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The only real way out is to abandon conventional capitalism. Corporations are getting TOO good at extracting wealth out of citizens and leaving them with less

The only real way out is to abandon conventional capitalism. Corporations are getting TOO good at extracting wealth out of citizens and leaving them with less and less ability to gain wealth of their own. The slip knots are getting tighter and stronger with time because the system is designed by those most likely to benefit from this socio-economic structure.

mseebach 15y ago
The financial sector is by far the most heavily regulated and protected across the entire western world. There is nothing "conventional" about that brand of "capitalism". Show me a corporation that's "TOO good at extracting wealth out of citizens and leaving them with less and less ability to gain wealth of their own" and I'll show you a corporation that's in bed with the political system.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- wavephorm 15y ago
  And look no further than the many cartels that have been erected: oil, telecom, healthcare, energy, and of course banking & finance. These industries are held together by the government and the laws are written to keep competitors out at every scale.
  - dereg 15y ago
    You've nailed it. I disagree, however, with your labeling that as "conventional capitalism". That's crony capitalism, and always has been. As they say, capitalists hate capitalism.
  - mseebach 15y ago
    My point is that pointing the anger at corporations without equally blaming government won't fix anything.
ddw 15y ago
Some would say that this is exactly how capitalism is supposed to lead and that we're in the late stages now. It optimizes and creates new products/markets until it eats itself. If these protests continue to build, I can see them as really creating an anti-consumerism sentimentality that could lead to an entire new form of public commons. The whole OWS movement is based upon sharing information and resources and even if it doesn't "scale" well, this is how a lot of kids that grew up on the internet think. More so, the recent financial crisis made a lot of people realize that their stuff doesn't define them and that there's more to life, like creating things. They're angry because they're sick of getting fucked over, that they want to be able to afford health care and raise a family in a nice home, not that they want to someday be able to buy a yacht and a bunch of jewelry. The fact that the movement is organized and growing without a clear set of demands makes me think that (hopefully) we're leading to a new collectivism that still allows for individual expression. In my town I've experienced a lot of people from varying viewpoints to discussing the big issues and being respectful about it like never before. Honestly, the more this grows the more excited I become for the future of this country and world.

mseebach 15y ago

The financial sector is by far the most heavily regulated and protected across the entire western world. There is nothing "conventional" about that brand of "capitalism". Show me a corporation that's "TOO good at extracting wealth out of citizens and leaving them with less and less ability to gain wealth of their own" and I'll show you a corporation that's in bed with the political system.

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
wavephorm 15y ago
And look no further than the many cartels that have been erected: oil, telecom, healthcare, energy, and of course banking & finance. These industries are held together by the government and the laws are written to keep competitors out at every scale.
- dereg 15y ago
  You've nailed it. I disagree, however, with your labeling that as "conventional capitalism". That's crony capitalism, and always has been. As they say, capitalists hate capitalism.
- mseebach 15y ago
  My point is that pointing the anger at corporations without equally blaming government won't fix anything.

ddw 15y ago

Some would say that this is exactly how capitalism is supposed to lead and that we're in the late stages now. It optimizes and creates new products/markets until it eats itself. If these protests continue to build, I can see them as really creating an anti-consumerism sentimentality that could lead to an entire new form of public commons. The whole OWS movement is based upon sharing information and resources and even if it doesn't "scale" well, this is how a lot of kids that grew up on the internet think. More so, the recent financial crisis made a lot of people realize that their stuff doesn't define them and that there's more to life, like creating things. They're angry because they're sick of getting fucked over, that they want to be able to afford health care and raise a family in a nice home, not that they want to someday be able to buy a yacht and a bunch of jewelry. The fact that the movement is organized and growing without a clear set of demands makes me think that (hopefully) we're leading to a new collectivism that still allows for individual expression. In my town I've experienced a lot of people from varying viewpoints to discussing the big issues and being respectful about it like never before. Honestly, the more this grows the more excited I become for the future of this country and world.