this post was submitted on 04 Jan 2025
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[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Capitalism is a wealth based caste system, but kids aren't taught that in school so many don't connect the dots until they are in college.

If we don't want people to value wealth above everything else maybe we shouldn't have a system that also prioritizes profits above people, the planet, science and everything else.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (4 children)

First of all, thats completely off topic.

Secondly, unregulated Capitalism devolves into a caste system as a result of weakness of the democratic state's ability to self govern.

If a nation state has the complete authority over all labor and markets it likely isn't a very free nation, and all authoritarian nations also devolve into castes almost immediately with no recourse to push back.

If a nation state does not have complete authority then it will organically develop markets and therefor is a capitalism, anyways.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago

Even full state authority does not eliminate markets, it simply changes the participation. A lot of internet Communists get this wrong. Marx is pretty clear that the state only withers away when there is no more material scarcity. Unfortunately, instead of actually working towards that endpoint, we are stuck endlessly relitigating whether or not implementing a brutal dictatorship is a good way to liberate workers.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

There are non capitalistic economic systems that are also don't require state ownership and are non authoritarian. Literally just incentivizing worker owned coops is an example of how you can drastically shift the economic system without changing the political system. Markets =/= capitalism. The ability to hoard capital and thus power through private ownership is capitalism. I'm not saying that what i described is the perfect system, it's just an example of something possible outside of your argument.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Lol, no, there aren't any such systems currently in existence. No where on earth does that.

Worker owned coops have to compete with privately companies unless private companies are outlawed, but in that example the state is expressing absolute authority over how businesses are structured. If the state gives them the freedom, then capitalistic business structures such as privately owned businesses or publicly traded business with vastly disproportionate ownership shares will form.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Corporations only exist because the state exists...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] -1 points 4 days ago

Where does the legal fiction called a "corporation" derived rights from, and existence?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

the complete authority over all labor and markets it likely isn’t a very free nation, and all authoritarian nations also devolve into castes almost immediately with no recourse to push back.

Yes, that's an ok description of current reality under capitalism.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Capitalism cannot exist without a state ensuring the ruling class keeps being able to exploit the working class.

Otherwise, who secures land claims? Or other private property from being taken by the working class?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Without the state, use of force secures land claims, and corporations would be more than happy to release the hounds on the rest of us.

A democratic state is a collection of people, mostly workers, that forces the distribution of wealth and ideally equal rights in a court of law and protection of public lands.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 4 days ago

You just described capitalism, with a fully privatized state. Much like the system in the US...