Current Events > Do you think there's a major system that would work better than Capitalism?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Another question, would any of you consider capitalism to be a failure? Any of you think that communism for instance, works better?

Bumpo

Most of you voted yes, but what is the system that would work better?

I live in a communist country and have a better life than I did in a capitalist country, but ultimately both systems rely on having people at the bottom suffer.

Glob posted...

I live in a communist country and have a better life than I did in a capitalist country, but ultimately both systems rely on having people at the bottom suffer.

Which system do you think is worse for people at the bottom?

Bring back the barter system

If I wanna be able to trade raccoon pelts for a nice warm meal I should be able to

Currently no

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Depending on your definition of communism, no country in the world was ever communist. However, Vietnam is still officially considered a communist country, as are China, North Korea, Laos and Cuba.

Smallville posted...

Which system do you think is worse for people at the bottom?

Tricky.

Poor Vietnamese people have it worse than poor Brits, but theres a lot of factors at play there beyond the political system.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Sure, but that doesnt go against anything I said.

At the moment, no. In the future, most certainly yes.

lol no

No because no matter what system is in place it would still be run by humans and it will just end up rotten and corrupted as usual

Bigpapaplut posted...

No because no matter what system is in place it would still be run by humans and it will just end up rotten and corrupted as usual

so you don't have a very high opinion of most humans, in general?

Smallville posted...

so you don't have a very high opinion of most humans, in general?

I cant speak for him but I feel that the sorts of people who see themselves as leaders are normally the last people you actually want doing it, but that most people try to be the best they can, in their own personal circumstances.

Glob posted...

I cant speak for him but I feel that the sorts of people who see themselves as leaders are normally the last people you actually want doing it, but that most people try to be the best they can, in their own personal circumstances.

ye, i've heard this before, that a lot of the people who want to be "leaders" are most times, not that great , people

Smallville posted...

ye, i've heard this before, that a lot of the people who want to be "leaders" are most times, not that great , people

It tends to be my experience that reluctant leaders who see it as a duty are the best ones.

The best system likely combines parts of a few ideologies, with checks and balances in place to allow the strengths of those systems work, while also not allowing their flaws to take over. Unfortunately, human greed will always hinder anything from truly benefiting the masses.

ye, maybe. You're not american? what country are you from?

Smallville posted...

ye, maybe. You're not american? what country are you from?

Me or The_Popo?

I was born in England. Live in Vietnam now.

America

A planned economy under a super intelligent AI would beat Capitalism.

There might be a system come about in the future, perhaps deeply centered around automation and renewable energy, which could be better than capitalism.

Communist systems have been tried enough to be disregarded currently. Maybe they could work in the distant future but it will require large societal changes to happen naturally, not through force. Not in our lifetimes.

Glob posted...

Me or The_Popo?

I was born in England. Live in Vietnam now.

oh, are you white , but you live in vietnam? If you are, then what is that like, i mean, do you ever encounter racism?

Smallville posted...

oh, are you white , but you live in vietnam? If you are, then what is that like, i mean, do you ever encounter racism?

Yes, thats right.

I see a lot of racism from employers but not towards Brits.

Theres a very clear hierarchy of nationalities when it comes to pay. Aussies and Brits get paid the most. The Irish staff are the worst paid of the foreigners. However, the worst paid staff by far are the Vietnamese staff. The going rate for an English teacher (all qualifications being equal) is about 6 times that of a Vietnamese teacher.

really? that's surprising. why would vietnamese teachers get paid the least?

Smallville posted...

really? that's surprising. why would vietnamese teachers get paid the least?

Because they dont draw in new families. The schools that have the highest fees and the largest number of children prioritise teaching from the English National Curriculum. Parents are mostly under the impression that English people (kind of makes sense) and Australian people (makes less sense) are the best at teaching this. The pay is in line with how much value the parents perceive you to be adding to the school, rather than how good you are at your job.

It also means that only the Brits or Australians are ever in any positions of power. We have staff from all over the world. Its very diverse. But the superintendent is Australian. The principal, vice-principal and assistant principal of primary are all Brits. The principal of secondary is British. The vice-principal and assistant principal are Australian.

If youre not one of those nationalities, youre not likely to get a top job.

No system really works because people cannot be trusted.

Keep it based on capitalism, but with more regulation and in particular wealth taxes, and less tolerance for tax evasion. I say "less", not "none", because there comes a point at which it's going to cost more to catch everything than to let a few things slide, especially when it comes to the lower-wealth people avoiding some tax.

Whatever they have in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

Everything is based on barter and disputes are settled in the dome.

Glob posted...

Depending on your definition of communism, no country in the world was ever communist. However, Vietnam is still officially considered a communist country, as are China, North Korea, Laos and Cuba.

Tricky.

Poor Vietnamese people have it worse than poor Brits, but theres a lot of factors at play there beyond the political system.

Considered communist by who

Capitalism works on a smaller scale. It's the formation of megacorporations that control their own regulation, as well as Wall Street creating incentives for rampant, unsustainable growth and short-term gains while punishing companies that try to act responsibly and minimize the externalities they create, that have ruined capitalism.

Capitalism ultimately needs people to have options to work well. It is based around the idea that individual needs and situations are unique, and the people in those situations are better fit to choose what to create, sell, or purchase than a government that must act with large motions. The government's role is then to establish rules the make companies assume responsibility for their externalities, because without those regulations, the only reason for a company to assume responsibility for those costs is good faith. We have literally the opposite instead, where not only are regulations insufficient, but we have established a mandate for public companies to actively seek to throw their costs at the public while bringing in as much profit as possible, and to spend that profit on growth of the company for more profit, rather than enrichment of its workers, home city, or environment.

I don't think anyone has found an economic system yet that deals well with the existence of a global economy, or the rapid pace of change in the modern world. Any national system is inherently glacially slow and inflexible when it comes to change and adaptation, even when it isn't corrupt. Any private one is inherently going to serve the interest of individuals rather than society.

post-scarcity