To think that capitalism is a load of old shite?

[malificent7]

Most of us are not in the top 1% . We work for those that are and work damn hard. In turn we spend most of our lives slaving away to line the pockets of fat cats.
Yes, the money we earn can buy us a better standard of living in some ways but in the past a lot of my money has gone on shit i don't really need in order to make myself feel better as advertising told me it would make me more beautiful, successful, glamorous or a better mum.
Also, it is run on fossil fuels which cause so much pollution, war etc.
And the modern workplace is mental...so stressful,competitive and target driven, so focussed on producing more shite for us to consume causing anxiety, depression, heart disease and repetitive strain injury. Even the " caring" professions are about making a profit nowadays. An increasing reliance on AI has added to our workload rather than giving us more leisure.
I'm not saying communism is the answer but capitalism is shite. Just having a rant really as feeling very trapoed by it all.

Trapped*

It needs checks and balances.

The problem is that it's hard to come up with a better alternative.

Exactly, OP. Tax the rich, I say!

Communism doesn't work either I think a mix between the two.

A wealth tax would be good, a focus on community from school age learning about and respecting the earth, mindfulness, teaching children how to cook and teaching them we are all better if we look after one another. It's possible to do, there are places in the world that are doing some of these things but the top 1% don't want us to turn away from consumerism and become a global village because they won't be the top 1% anymore. So they will seek to divide and conquer which continues to prove to be a very effective strategy

Most high earners pay 45% in tax on top of NI. Not talking about super rich obviously. But “tax the rich” implies wealthy people don’t pay tax. Anyone working PAYE pays away 50% or their income. So aren’t they paying tax already?

*anyone wealthy

I don't think Communism is all it's cracked up to be either.

It’s not just exploitative capitalism or soviet style communism as the only absolute ways of organising society. There are middle grounds.

I’d prefer a more social democratic approach where all essential services are nationalised - healthcare, education, energy, water, transport, communications - all available at subsidised cost from the state with private alternatives in some cases, but the focus being on good quality service not shareholder returns.

I’d like the UK to move away from military alliances like NATO and AUKUS etc and focus on good trading relationships instead. Can we be Sweden or Switzerland or something please ?

Having parents who lived in a communist country and who has spent time in a communist country, I can assure you that you really, REALLY, don't want to live in a communist regime.
You will work harder, for longer for minimum wage and you'll have to queue just for essentials , every single day.
And no lovely cottage in the country either... your land will be requisitioned to produce food, by you, 'for the greater good.'
And you will only be able to read books/any literature deemed 'safe.'

I see a few people here have already been brainwashed into believing that it is somehow a binary choice - capitalism or communism. Exactly what those in charge with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo would like you to think.

Scandinavia seems to have the banace right.

The choice is not “late capitalism with everyone on 0h contracts except the 1%” versus “Stalinist Russia where you have no bread but get shot if you don’t sing praises to the govt”.

The rich currently don’t typically pay tax. The top tax rate is 45 - that’s not for all, that’s for the part of their income in the top bracket. But how much do big companies like Amazon pay? How many of the super rich have their addresses in tax havens? And how many would rather pay an army of accountants to figure out how not to pay tax than contribute?

The difference in assets between the richest and the average is worst it’s been in many decades. It is not good.

No-one is forced to buy something because of advertising. If you waste your money on crap you don't need, that's your own choice, and you might as well take responsibility for it.

Capitalism isn't perfect, but I've yet to see a model that looks better, or even as good.

You’re not wrong OP. Capitalism in it’s current form is going to take the whole planet down unless we do something about it. The relentless drive for growth and profits that benefit fewer and fewer and exploits more and more will strip whole ecosystems bare, kill off entire species and create an increasingly inhospitable planet for us all.

Sad thing is we get mad if a few people delay our morning commutes by a few minutes, so doing enough to change course is looking a bit unlikely.

@Blackbootswithredribbons

Exactly, OP. Tax the rich, I say!

I assume you are exercising satire. The rich, if you want to call them the 1% pay 28% of taxes in this country.

@ButtockUp

Having parents who lived in a communist country and who has spent time in a communist country, I can assure you that you really, REALLY, don't want to live in a communist regime. You will work harder, for longer for minimum wage and you'll have to queue just for essentials , every single day. And no lovely cottage in the country either... your land will be requisitioned to produce food, by you, 'for the greater good.' And you will only be able to read books/any literature deemed 'safe.'

Exactly, all these keyboard warriors are socialists/communists. Until they can’t get an iPhone.

I think it's OK for there to be some people in the system who are wealthier than others, but what is wrong, from my POV is gearing economies towards measurement by GDP. If we changed to measuring societal and economic success in other ways , e.g. improvements to nature; positive physical and mental health of population, uptake of renewable energy (the creation of all of which can be driven by commerce/industry btw, so people can still profit and get jobs through driving these outcomes) would be the way to make capitalism drive genuine societal benefit. Rather than rampant overconsumption and waste as it currently does. Our capitalist structures could be put to much much better use.

@MongoOnlyPawnInGameOfLife

I see a few people here have already been brainwashed into believing that it is somehow a binary choice - capitalism or communism. Exactly what those in charge with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo would like you to think.

Waiting for your genius ideas. Sorry if we missed them in your post.

@theresAtablet4thatNow

No-one is forced to buy something because of advertising. If you waste your money on crap you don't need, that's your own choice, and you might as well take responsibility for it.

Capitalism isn't perfect, but I've yet to see a model that looks better, or even as good.

You’ve obviously bought the story that there is no alternative to capitalism in it’s current form, so I’d not be so sure about being unaffected by advertising.

@Twattergy

I think it's OK for there to be some people in the system who are wealthier than others, but what is wrong, from my POV is gearing economies towards measurement by GDP. If we changed to measuring societal and economic success in other ways , e.g. improvements to nature; positive physical and mental health of population, uptake of renewable energy (the creation of all of which can be driven by commerce/industry btw, so people can still profit and get jobs through driving these outcomes) would be the way to make capitalism drive genuine societal benefit. Rather than rampant overconsumption and waste as it currently does. Our capitalist structures could be put to much much better use.

You can’t feed yourself ‘well being’. You can’t heat your home with ‘positive mental health’, as the Ukraine crisis shows. These are all nice ideas but philosophical. Unless you can get people to produce your food, shelter and energy for free, in exchange for the warm, fuzzy feeling that they are supporting positive mental health, then it won’t work.

Waiting for your genius ideas. Sorry if we missed them in your post.

Yours is presumably to do nothing then? Happy with the way things are going I presume?

As is always the case, people in capitalist societies sit on their computers, bashing the keyboard against capitalism, while those living in alternative systems are literally dying to cross borders to live in capitalist societies. But I’m sure the irony is lost on the former.

@MongoOnlyPawnInGameOfLife

Waiting for your genius ideas. Sorry if we missed them in your post.

Yours is presumably to do nothing then? Happy with the way things are going I presume?

Still not sharing your ideas then?

Plenty of possibilities if you care to look for them too. Check out Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth or Less is More by Jason Hickel