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Capitalism is at odds with democracy. Democracy is about representing all of us equally whereas capitalism is about some people getting more than others.
by drewcoo 5y ago
Capitalism is at odds with democracy. Democracy is about representing all of us equally whereas capitalism is about some people getting more than others.
- toss1 5y agoNo First, Capitalism is vastly more compatible with democracy than is Autocracy. Second, while the basis of Capitalism is a "Free Market(TM)", in reality, there is no free market - any market must be regulated in order to exist, whether the regulations are informal moral and ethical codes or formal sets of commercial laws and regulations that require large trucks to haul the full set (as in the US), and a set of courts to enforce them, or a combination of both. What you are indicating as the problem for capitalism in relation to democracy is actually a problem of some implementations of democracy, which is regulatory and legislative capture by corporate interests. THAT has a serious possibility to get out of hand, undermine democracy, and exacerbate inequality. No question, better tools are needed to reduce the influence of corporations in the democracy, but eliminating capitalism will not do that - what you will get is something like the old Soviet state, which sucked far worse than any capitalist state.
- pastacacioepepe 5y agoAnd yet, every time democracy votes out capitalism, fascism intervenes to protect the capital. The capital gladly renounces democracy in order to protect its interests. This happened literally every time. The only way you get rid of capitalism is with a revolution. They won't allow you to vote it away.
- toss1 5y agoYes, that often happens. Perhaps you should look at the history and governments of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It was a very hard fight, with violence, but it was achieved. We can also notice that the Nordics aren't exactly hotbeds of growth, although there seems to be no shortage of innovation there. Yes, it is a damn hard balance to achieve, and harder to maintain. Yes, many of the capitalists will happily turn towards fascist-like tendencies. The key is to dial up the market regulation so that the excesses are curbed and to minimize (but not eliminate) inequality. Killing capitalism altogether by having the government own all the means of production is simply a recipe for disaster. IMO, the Nordic model is really the most sustainable.