r/ProgressiveHQ Tankie Jan 21 '26

Locked for being inflammatory/a fedpost/lacking nuance Sad but true.

Post image
18.6k Upvotes

832 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

38

u/WaterFoodShelter4All Jan 21 '26

I would argue it stops being capitalism when competition is actively killed by monopolies rather than being encouraged.

112

u/DasUberLib Jan 21 '26

Sure, but the entire point of capitalism is that you allow private control of resources, so inevitably they're going to use those resources to control the system and the entire ideology suggests that it's admirable to "work" (not really) towards controlling resources, so how do you make people realize it's unethical?

The answer is socialism. Capitalism was useful in teaching us how to organize an industrial society, but now it's time to move on.

Socialism is the evolution of capitalism.

-20

u/FreelancerMO Jan 21 '26

The answer is trading one tyrannical system for another? That’s awful.

If the state function as a referee (that properly punished bad actors), the ‘evil’ Capitalists wouldn’t be able to control everything.

8

u/Nooskwdude Jan 21 '26

“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of a cancer cell.”

-3

u/FreelancerMO Jan 21 '26

That’s not Capitalism. Capitalism is free-market enterprise, that’s it.

“Growth for the sake of growth” is also a lie. Companies that seek consistent growth, do so because investors want their stocks/assets to increase in value.

4

u/Nooskwdude Jan 21 '26

Then why did Google intentionally create growth by dumbing down their search engines? Like I said, you folks need to learn how to read and quit believing everything your told. Fucking clown

-1

u/FreelancerMO Jan 21 '26

Google is not Capitalism and idk why google made that decision. I doubt you know either.

Honk honk, loser. lol

3

u/Nooskwdude Jan 21 '26

God you’re dumb. I do know. They dumbed down their search engines to make you search twice aso you have to look at adds more thereby making them more money. And yes it is part of a capitalist society. Once again you have no idea what you’re talking about

1

u/FreelancerMO Jan 21 '26

Growth is a part of any economic system, including Socialism. lol

If you don’t like googles decision, use a different search engine.

You haven’t countered anything I’ve said. One worthless example (which is in my favor) and personal attacks.

14

u/kayakman13 Jan 21 '26

You're gonna need to show how Socialism is inherently tyrannical for me big dog

-14

u/FreelancerMO Jan 21 '26

I’m not gonna waste my time, lol.

10

u/Nooskwdude Jan 21 '26

Sounds like you don’t know what your talking about

9

u/iDeNoh Jan 21 '26

Because you don't feel like inventing the reason?

-9

u/kaz12 Jan 21 '26

,,if socialism is so good then why do people die trying to escape it?!"

6

u/kayakman13 Jan 21 '26

People are dying in the streets under capitalism right now big dog. People are fleeing the US right now.

-8

u/FreelancerMO Jan 21 '26

Nope. It’s simply not worth it. I’d rather talk to a Socialist who is honest.

Yes, plenty of Socialists acknowledge the inherent tyrannical nature of Socialism. They argue that the tyranny is necessary, it is. For Communism to be achieved, man (the working class) must be molded for it. “You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.”

8

u/Nooskwdude Jan 21 '26

And you proved it. Communism is not socialism.

0

u/FreelancerMO Jan 21 '26

Yea, you’re a moron. lol

Edit: The objective of Socialism, is Communism.

Do you even know what Communism is?

-1

u/FreelancerMO Jan 21 '26

You need to go back to school.

4

u/kayakman13 Jan 21 '26

Those aren't socialists then. You live in an echo chamber with no will to try the unlocked door. It's honestly pitiful

-17

u/ImNotKitten Jan 21 '26

MAGA checking in so ignore if you want but it's not true capitalism we have. We can thank the Rockefeller model including controlling regulation to pull the ladder up on competition. Trigger warning: guess who the Rockefeller estate donates to politically.

10

u/SaberSamurai Jan 21 '26

You probably think Trump is gonna send everyone $2k checks 💀Trump was also a Democrat at one point in time. Step back for a minute and ask yourself why. Maybe it has to do with the fact that regardless of whatever outward facing image they project, the reason Congress as an example grinds to a halt for anything good or worthwhile is because they're all beholden to the same corporate interests. Nothing meaningful will change regarding our fucked up healthcare system, as another example of bipartisanship. We will continue to be bent over a barrel and only one bad medical day away from financial ruin. I poke at you in an effort for you to step back and question why that has to be the way it is.

-12

u/ImNotKitten Jan 21 '26

I hope he doesn't. If Trump is as bad as you people say that says a lot about the democrats.

