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BainsBane

(57,295 posts)

52. Reducing a structural phenomenon to psychological traits

Wed Mar 25, 2015, 12:36 PM

Mar 2015

misses the problem. Capitalism structures the economy and society, including social relations. There are no personal alternatives to be entirely free off it, though the closet would be living in the woods, entirely off the land. But even then the land itself is delineated and owned according to capitalist notions of private property. The very notions of loser and slacker, as the writer defines them, are produced by capitalism.

The first step is to understand the issue, and that is where Marx and other histories of the development of capitalism are instructive.

While we as individuals can take steps to lessen our own role in the exploitation of others, the ultimate solution is not personal but collective.

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If capitalism is sociopathic, how should we make a living? [View all] ND-Dem Mar 2015 OP

Learn how to snipe, go to Iraq, and come back a hero. How else? nt delrem Mar 2015 #1

Run for Congress. Then you can just sit back and do nothing and get paid. Rex Mar 2015 #2

The OP was talking about options for non-sociopaths nxylas Mar 2015 #7

More pseudointellectual horseshit... TreasonousBastard Mar 2015 #3

Very true, no other nation has reached such wealth inequality as the United States. Rex Mar 2015 #4

Quite true IMO, and by extrapolation it is only going to get worse. It is a RKP5637 Mar 2015 #36

The economy is getting less "mixed" though with the sociopathic side become more prevalent Fumesucker Mar 2015 #22

Quite true! The old model of there is a job for everyone is totally obsolete, and, I see few if any RKP5637 Mar 2015 #38

"Competition and control are at the heart of the things we do"... Zorra Mar 2015 #42

Regulated capitalism is fine as long as social safety nets are in place for the less fortunate. world wide wally Mar 2015 #5

"Time to face the facts and EVOLVE." nomorenomore08 Mar 2015 #10

We should also look into worker-owned cooperative systems like . . . brush Mar 2015 #32

Ambrose nailed it to a tee: Joe Chi Minh Mar 2015 #25

Betcha an advanced civilization from the stars doesn't deal in "tokens" (aka. money).... Spitfire of ATJ Mar 2015 #6

Check out "Democracy at Work: A Cure For Capitalism" Ron Green Mar 2015 #8

thanks for the recommendation. ND-Dem Mar 2015 #9

Those who have the capital, individually or collectively, really should start their own businesses. nomorenomore08 Mar 2015 #12

And for more information on worker cooperatives, rogerashton Mar 2015 #28

Damn, those must be some sour ass grapes. linuxman Mar 2015 #11

And you haven't noticed the massive uptick in economic inequality, across all of society, in recent nomorenomore08 Mar 2015 #13

Sure i have. linuxman Mar 2015 #16

I don't think you're a sociopath just because you make a good income. That would be stupid nomorenomore08 Mar 2015 #18

that's how someone who disagreed with the premise might explain it. who says *you* ND-Dem Mar 2015 #14

Saying that entrepernuers are all sociopaths is not reality linuxman Mar 2015 #17

read more carefully. ND-Dem Mar 2015 #19

Ass grapes are the worst. Orrex Mar 2015 #35

I don't have an answer. I really, truly don't. nomorenomore08 Mar 2015 #15

At USGS right now there are 17 pages of job openings. That's what you say your Mom does but is no Bluenorthwest Mar 2015 #45

no, there are 17 job openings total with USGS. And for a variety of jobs, including chemist. ND-Dem Mar 2015 #49

I was speaking of middle-class jobs in general. A lot fewer of them than there used to be. n/t nomorenomore08 Mar 2015 #54

, blkmusclmachine Mar 2015 #20

If two plus two is five... Donald Ian Rankin Mar 2015 #21

Tell that to the starving kids. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Mar 2015 #31

Translation Starry Messenger Mar 2015 #37

"the poor are better off" TBF Mar 2015 #51

Its an algorithm Fairgo Mar 2015 #23

Capitalism = Ecocide DeSwiss Mar 2015 #24

Civilization = ecocide The2ndWheel Mar 2015 #26

^^ Truth! nt GliderGuider Mar 2015 #29

Saying that Civilization = ecocide is a severe misunderstanding of history and of the facts. DeSwiss Mar 2015 #39

If the slide was just because of capitalism, it would be easy The2ndWheel Mar 2015 #41

If we change "more" to 'better'... CanSocDem Mar 2015 #44

Each is a word we made up and defined The2ndWheel Mar 2015 #48

selling pot. ileus Mar 2015 #27

Start up employee-owned private companies with strongly humanistic charters. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Mar 2015 #30

"Allow government-run enterprises to compete with capitalist concerns". Nye Bevan Mar 2015 #33

Trading with goods or money isn't sociopathic, unfair trading is sociopathic HereSince1628 Mar 2015 #34

Bookmarking to think about and respond later. Excellent thought piece, although KingCharlemagne Mar 2015 #40

Social democracy. moondust Mar 2015 #43

I am a fan of the employee owned cooperative idea. PowerToThePeople Mar 2015 #46

The economy should be capitalistic but the government should be socialist. craigmatic Mar 2015 #47

Logic and materialism don't mix well olddots Mar 2015 #50

Reducing a structural phenomenon to psychological traits BainsBane Mar 2015 #52

Communism, my friend. ncjustice80 Mar 2015 #53