing so by hundreds if not thousands of laws. This is more like Corporate-Capitalism, or Crony-Capitalism, or I don't even know. But it's not just Capitalism.

YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago

I'm not sure whether it's capitalism at fault here, or not. For example, the EU is far from a communist utopia but so far I haven't heard anything about farm animals being culled over here. That's certainly not because we lack industrial farming. I don't pretend to understand how industrial farming processes work and I wouldn't be surprised if the same news surfaces about the EU soon, but so far that's not been on the radar. So it's still possible that two capitalist economies can manage their resources in different ways. To be honest I think we should also challenge the assumption that capitalism is incompatible with sustainable production. For example, wikipedia tells me that "Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit". I think most people living in the West today would not consider private ownership and operation of the means of production to be directly responsible for, e.g. the destruction of the environment, or atrocities like the currently discussed cull of farm animals in the US. Different processes seem to be at play here. But I don't exactly have the knowledge to discuss this issue at depth. Edit: I'm 100% with you on the exasperation with the situation, whaterver caused it. It makes me want to pull my hair out just to think about it. People are starving and animals are being culled instead of being slaughtered to feed them. Because profit margins. That is the absolute pinnacle of stupidity.