Brilliantly illustrated analysis of why Capatilism screws us.

[Darryl Webster]

http://www.kontraband.com/videos/23558/Crises-Of-Capitalism/#show

 

[usedtobefast]

http://www.kontraband.com/videos/23558/Crises-Of-Capitalism/#show

thanks for posting.

 

[Hairy Wheels]

Fantastic stuff...but then, if this were the 1950's in the US, I'd be blacklisted...so of course I'd like it!

 

[delbified]

started out well but then just descended into the usual.. "greedy people with all the money - it's their fault" argument.

 

[rhubroma]

started out well but then just descended into the usual.. "greedy people with all the money - it's their fault" argument.

No what's really so predictable are the apologists like yourself responding to the undeniable truth with: started out well but then just descended into the usual.. "greedy people with all the money - it's their fault" argument.

While we have been waiting for all these years for you to have come up with something better, something more intellectually sophisitcated (and honest). But evidently that's just not possible. The truth is that you can only try to justify the unjustifiable, namely that greedy people with all the money have been in fact been skrewing (and manipulating) society for years, with blank dismissive statements like that. Not having anything critical to say, that is useful to anything, you fall back on the negationist rhetoric. Despite all the evidence to the contraryin the form of colossal finacial cracks, political corruption, economic and ideological wars, etc., you refuse to be persuaded otherwise. And thus you make blind faith, like relgion, of a system which has objectively caused the grave imballances that have produced the utterly chaotic state in which the world exists today. Has made a small percentage of the population bloated on their weath, while everybody else starves (in many places around the globbe not just metaphorically speaking).

"The truth is always revolutionary." - Antonio Gramsci. (And consequently something to be annihilated by those who reign supreme over the masses. Even by the democratic powers.)

 

[Dewulf]

started out well but then just descended into the usual.. "greedy people with all the money - it's their fault" argument.

like the above post, I also don't think you give enough credit. There was a lot of cool interesting detail, enough to really make you think, if you had the guts and the curiosity to do that.

 

[rhubroma]

Yes I have been reading the contemporary Marxist literature on the problem of capitalism which the prof. indicates. It has been enormously beneficial in my own awareness in the finacial vs. labor mechanisms that have been at work, which have led to the crisis. Plus the newspapers I read have also provided similar analysis.

And if might humbly add, at times, for those who have followed my posts, I have tried to express some of the same things (lack of rise in labor wages since the 70's and the invention of credic card debt consumption as a counterballancing measure to the problem of consumption, etc.), the rise of neoliberal, deregulated financial capitalism with Regan and Thatcher (thus the "anglo-saxon" problem) as opposed to the more humane type of capitalism, which had been integrated within the philosophy of a "social-democracy" of the post WW II European nations like France, Italy and even Britain (with its welfare state constitution - till Thatcher's reforms). This so called Third-Way, which represented a middle ground between pure "liberal" capitalism and pure marxism, having made of post WW II Western Europe the best off socially, while enjoying economic prosperity, has though been placed under systematic pressure and dismantling by the forces of neoliberal capitalism and, now, a chaotic globalization of which the latter has been the driving force. Financial, economic and politcal pressure coming from across the Atlantic since the West's victory over communism in 89, accompanied by the rise of an insidious and embrionic form of marxist capitalism in China, have brought the necessary preasures to bear upon a fragile Europe caught between giants.

However I'm convinced that the Third Way has been, and still is, the best solution to the conflict of interests inherent in the other two extreams, even if no system is perfect and each is subject to the scourge of political corruption and private ethical crimes like tax evasion. Yet in prinicple it represents that middle ground between two extreams, and therefore the risk of private tyranny over the public domain (the might of the individual over the collective) of neoliberal capitalism (which basically means a turn back to a form of preditory XIX industrial capitalism, though now connected to the universe of finance - Wall Street and all the other financial markets: vs. the tyranny of the public domain over the private sphere (the might of the collective over individual aspirations and opportunities of self-realization) that we got in Lenonist Soviet communism. Marxism was, after all utopia, thus its distortions and oppressive "realization" under the Soviet regime. The victory of the American led West over communism, however, has led to an application of another, and potentially more insidious regime, that of a completely anti-scocial and preditory form of financial capitalism that has nothing noble in it, the only objective being the accumulation of wealth among its protagonists, which has weakened the middle classes, led to increased private debt and led to a very dangerous form of profit making which places the collective at great risk (note the US housing crisis that lead to the Wall Street crack and its disastrous implications for the global economy). And it is even, along with oil, at the basis of all the wars that must be faught to safegaurd the interests of those who are at the top of this system.

