There is hardly a more misleading dichotomy than capitalism vs. socialism. People think that we live in a global capitalist system, but in reality, and for practical purposes, we live in a socialism as well. And let me explain. The only difference between capitalism and socialism is that in capitalism control of the means of production rests in the hands of big capital, while in socialism it is in the hands of the State, but what really happens in today's society is that the means of production are in the hands of both the capitalists and the State, because the big capitals control the State, they are the government, doing both things one. We live in a plutocracy, forget about freedom and democracy.
And let me tell you one thing, capitalism is not a free market, those are two different things, capitalism is mercantilism, capitalism is always the product of state intervention. Monopolies, oligopolies, the excessive accumulation of capital in very few hands, all this cannot exist without the State. I would say that capitalism is simply the first stage of socialism. And it is inevitable, because what happens in systems like this one we live in is that, for billionaires, for big capital, the main incentives are to control the State. That brings them more profit. It is more profitable for large corporations to get their hands in the State than to just keep doing their own business. State interventionism guarantees them concessions, permits, licenses of all kinds, juicy contracts and a lot of money in all its forms. It is a purely economic decision. The simple presence of the State generates this, because it has become an economic agent, and has distorted the market. In a free market this would not happen.
In the capitalism in which we live, politics is an economic question, and economics is a political question. Politicians intervene in the economy, and economic agents intervene in politics, it is reciprocal. Politicians are financed by capitalists, who end up controlling the government, thus converting large corporations to de facto extensions of the State. If you want to know who governs the world you just have to follow money, because if the State is controlled by capital, you should know that those who control capital control the State.
We live in a corporatocracy. Socialism or capitalism are just names that seek to confuse you but that really represent the same thing. It does not matter if it is the State that controls the corporations, or the corporations that control the State, in practice, it is always the same, oppression from above to below. Do you think there is a difference between having a socialist ruler or a capitalist one? Wake up, neither of them care about you, they both want the same thing, personal gain at the expense of everything else.
Sooner or later people will end up realizing that these are not the only options, that, in fact, there are alternatives, and that falling into this false dichotomy will only keep society in the same direction it has headed in the last hundred years, heading for failure.
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I agree in all points.
And I want to add:
To explain it with Mumford, I would say that the terms "capitalism" and "socialism" are certainly misleading and still do not sufficiently indicate that for millennia we have preserved a superstitious sense: the worship of gods first and later in the form of the worship of kings, which then expressed itself in such civilising establishments as parliaments and "democracies". This belief in the omnipotence of the powerful is so strong, so accepted by the masses, that it is difficult for an individual not to see himself buried under it.
According to Mumford, the bureaucrats have a destructive power because, unlike the god-kings, they are not endowed with the corresponding grace as the latter. To receive mercy before justice cannot be presumed by anyone who works as an agent of justice, and so it is the bureaucrats who are stricter than those who instructed them to be so strict and then do not care what happens. Many a zealous bureaucrat has then just been betrayed by his masters when he was all too servile with his punishment and came under the wheels himself - for example, when the people grumbled all too loudly and questioned the rulers.
Since no one dares to tell the truth to a powerful person, he is either flattered or shunned, the rulers can continue to indulge in their fantasies and fantasise a world that does not exist in reality. They lose all sense of the real, of the living and basically live in constant fear of their powerful enemies, be they other rulers or imagined terrorists or even viruses. A powerful person is the slave of his fear fantasies and he fears nothing so much as the loss of his identity, which is all he has.
Agree. I don't have much to add. Except that modern bureaucrats are mere knockoffs of the aristocracies of the past, they want to sell themselves as different but in a sense that only makes them worse.
Power is always, in some way, destructive, so it is always smart to be careful of abusing it. If you have power and use it, you will probably end up losing it. That is what happens with tyrants. If, on the contrary, the powerful don't use their power, it is likely that it will increase. It is an illusion. That is why Lao Tzu advised the rulers to rule through inaction, letting things take their course, and causing everything to be redirected. It is the desire to control everything that drives the bureaucrats to despotism.
I think they are the most scared because they have the most to lose. The poor are poor and that's it, but the rich fear being poor. The people are not afraid of being ruled, but the rulers fear losing power. They are in the most delicate position and most difficult to maintain, it is likely that they are fighting tooth and nail every day to maintain power.
It's like you say, without their identity they have nothing.
Hi, Good post! You're absolutely right. It's basically big business and the state are one entity, especially these crazy days. The Fed is printing trillions and trillions. Wonder where it's all going? Between the government giving corporations handouts and revolving doors from politician to lobbyist or "consultant", there's not a hair's breadth's difference between the two. And, at this point, they seem tired of pretending otherwise.
Hey, I don't know if you'd like to check it out but I accidentally clicked on a site called kronus dot com. It was literally so dystopic I don't even want to leave the link! It's a corporation that's CLEARLY promoting the Chinese business model. All about providing businesses with a "compliant" workforce, that they monitor from cradle to retirement or something to that affect. TBH I freaked out and bugged out without looking closer and haven't been back.
It was such clear evidence where those in power are planning on taking this country.
I just thought I'd mention it in case you or someone else wants to look into it.
Anyway, good job. It's encouraging to hear someone speaking the truth.
Yeah, even saying dystopian is little about where this is headed. If we are lucky people will wake up and put a stop to this. If not, the self-destructive system they are promoting will put society in ruins, and people will forcibly wake up. All roads lead to Rome, only that there are longer, and therefore painful, roads than others.
Anyway, thanks and cheers!
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