Renewable Revolution

Quote from: Eddie on November 30, 2018, 12:43:50 pm

In real socialism, or communism, the bureaucrats get all the goodies. Cuba is a case in point.

So it's better that Eddie Lampert, Carl Icahn and Jamie Dimon get all the Goodies?  

RE

Good one. 👍

You see, RE, the issue with Capitalist Ideology is not so much WHO gets the goodies. Capitalist Ideologues are basically immune to being convinced of the LACK of merit of Capitalism. Any other type of economic system credited with attempting to reduce inequality in society will always be mocked as a scam.

Captalist ideology, of course, requires the demonization of any system (e.g. Socialism) that attempts to reduce greed based inequality. However, all the endlessly and boringly repeated "evidence" presented "justifying" Capitalism as the "best" system is not really what drives the Capitalist to vigorously defend Capitalist Ideology (often by vigorously attacking egalitarian Ideologies like Socialism).

What drives the CAPITALIST iDEOLOGY IS not PROFIT.   

What drives the Capitalist Ideology is a (flawed) World View. But, but, aren't Capitalists all aout profit?



NOPE.

Here's a clue to what is behind the diamond hard ideological shell Capitalists surround themselves with that prevents them from objectively measuring the merits of egalitarian economic systems like Socialism.

"Capitalist ideology claims that the world is perfectly ordered and everybody is in their place (i..e. everybody gets what they deserve). This self legitmating aspect of Capitalism is Socially Catastrophic. This is the Victorian view of the world." Rob Urie - Author " Zen Economics"

IOW, Capitalist WORLD VIEW, which I once mistakenly shared, embodies a firm belief  that human relations are governed by pecking order. This half truth morphs, in the Capitalist's mind, into accepting that the most predatory, aggressive, intelligent, manipulative, etc. (you get the idea - might is right and morality is for the weak) will ALWAYS rise to the top of the pecking order heap, no matter what the economic system. SO, since most people who buy this Malthusean World View do not consider themselves at the totally consciense free "ideal" elite level of pecking order, they ask themselves how best they can survive, and possibly thrive, in this jungle.

They look at Socialism and expect (see: Predatory Pecking Order World View) that everybody is going to have gooberment breathing down their necks while the "big boys rake it in at the top". They look at Capitalism where everybody is getting shafted, more or less, by the big boys raking it in at the top, BUT, there is theoretically more freedom from gooberment "interference" at the middle class level.

SO, they defend Capitalism, "with all its warts". 

The incorrect premise (Pecking Order justifies predatory behavior in humans) leads to the biosphere destroying behavior that Capitalists wittingly (and often unwittingly) engage in, to the detriment of our species.

The correct World View is that humans are social beings. No, we are not like the bees and ants, which are, for all practical purposes, species instinctively 100% Socialist. But, we are certainly NOT "lone individuals in competition for resources with our family, friends, peer group, etc.". That's the PECKING ORDER WORLD VIEW that "justifies" ANTI-Social behavior because "if you don't do it, somebody else will run over you to do it".

All the other (Predatory Pecking Order, Social Darwinist Ideology based) claims about varying intelligence levels, natural differences in human skill and ability that are "penalized" by Socialism, the alleged Socialst hindrence to greater economic prosperity based on education, experience, etc. are ALL realities that can certainly be accommodated in an EMPATHY BASED EGALITARIAN economic system like SOCIALISM.

Soviet Style "Socialism" was NOT TRUE SOCIALISM. Neither is Cuba's "Socialism". WHY? Because it simply replaced the Owner BOSS/Employee WORKER PECKING ORDER with the Commissar BOSS/Comrad WORKER PECKING ORDER.

THAT is why anarchists called the Soviet (FAILED) Experiment, STATE CAPITALISM.

In many places in the world today there are Socialist organizations that work as they should. They are called COOPs. The Manufactured Home Park I live in is now becomming an R.O.C. (Resident Owned Community). We will ALWAYS limit how much you can sell your home and lot for to make SURE that prices remain within the reach of the middle class to poor American Family who wants a home. We will take care of the grounds and we will ALL continue to pay the same "rent", whether we are on the board of directors or not.

THAT is how SOCIALISM WORKS. We are making our little portion of American society more stable, more secure and more environmentally conscious. If this happened all over the world, humanity would have a fighting chance to REALISTICALLY deal with making sure that EVERYBODY pays their fair share of ALL COSTS in order to mitigate Catastrophic Climate Change. There is NO CHANCE of that happening in a Capitalist World Economy.

Getting back to our (FAILED) version of Capitalism, here is just one of a video series that lays out the incredibly creative level of BOLD FACED BULLSHIT that Capitalism defending economists have engaged in to explain the "rationality" of CAPITALIST CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, that continues UNABATED today, which is methodically destroying the world economy through increasing, totally unjustified, inequality:



November 24, 2018

Prof. Bill Black’s talk at the forum, “Destroying the Myths of Market Fundamentalism,” held in Washington DC, on October 19, 2018


Series: Destroying the Myths of Market Fundamentalism

Ralph Nader: Destroying the Myths of Market Fundamentalism

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Antitrust and How Kleptocracy Corrupts What Markets are Supposed to do Well

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The Virtues and Limits of Markets

https://therealnews.com/stories/how-fraud-corrodes-weak-market-regulations-governed-by-market-fundamentalism