3 ms·

Wealth isn't quite zero sum but it is adversarial. If someone has a lot of it they can use it against you. Use it to propagandize against your class interests,

Wealth isn't quite zero sum but it is adversarial. If someone has a lot of it they can use it against you. Use it to propagandize against your class interests, use it to manipulate the political environment to your detriment. The wealth may not be zero sum but the power it represents certainly can be. "How many people has he '''made successful'''" is a fuzzy and already biased metric, how do you decide on that one? Why not "how many people would have had a better job if not for his company" or "how many liters of urine in soda bottles because of his policies?" Wealth is concrete and measurable. People can differ on what exactly the consequences of wealth inequality are but I think nearly everyone will agree that it measures something worthwhile to know.

adriang133 3y ago
Ridiculous. The ONLY way to build wealth in a capitalist system is to provide value to other people. Case in point: Bezos and every other billionaire in the US. You are missing the point. The only way Bezos can take a cent from you is if you willingly give him the money. In contrast, in a socialist system, the government takes money from you regardless of whether you want to give it or not. Spoiler: no one wants to give it. Governments are 91283128391823918293819381x more evil than billionaires.
- giraffe_lady 3y ago
  It's revealing that in your stripped down little illustration it's just me and bezos. Bezos all alone, no one to help him, I just give him, personally, the money for the things I want. In my understanding labor is the resource billionaires extract their wealth from, worker exploitation is the mechanism they use to do it. Between the two of us I don't think I'm missing the point here. I've seen your point before but it's a red herring. Allowing power to accrue so dramatically to individuals is the problem, not whose micro-decisions allow them to claim a sliver more of it.
  - adriang133 3y ago
    Bezos wasn't holding guns to the heads of Amazon employees. To the contrary. The existence of Amazon created more demand for workers which resulted in more options for them, as well as better pay and working conditions. Where do you get your worker exploitation from? That is absolute nonsense.
    - giraffe_lady 3y ago
      ok

adriang133 3y ago

Ridiculous. The ONLY way to build wealth in a capitalist system is to provide value to other people. Case in point: Bezos and every other billionaire in the US. You are missing the point. The only way Bezos can take a cent from you is if you willingly give him the money. In contrast, in a socialist system, the government takes money from you regardless of whether you want to give it or not. Spoiler: no one wants to give it. Governments are 91283128391823918293819381x more evil than billionaires.

giraffe_lady 3y ago
It's revealing that in your stripped down little illustration it's just me and bezos. Bezos all alone, no one to help him, I just give him, personally, the money for the things I want. In my understanding labor is the resource billionaires extract their wealth from, worker exploitation is the mechanism they use to do it. Between the two of us I don't think I'm missing the point here. I've seen your point before but it's a red herring. Allowing power to accrue so dramatically to individuals is the problem, not whose micro-decisions allow them to claim a sliver more of it.
- adriang133 3y ago
  Bezos wasn't holding guns to the heads of Amazon employees. To the contrary. The existence of Amazon created more demand for workers which resulted in more options for them, as well as better pay and working conditions. Where do you get your worker exploitation from? That is absolute nonsense.
  - giraffe_lady 3y ago
    ok