It's time to turn back to more civil and enlightenment principles, where the Public is given a relavent relief in the policy makers of the West's decisions, who, for the past 30 years or so have been largely, when not exclusively, predicated upon taking care above all else the profit margins of the finacialists, corporate and military leadrship. I'm not saying the Private sector has no role, just that it should not prevail into the kind of private dictatorship that has set the world ablaze of recrent and making the majority middle classes slip precipitously toward real poverty.

In any case thanks for the feed.

 

[forty four]

started out well but then just descended into the usual.. "greedy people with all the money - it's their fault" argument.

yeah let me let you in on a little secret it is the greedy rich people who want more money it has been since the start of mankind. if you have more than you need or want more than you need you are a bad morally corrupted individual real simple not a debatable subject. america has five percent of the worlds population and 24+%of total wealth worldwide much from stealing. no wonder people want to kill us i would to.

 

[forty four]

No what's really so predictable are the apologists like yourself responding to the undeniable truth with: started out well but then just descended into the usual.. "greedy people with all the money - it's their fault" argument.

While we have been waiting for all these years for you to have come up with something better, something more intellectually sophisitcated (and honest). But evidently that's just not possible. The truth is that you can only try to justify the unjustifiable, namely that greedy people with all the money have been in fact been skrewing (and manipulating) society for years, with blank dismissive statements like that. Not having anything critical to say, that is useful to anything, you fall back on the negationist rhetoric. Despite all the evidence to the contraryin the form of colossal finacial cracks, political corruption, economic and ideological wars, etc., you refuse to be persuaded otherwise. And thus you make blind faith, like relgion, of a system which has objectively caused the grave imballances that have produced the utterly chaotic state in which the world exists today. Has made a small percentage of the population bloated on their weath, while everybody else starves (in many places around the globbe not just metaphorically speaking).

"The truth is always revolutionary." - Antonio Gramsci. (And consequently something to be annihilated by those who reign supreme over the masses. Even by the democratic powers.)

yep americas living standard is absolutely not sustainable for long we will reap what we have sown soon enough. americans have been living off the suffering of others all over the world for far too long with the gravy train is coming to a hault. the evil 1% will fight squirm lie and kill to keep there status though should get interesting in the next 20 years.

 

[forty four]

actually the state of things now in america regarding so many different factors brings tears of rage and sadness to my eyes we are in deep trouble in this country. i feel that greed/fear/lack of education ignorance and religion are to some degree the basic causes of human problems dont know what the cure is. all i can do is ride my bike and try not to dwell on this hopelessness cause thats what it is.

 

[Anonymous]

Critics of capitalism emphasize their dislike of greed and self-interest. They talk about social justice and fairness, but they do not propose an acceptable alternative to achieve their ends. The alternatives that have been tried are types of socialism or communism or other types of authoritarian rule.
Anti-capitalist proposals suffer from two crippling drawbacks. First, they ignore the Kantian principle about human imperfection. Second, they ignore individual differences. In place of individual choice under capitalism, they substitute rigid direction done to achieve some proclaimed end such as equality, fairness, or justice. These ends are not precise and, most importantly, individuals differ about what is fair and just. In practice, the rulers’ choices are enforced often, using fear, terror, prison, or other punishment. The history of the 20th century illustrates how enforcement of promised ends became the justification for deplorable means. And the ends were not realized.

http://www.tepper.cmu.edu/facultyAdmin/upload/url4_933269885961_Why_Capitalism.pdf


This thread is an absolute yawner. There are 10,000 articles, columns, movies, opinion pieces, blogs ,etc., etc., etc., showing the other side of the"capitalism is bad" baloney.

Show me a better system that can be adapted in large scale culturally diverse economies.

 

[Darryl Webster]

http://www.tepper.cmu.edu/facultyAdmin/upload/url4_933269885961_Why_Capitalism.pdf


This thread is an absolute yawner. There are 10,000 articles, columns, movies, opinion pieces, blogs ,etc., etc., etc., showing the other side of the"capitalism is bad" baloney.

