Comment by mystified5016

1 year ago

Yes. That's exactly what capitalism is.

Poe's Law: can't tell if serious or sarcastic.

At any rate, emergent behaviors can arise from complex systems, and thats exactly what I am alleging of (venture) capitalism at this stage of its evolution. If you have differences of opinion, by all means share them.

  • The American economic system is and always has been designed explicitly to extract the maximum profit from any venture at any cost.

    See: children mangled in factories, minimum wage laws, the oil industry, pretty much every OSHA regulation.

    If capitalism were at all capable of recognizing any externalities at all, we wouldn't have to create a vast legal system to protect workers, they would be treated safely and fairly because that is an ethically valuable thing to do.

    If capitalism were capable of considering morals, ethics, or even the law in general, we would live in a much better world. However, capitalists regularly dodge taxes while extracring wealth from any natural or human resources that exist. They then simply hoard that wealth. Remember we're living in the worst wealth inequality in this country's history. Global warming caused by the oil industry is wrecking the planet. Amazon warehouse workers get docked pay for using the bathroom and AI companies are pointing cameras at drivers to measure how often they blink.

    I have no clue how you can look at the world around you and not see the rampant exploitation and value extraction. The US is in a very bad way because of it. Increased poverty, homelessness, starvation.

    Hell, just look at our for-profit medical industry. People regularly go bankrupt due to ludicrous and exploitative price gouging. Tell me how ethical capitalism creates a system where hospitals are owned by private investment firms who squeeze the sick and dying for every cent they have and more.

    Capitalism does not, and fundamentally cannot consider ethics. Only profit.

    • So we agree. I couldn't tell, because Poe's law. The italicization of the word "exactly" suggested to me sarcasm, so I was doubly unsure.