[American biased post, because that’s what I know and where I am]
Been screaming that capitalism is not the problem you are experiencing. Monopolies, or more to the point, cartels, have exploded in scope over the past 40-years. Think of a company you hate, a company that’s fucking you over, a company that’s fucking us ALL over. Bet they fit the bill.
Hate your job at Lowe’s? Go to Home Depot! wait… There’s a great family-owned, local hardware store, but I can’t afford to shop there.
Walgreens piss you off? Just go to CVS! well damn… New local pharmacy chain is really nice! They can’t take my insurance.
If you’re under 40, or maybe even under 50, I cannot relate how alien this all is, the words fail me. If you’re in your 20s or 30s, it’s easy to think it was always like this. Oh hell no it was not.
Along with allowing corporations unlimited political “speech”, i.e. campaign contributions, the proliferation of cartels will go down in history as America’s failing point. (Basically the same thing?)
News like the current entertainment mergers didn’t fucking happen. And here on lemmy we’re talking, with a straight face, about the ups and downs of the Netflix/Warner Bros./HBO merger. And if you’ll remember, Warner Bros./Time Warner/AOL was the largest merger in US history!
Destinction without difference. Government and economic culture is part of the economic system.
Any system, in which the denizens of that system exhibit greed and selfishness, is likely going to produce similar problems. I really don’t think people are accurate about the feeling that “Obtaining and hoarding valuable things” is an act borne out of the laws of our current society.
I really don’t think it’s just “economic culture” as you’ve described.
I didn’t say it is just economic culture that is the issue here…
Also true, but what is? Is your point that it is human nature? I would disagree there, humans have the capacity of acting against greed and selfishness. Question is why they are so often acting greedy and selfish then?
My answer would be two options with both apply to some degree, and there might be more:
Other ideas?
The point being, it’s pretty specifically American culture. Disregard politics, and only obsess over it when enraged about an issue. Hate on anything that might benefit people you don’t know.
There are millions of humans on this planet to which those behaviors are bafflingly mad. Many of those places essentially operate under capitalist structure, with rules and safeguards in place to ensure government stays responsible for basic safety and competition remains fair. The battle to keep that structure stable is constant, but gets easier when people at all levels care about it.
Basically, I couldn’t claim capitalism is perfect, but whether replacing the system or not, you need to address the greedy human culture beneath it.
Chicken, egg.
System changes leads to cultural change leads to system change.
You cannot just change the culture, but you can change the system.
Got one that doesn’t? And I don’t mean communism in small tribes. I need something to rule 10’s of millions.
No. There are no perfect systems. Every system will require constant vigilance and adaption to work. The point is that the goal of disincentivizing greedy behavior is actually clearly stated and done.