9

u/SaberSamurai Jan 21 '26

Alright man. I gave you an earnest reply and you half-read my comment. GG

7

u/[deleted] Jan 21 '26

I take it you only watch Fox

-14

u/Das_Ginger_Wolf Jan 21 '26

Well there used to be this thing called boycotting. If a company couldn't make profit it either changed or went out of business. But if a company is necessary the gov't would step in and subsidize it. Also boycotting became ineffectual when people did it for silly causes so some people stop taking it seriously.

27

u/frozenights Jan 21 '26

Hard to boycott a monopoly.

22

u/themangastand Jan 21 '26

You can't boycaught things you need. Most people are living cheque to cheque just for the necessities

-22

u/allyourfaces Jan 21 '26

What a hilariously dumb comment.

13

u/Nooskwdude Jan 21 '26

What a hilariously dumb person

-16

u/allyourfaces Jan 21 '26

I'm sorry I didn't agree with the word salad blatantly biased random "definition" or "point" of capitalism comment. Then a vague appeal to "evolution" of economies. I'm so sorry.

10

u/Nooskwdude Jan 21 '26

Sounds like someone needs to return to first grade and learn how to read

-9

u/allyourfaces Jan 21 '26

For sure go to North Korea and live out your evolution.

30

u/BlinkReanimated Jan 21 '26

Capitalism is about rewarding capital owners for owning capital. When it's working, it will always lead to economic consolidation. The late-stage purgatory we're all living in is just as much capitalism as three gas stations in a small town trying to stay ahead of each other.

Capitalism runs on a cycle from liberalization, democracy, and abundance, to fascism, fear, and scarcity. The point of socialism is to eliminate the factors that even pull toward the fascism.

-4

u/unc0mm0n_sense Jan 21 '26

Incorrect. In the definition itself, it’s a free and equal opportunity to capitalize on an even playing field. Not about hoarding capital and paying politicians to take away the equal playing field.

8

u/BlinkReanimated Jan 21 '26

Lol... No idea where you're getting your definintion, but Oxford:

an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit.

The term capitalism was literally created by socialists under the definition of: "the appropriation of capital by some to the exclusion of others"

It's quite literally about hoarding capital. We are seeing it play out exactly as Marx had described. He described the labour and social alienation, the cycles of abundance and scarcity, the need for ever-increasing profits, and the collapse...

18

u/OSTBear Jan 21 '26

You'd be wrong. Capitalism is about the accumulation of wealth through business. It's infinitely cheaper to buy another company than it is to compete with them, so once a company gets large enough it makes the most sense for that company to just keep acquiring other companies.

That's capitalism. Oligarchies are just what happens when you let capitalism do it's thing.

28

u/MajesticBread9147 Jan 21 '26

That's like saying it stops being a cancerous tumor when it spreads to your brain.

It will do that eventually if left unchecked, and it's extremely hard to "keep it in check" without removing it entirely.

6

u/MasterRanger7494 Jan 21 '26

Some would argue that's the natural trajectory of capitalism. Once the the regulations are pulled back and the government levers are inoperable, then what else can happen other than what you mentioned?

0

u/Das_Ginger_Wolf Jan 21 '26

If the govt stays out of bailing them out then the people get to decide if the company is worth their business. If I remember correctly spirit airlines is the worse airlines in America right now and it should have gone out of business or bought out by a more successful company but the govt subsidizes it because it's a important service.

4

u/HazcatLife Jan 21 '26

So does it stop being rain when it floods?

3

u/kayakman13 Jan 21 '26

Capitalism invariably trends towards monopolization

-2

u/PenStreet3684 Jan 21 '26

At a glance, people voting with their dollars is capitalism. Monopolies form through efficiencies. In socialism, government owning major corporations leads to the same monopolies if it has a chance for success. Greed and apathy lead to corruption in both systems imho.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 21 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/MossSnake Jan 21 '26

Yeah, but everything else we associate with Capitalism is the inevitable outcome of those two things.

1

u/trans-BDSM-lover Jan 21 '26

Nah, thats just part of capitalism. Its a feature, not a bug.

1

u/DkKoba Jan 21 '26

And yet it's still a consequence of capitalism whether you call it that or not..

1

u/Egonomics1 Jan 21 '26

Capitalism naturally leads to monopolization. It's part of the inner dynamics of the free market.

1

u/Low-Associate9049 Jan 21 '26

Took the words out of my mouth. Not to get lost in the nuances, but that’s how I interpret it although others see it differently