This isn’t just true of capitalism. Greed and laziness exists in most economic systems.
Comment on Astounding absurdity
CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 3 months ago
One of the worst things about Capitalism is that many a time it’s cheaper to do the wrong thing, than the right thing. It promotes doing the wrong thing.
reddig33@lemmy.world 3 months ago
BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
A lot of people misunderstand economic systems by anthropomorphizing (it means to give them human characteristics) them, giving them the illusion of thought or feeling.
Capitalism doesn’t care at all about humans, it’s not human, it doesn’t think, it doesn’t feel. It has no concept of right or wrong.
Capitalism says “what is most profitable”, do that. If killing someone to make money is the most profitable, it’s supposed to go ahead and do it, and it absolutely DOES already do this on a daily basis.
Now clearly, that’s going to give us some really fucking bad outcomes from a human perspective. So government regulation is how we attempt to prevent corporations from doing these bad things.
If we tell a company: “if you kill people it will cost $X” and $X would reduce their profit below “most profitable” they will stop doing it.
If we want to fix the bad stuff corporations are doing, simply put a larger cost on those things. It’s that simple. Pollution, Safety, Health, whatever… price the negative externalities (economic speak for bad things humans don’t want) properly and the market will sort itself out.
running_ragged@lemmy.world 3 months ago
The part where it goes right off the rails however, it seems now that its cheaper to buy and own the politicians, and buy and own the media to manufacture consent to kill these regulations than it is to operate responsibly. Which seems to be right around where we are now.
CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 months ago
The thing is, it always has been. Regulations slowly bubble up over the decades anyway, so that’s nice. The only question is how much damage happens in the meantime.
BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
I don’t disagree.
abbadon420@lemm.ee 3 months ago
Ho there pardner!
You’re saying that capitalism isn’t inherently evil and it serves an actual purpose? That capitalism itself doesn’t destroy the world, but an improper use of the system is to blame? And might even imply that there is a way to keep using the old, familiar capitalistic systems without extorting the working class and stripping the world of every last resource?
BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
Unsarcastically, yes.
Capitalism can be great, if given the correct regulations to improve quality of life for everyone.
CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 months ago
I think that’s your point, but yes. Well, assuming capitalism = markets. Sometimes capitalism = the ultra rich, which are way harder to justify without resorting to just-so stories.
CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Just in case that was directed at me, versus part of your overall opining, I do not.
It’s an economic and social system, ‘Bartering 2.0’, and not a mechanical or otherwise thing.
Good opinion piece over all though.
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BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
Yea, was more of a general take. Thanks.