Show me a better system that can be adapted in large scale culturally diverse economy.

So the massive inaquality in this world is an acceptable price to pay because to date your of the view that no better altarnative is possible?
Might that be because that small % that realy control power and wealth stamp very heavy footed on any attempt to redistribute wealth and power in a more equal way and to date have succeeded brilliantly in doing so?
No 1 rule of captalism as its foisted on us by this minority is the need to expand or it dies.
This is capitalisms Achilles heel....cus last I looked the world was finate and the culdesac were going down has one inevetible end...a dead end.
When Alians eventualy look down on the debri of a lifeless Earth do you think theyl be impressed we put profit before need?

 

[kielbasa]

Pus**s of the world unite!

Riiiight...Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. You pinkos wouldn't be freely discussing your silly long-discredited ideas if it wasn't for a few capitalists greedily making your computers for profit and spending their capital to set up the infrastructure to allow you to connect to other pinkos. Not too mention setting up charitable foundations and giving grants to those who otherwise couldn't fend for themselves, even though in their videos they think they're smarter than everyone else. Communist China is learning the lessons, but no, not the western liberal. If his grant money runs dry he'll just blame a wealth creator for not sharing enough. "Workers of the world unite" (courtesy of the capitalist)! LOL

Their folly lies in the fact that they believe that wealth is finite and can only be redistributed. Wrong! Wealth is created. That's why capitalist countries are wealthy and those who dabble in socialism are either starving or heading towards tyranny, though usually both. How much did Bill Gates steal from Africa to create his billions? On the other hand, I wouldn't give the leftist savior George Soros too much credit. He truly is a thief of other people's wealth. (Perhaps even Oliver Stone is onto him, since he featured him pictured with the antagonist in Wall Street 2)

You want to feed the world? Teach them to fend for themselves, e.g. give them capitalism and liberty. You think Mexicans come here, because Mexico isn't socialist enough? Liberalism is so non-value-added, I'm getting a headache just from rolling my eyes.

 

[Darryl Webster]

Riiiight...Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. You pinkos wouldn't be freely discussing your silly long-discredited ideas if it wasn't for a few capitalists greedily making your computers for profit and spending their capital to set up the infrastructure to allow you to connect to other pinkos. Not too mention setting up charitable foundations and giving grants to those who otherwise couldn't fend for themselves, even though in their videos they think they're smarter than everyone else. Communist China is learning the lessons, but no, not the western liberal. If his grant money runs dry he'll just blame a wealth creator for not sharing enough. "Workers of the world unite" (courtesy of the capitalist)! LOL

Their folly lies in the fact that they believe that wealth is finite and can only be redistributed. Wrong! Wealth is created. That's why capitalist countries are wealthy and those who dabble in socialism are either starving or heading towards tyranny, though usually both. How much did Bill Gates steal from Africa to create his billions? On the other hand, I wouldn't give the leftist savior George Soros too much credit. He truly is a thief of other people's wealth. (Perhaps even Oliver Stone is onto him, since he featured him pictured with the antagonist in Wall Street 2)

You want to feed the world? Teach them to fend for themselves, e.g. give them capitalism and liberty. You think Mexicans come here, because Mexico isn't socialist enough? Liberalism is so non-value-added, I'm getting a headache just from rolling my eyes.

Sugest you read ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel

You might learn something.... then again after the above bit of bile I doupt anything could penatrate your thick skull.

 

[kielbasa]

Sugest you read ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel

You might learn something.... then again after the above bit of bile I doupt anything could penatrate your thick skull.

That's the best you can do? I was hoping for at least a "yeah, that b*****d Gates stole from the poor" or some such nonsense. Ah well, I forgive you, it's probably genetic:

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=7909320

 

[Darryl Webster]

That's the best you can do? I was hoping for at least a "yeah, that b*****d Gates stole from the poor" or some such nonsense. Ah well, I forgive you, it's probably genetic:

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=7909320

Re-arange Helfiss Tunc into a well known saying.

 

[mountaindew]

Relax Mr. Webster. Try being more compassionate.

 

[Darryl Webster]

Relax Mr. Webster. Try being more compassionate.

I, your probably right, such simpletons deserve a tad of compassion.

 

[kielbasa]

Re-arange Helfiss Tunc into a well known saying.

