Sharks
Does there exist a country, where the "corporate raider" mentality doesn't dominate?
I'm all for capitalism, and making a buck, but I'm just wondering if it's possible to have a fully functioning society that isn't greased by a bunch of Weinstein's, or something out of Wolf of Wall Street.
You know, a drive for personal success, without the ridiculous excesses or sociopathy...
Originally posted by Surtur
Don't you ever get my hopes up for a shark related thread again.
😆 Somehow, this makes the thread worth it.
Hmm, I just thought of a better thesis.. Here goes:
Does Capitalism HAVE to look like a rat race? Is it possible to have a prosperous nation that doesn't look like one?
If so, can you point out some examples?
Originally posted by cdtm
😆 Somehow, this makes the thread worth it.Hmm, I just thought of a better thesis.. Here goes:
Does Capitalism HAVE to look like a rat race? Is it possible to have a prosperous nation that doesn't look like one?
If so, can you point out some examples?
Take the money out of policy making and we MIGHT have a chance. Stop letting the govt pick winners and losers when it comes to business.
Find a way to enact those two things and we might have a "fairer" set of rules for capitalism to function in the USA.
Your question is akin of like asking if it's possible to have a government that doesn't enforce any rules (the answer is no, for any who are curious). By definition, Capitalism is a rat-race. A competition, more specifically. It only works BECAUSE most of the players are losers.
If everyone was financially successful today, the capitalist society would collapse by tomorrow.
Originally posted by cdtmThis is the problem I have with 'true' libertarianism, or any belief system that claims to favour the ultimate and unrestricted freedom of the 'individual'. It essentially allows for whoever becomes extremely wealthy to then subjugate and create poor people through economic tyranny to keep their success stable. In the end it doesn't help the 'individual' because society is (who'da thunk it) made up of individuals, and if every individual doesn't have the chance to be successful then the system doesn't work.
Does there exist a country, where the "corporate raider" mentality doesn't dominate?I'm all for capitalism, and making a buck, but I'm just wondering if it's possible to have a fully functioning society that isn't greased by a bunch of Weinstein's, or something out of Wolf of Wall Street.
You know, a drive for personal success, without the ridiculous excesses or sociopathy...
I don't understand how people who believe in this system actually think that it works, because it relies entirely on the goodwill of the successful to keep society from turning into an economic oligarchy (which is seen, as far as I can tell, in all of western society).
The extreme flip side to this, of course, is hard socialism, where the individual is stopped from achieving too much so as not to outbalance any other individual, which is also something I disagree with, as it can also easily (and more noticeably) turn into tyranny.
Essentially, if people are not 'good' (e.g. people willing to lift up the people around them and society at large, people who actually have a conscience), then true 'freedom' doesn't work because, just like with anarchism, somebody will use this 'freedom' to limit other people's freedom by creating new sets of rules that primarily work in their favour.
This is why I find myself leaning towards higher taxes for the rich so as to pay for social programs necessary to poorer classes. I don't see that as a breach of their freedom as they are still able to live lives of luxury, but not at the expense of society at large. If society doesn't work for every individual, then it doesn't work at all. Capitalism, if unrestricted, turns into an insidious form of tyranny, which like I say can be found in most, if not all, of western society.
It's a tricky thing to figure out, but if neither side can come up with something I agree with, then I'll continue to disagree with both opinions until one of them finds something that works. It's something I've found myself thinking about a lot recently, as I heavily disagree with those who 'cuck' for the rich by claiming that bullshit like 'Trickle-Down Economics' (which clearly, observably doesn't happen to any real degree) actually works, and I also heavily disagree with any society that doesn't allow its smartest and brightest (or most creative) to pursue their goals and dreams (wow, I actually almost agree with Ayn Rand on something).
So to answer your question: ...er, I dunno. Sorry. It all depends on whether people can get their shit sorted, really. Do you think that'll happen? I personally doubt it. We'll probably just have to deal with one broken system or the other until we finally wipe ourselves out, likely with the rest of the planet.
Dynomite!
Originally posted by Tzeentch
Your question is akin of like asking if it's possible to have a government that doesn't enforce any rules (the answer is no, for any who are curious). By definition, Capitalism is a rat-race. A competition, more specifically. It only works BECAUSE most of the players are losers.If everyone was financially successful today, the capitalist society would collapse by tomorrow.
^
This guy nailed it. The ones at the top are there because they're standing on the broken backs of the masses.
Stronger Licensing / Legislation
Government (Public) Ownership of Infrastructure & Companies in:
Transport - Rail - Air - Road
Telecomunications
Media
Commodities Trading
Manufacturing
Education - Public Funded Universites
When the government (public) has a hand in a sector its a lot tougher for the sector (private equity) to extort the market.
With some sectors its more obvious than others eg: Water Treatment, City Water Supply, The very boring and expensive task of actually maintaing Roads and Railways instead of just taking money for tickets recording great profits and watching everything crumble.
With commodities, I've seen it happen, its very useful for there to be Public Companies which buy up a percentage of Futures in say: Wheat or Natural Gas to insulate the market from private equity and shenanigans from foreign governments: YMMV.
In countries where people make an art out of not paying taxes, Public Companies are a great way for the Government to get the cash it needs to run smoothly - This way if people are avoiding paying tax - they get to pay it anyway through what would have been the 'profit' component of their house electricity bill.
In a lot of countries, having public companies would help public / policy makers see through BS from corporate lobbyists.