this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2023
451 points (76.1% liked)

Asklemmy

43786 readers
1195 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy ๐Ÿ”

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_[email protected]~

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Hi all,

I'm seeing a lot of hate for capitalism here, and I'm wondering why that is and what the rationale behind it is. I'm pretty pro-capitalism myself, so I want to see the logic on the other side of the fence.

If this isn't the right forum for a political/economic discussion-- I'm happy to take this somewhere else.

Cheers!

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] galloog1 -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How would giving complete economic power to the government eliminate special interests? Sure, it lowers their economic power in dollar terms but it does not lower their influence or incentives.

[โ€“] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's funny that people think it needs to be 100% one way government has "complete economic power", or 100% the other way unfettered capitalism, absolutely no rules, no regulation, free for all.

The short answer is: we need regulation. Businesses can run, but they shouldn't decide the rules.

[โ€“] galloog1 -4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Regulation is still capitalism. People in the western left and right seem to have forgotten this. The means of production are owned by private individuals. That's just laws. It's an equal playing field. Government programs are where it starts to get muddied.

[โ€“] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I would say you can have capitalism with regulation. But regulation itself is not capitalism. Rules that are not based on market forces are literally outside capital forces.

[โ€“] galloog1 -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sure but it does not change the system from a capitalist one so it is still capitalism regulated by market forces.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

You are the one that said "complete economic power to the government" and I am the one that said "The short answer is: we need regulation. Businesses can run, but they shouldnโ€™t decide the rules." Do you see that? "Businesses can run".

so it is still capitalism regulated by market forces.

No, it is not regulated only by market forces. We have introduced many, many non-market based regulations and rules. Absolute tons of rules and regulations are not market based. And like I said "Rules that are not based on market forces are literally outside capital forces."

We have regulated capitalism, not "capitalism regulated by market forces". If you want more see my reply https://lemmy.ca/comment/1421494

I predict you're going to keep doing weird attempts to say "but capitalism" and we're already at the point where I just point out what I've already said, so have fun.

[โ€“] galloog1 0 points 1 year ago

If the ownership of the means of production is still held privately, it is still capitalism. That's the base definition. I'm sorry but you just don't understand basic definitions.

It's a very loose term to begin with but that's it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=define+capitalism