More insults, eh? Yeah, that will teach me to disagree with a liberal (again, researchers tell us that it's all for naught). You realize that the wikipedia link you provided pointed that there's disagreement with the conclusions of the book (whatever they are), so I'm not sure what your point was. Was it that if I read it I would also take it as gospel and forget all else I learned so far? Or, perhaps were you simply bragging that you read a book?

BTW, what do you do for a living?

 

[Darryl Webster]

More insults, eh? Yeah, that will teach me to disagree with a liberal (again, researchers tell us that it's all for naught). You realize that the wikipedia link you provided pointed that there's disagreement with the conclusions of the book (whatever they are), so I'm not sure what your point was. Was it that if I read it I would also take it as gospel and forget all else I learned so far? Or, perhaps were you simply bragging that you read a book?

BTW, what do you do for a living?

Of course theres disagreement!..otherwise they`d be nothing to wright about.
It takes a bit of critical thinking to understand reality.

Care to address the issue of perpetual "wealth creation" in a finate world?

 

[Wiesmier]

Thank you Mr Webster. Mr Harvey does indeed speak a great deal of sense - even if his books are a bit hard work. Been following his work for year and I agree with much of his analysis.

And furthermore, consumer capitalism is not sustainable in a closed biosphere like the one we live in. Something has too give and of course it is.

 

[mountaindew]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_A&feature=player_embedded

 

[Darryl Webster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_A&feature=player_embedded

Milton Freidman seeking to justify why greed is good.

For a smart guy he seems to regress to animilistic ideas when it comes to perpetutuation the myth of greed.
Did man realy climb out of the trees to build civilisations only to resort to such base "instinct " when it sutes our Status Quo?.
I think not.
If man is to call himself human by definition he rises above the Animal.

 

[kielbasa]

Of course theres disagreement!..otherwise they`d be nothing to wright about.
It takes a bit of critical thinking to understand reality.

Care to address the issue of perpetual "wealth creation" in a finate world?

Have you ever heard of invention? Stop getting so stuck on exploration, conquest, and exploitation of natural resources. What are bytes made of? What is intellectual property made of? Doesn't a software engineer, or a filmmaker, or an inventor create wealth? Who does a capitalist like Stephen Spielberg exploit? Even Michael Moore is a capitalist, albeit a very ungrateful one. What about a service provider such as a writer or musician? When people create music or write a book they create wealth, and then the consumers willingly distribute their wealth according to their means. Perpetually? I don't know, that's too big a concept, but I'll go with "indefinitely".

The standard of living is so much higher now than in the past centuries. How did that happen? Though it's still not universal, most people on earth have cars, tvs, phones, and many other "standard" luxuries (especially those in capitalist countries). Where did we get the money to buy all those? Generally speaking, all that wealth was created by inventive and hard working capitalists.

Funny, how some will criticize McDonald's and the like for making the poor fat . It seems that they should be thanked for providing a service of feeding the hungry at affordable prices, which is something no government in history has ever succeeded in. That's wealth creation.

 

[Darryl Webster]

Have you ever heard of invention? Stop getting so stuck on exploration, conquest, and exploitation of natural resources. What are bytes made of? What is intellectual property made of? Doesn't a software engineer, or a filmmaker, or an inventor create wealth? Who does a capitalist like Stephen Spielberg exploit? Even Michael Moore is a capitalist, albeit a very ungrateful one. What about a service provider such as a writer or musician? When people create music or write a book they create wealth, and then the consumers willingly distribute their wealth according to their means. Perpetually? I don't know, that's too big a concept, but I'll go with "indefinitely".

The standard of living is so much higher now than in the past centuries. How did that happen? Though it's still not universal, most people on earth have cars, tvs, phones, and many other "standard" luxuries (especially those in capitalist countries). Where did we get the money to buy all those? Generally speaking, all that wealth was created by inventive and hard working capitalists.

Funny, how some will criticize McDonald's and the like for making the poor fat . It seems that they should be thanked for providing a service of feeding the hungry at affordable prices, which is something no government in history has ever succeeded in. That's wealth creation.

http://www.gizmag.com/go/6571/

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0227-02.htm

In India 1.1 bilion ( nearly 1/6th the worlds population) people live on the aquivalent of a $ a day.
Most people in the world do NOT have cars, TV`s phones etc.
Perhaps in your imagination they do.