Ok, Capitalism is Spiraling Out of Control Right?
- Thread starter BWoog
- Start date
Maybe I'm just not paying attention, but on top of everything else, I also feel like companies stopped competing with one another? Used to be they'd try to undercut each other's sales or compete for better products or marketshare, but now they just buy each other out and fire everyone not necessary. The last time I remember actual competition was the chicken sandwich wars.
Like, you'd think there'd be money for a company to actually undersell things so they're affordable (maybe I missed it, but McDonalds losing $$$ due to being expensive seems like a layup for Burger King or Wendy's to dunk on them with affordable food), but it seems everyone's decided they'd rather team up.
Like, you'd think there'd be money for a company to actually undersell things so they're affordable (maybe I missed it, but McDonalds losing $$$ due to being expensive seems like a layup for Burger King or Wendy's to dunk on them with affordable food), but it seems everyone's decided they'd rather team up.
Theres nothing really to keep it in check at least in the US. No counterbalancing forces + we allowed the ultra rich to rig the game completely against us.
The funny thing about this is how to this day I'll get friends being like "we should totally make a podcast" even though it's a punchline.
But to that poster's weirdly sensitive and grumpy take to this, I wasn't going at podcasters but how even people with comfortable lives feel the need to monetize things including our hobbies.
I personally have had people close to me start telling me to monetize everything: you like to write, you should be writing short stories to sell on Amazon. You collect things? Cool let's buy up some limited things to try and scalp for profit. Let's make everything a "side hustle" so you can "stack cash". Making 100k+ may pay the bills and let you spend money for fun but don't you want a mansion? You can't do that with 120k a year buddy - but your wife has been painting cups for the house has she thought about an Etsy shop? Can charge like $300 for the right kind of custom Stanley cup. Let's go let's go, I want my kids to retire when they're 18.
They seriously think touch screens, AI, and outsourcing will make them trillionaires without a single employee to have to worry about wages and benefits.
The elites realize this which is why they spend so much money to keep the masses distracted and angered by other things.
Yep. Folks look at privately-owned news and social media apparatuses and go "No threat detected."
There are few people in existence I hate more than CEOs and "The Shareholders."
i think needing regulation is an implicit admission that capitalism doesn't work. like, if the 'good parts' of capitalism are only possible due to government intervention, then... why do we need the capitalism part. i can't think of the last time i went to a private library to check out a book.
Sure that's a topic, but it ain't this one.
That's a symptom of the spiral, not the cause.
"Is capitlaism spiraling out of control?"
"Lol have you seen these podcasters?"
It's a non sequitur at best. Of course people are going to look for income when met with the challenges people are faced with today.
If you want to talk about wealthy people making more money, then speak on mass layoffs and "line go up" corporate mentality.
Yeah I definitely see that too. Funnily enough it has basically replaced MLM stuff some friends have susceptible to. While that seems good on its face since it's not a scam it's almost harder to eacape from. And like you said then it invades everything and sucks the enjoyment out of life.
What? You need regulations to govern anything and make it safe and usable for people. Like we have regulations for food, healthcare, transportation, occupational safety, et al. but it's not because these things are inherently unworkable or out of step with a functioning society.
Governments themselves need some form of regulations and such to function well. Even in a total anarchistic society there'd be some agreements that need to be made between groups for things to function.
I'm not sure it's disintegrating or that the nightmare is over. I think we're currently several years removed from another (probably worse) great depression as soon as the housing and stock market bubbles finally pop
Good lord I meant nothing specifically about podcasters but people in general. My line was not a reference to those suffering but those monetizing everything, including our thoughts.
And yes we're in agreement that it's not that cause but a symptom, especially for those who have to make multiple forms of payment to pay bills. But I've seen people who are well off who continue to maximize profit as if they were paycheck to paycheck, which was the point of my other posts in this thread. It's like everyone is emulating the shareholder/CEO model.
Jesus lay off, we're on the same side here.
the cynic in me says this is like the French Revolution but the aristocrats will be the ones bringing out the guillotines while the suffering cheer them on.
It does feel like the pandemic was an inflection point after which companies have decided to go no holds barred on consumers. It's a complex issue, but you can see one facet of it (for the US) if you watch The Age of Easy Money from Frontline on PBS. We're feeling the effects of a decade of money printing going into the hands of the finance sector because the stock market price is the best indicator of the health of the economy. The brakes have been pumped and the people have to feel the pain.
Like others have said, it's been doing it's thing since its inception. Taking lives and ruining ecosystems. It's just that more and more people are feeling the crush. It's been a series of moves that has gotten us to this point.
Like others have said, it's been doing it's thing since its inception. Taking lives and ruining ecosystems. It's just that more and more people are feeling the crush. It's been a series of moves that has gotten us to this point.
If Japan is an example of what is to come, I will be dead before the US recovers from such a "correction."
I'm not even coming at you hard. It was just a weird ass post. Like your first thought was to compare people making a dime to those making a bill.
There are weirdos that are doing fine financially that are monetzing things, sure. I have no idea what that has to do with the topic at hand though. Because even those weirdos have nothing to do with why just being alive is so expensive.
When you see movie companies deciding that they can make more money by destroying movies than making them, even the people not paying attention can tell that the system went wrong somewhere.
One huge pyramid scheme innit? No idea why anyone needs or wants a billion dollars but here we are.
I don't think it's prudent to use Japan or Argentina as projections.
I don't think it's prudent to use Japan or Argentina as projections.
Think it's more that the gig economy tier also has no choice but to squeeze out blood from a stone (pebbles more accurately) is a symptom of the problem. I don't think the person you're quoting at all thought they were the cause.
Lol classic Era, a joke warning is needed for overly sensitive posters
My guy you are still dragging this out well past the point its warranted. youre the one being weird.
tesla is worth more than the other car companies that sell more cars. hell i think they might be worth than a good chunk of all the car makers combined. its all a scheme and the people losing are usually the regular people stock trading.
And simultaneously fueling the destruction of our ecosystem to boot.
The main problem is governments instead of regulating big companies are helping them take more money from the public.
Also companies have optimised capitalism so that they can make money without actually delivering value.
Also companies have optimised capitalism so that they can make money without actually delivering value.
This!
Seriously we have the means the fix our problems. We lack people who have the will to do what is necessary. We need a roadmap for a better more inclusive and equitable future and stick to it.
Guess I'm just sensitive to it. I'm fighting for a life with other people and trying to stay focused on the people actually causing harm.
This "blame the guy next to you" shit just rubs me wrong. I'll bow out then.
my post was meant to support publicly-funded goods and services.
that's the theory behind checks and balances. i don't disagree that there should be accountability for government officials and acts.
Because the billionaires just lobby the politicians.
Literally the reason very little gets done in the way of actual public sentiment is because a handful of people just basically own the goddamn government.
The problem is... History shows that oligarchs will turn to fascism to stave off he resurgence of grassroots communities and labor 😬
