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Why are folks so anti-capitalist? (programming.dev)

submitted 1 year ago by o_o@programming.dev to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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Hi all,

I'm seeing a lot of hate for capitalism here, and I'm wondering why that is and what the rationale behind it is. I'm pretty pro-capitalism myself, so I want to see the logic on the other side of the fence.

If this isn't the right forum for a political/economic discussion-- I'm happy to take this somewhere else.

Cheers!

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[–] someguy3@lemmy.ca 27 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (16 children)

It's not a side effect, it's an effect. It's a feature. If companies could, they would externalize everything they could. Including paying workers as little as they can (or not at all, see slavery), or externalizing the health problems with the work (see radium girls), etc, etc,

What you place as failure of the governing body is actually a success of the lobbying industry. You know, capitalism.

By the way capitalism wants no governing body. You are putting in a factor (govt) which unfettered capitalism does not want to have and (effectively) actively tries to get rid of. And the fun part is you ascribe the failures of capitalism to the government. Funny how that works, huh.

[–] o_o@programming.dev -1 points 1 year ago (8 children)

It’s not a side effect, it’s an effect. It’s a feature. If companies could, they would externalize everything they could. Including paying workers as little as they can (or not at all, see slavery), or externalizing the health problems with the work (see radium girls), etc, etc,

Right, but they can't! That's the whole point of capitalism! Slavery is the pinnacle of anti-capitalism, because slaves don't own their own capital! It's explicitly not capitalist.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Holy mental gymnastics, Batman

[–] o_o@programming.dev -1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Please explain-- what gymnastics?

Wikipedia definition of capitalism:

Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit.

If slaves don't have private ownership.... then they're not living under a capitalist system. Right? What am I missing?

[–] brandon@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Slaves don't have private ownership of their capital (that is, their own labor)... because someone else does.

Most "free" workers, in terms of capital, own only their own labor.

Capitalists own the majority of the capital--land, equipment, intellectual property, etc.

A system where the workers own the capital (aka the means of production) is socialism.

[–] Hexadecimalkink@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago

You're being disingeneous. You're a troll.

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