It’s a lot simpler than what everyone here is saying tbh. They don’t know what it is. Most of them think capitalism is just markets existing. Or some other random definition they made up in their head. So they’re defending the imaginary version of it that they made up, which of course they like.
If you believe food comes from a field, you will defend the field. If you believe the food comes from the supermarket, you will defend the supermarket.
They don’t even know socialism exists in the US.
Also what you say is more tied to political identity instead of your actual beliefs whether or not the belief falls anywhere close to truth.
They don’t even know socialism exists in the US.
You don’t know that it doesn’t and never has.
Those that benefit from it spend a lot of money on trying to make sure the majority of people don’t realise it’s fucking them over
They get told all those horror stories about ‘the others’ who hate us for our freedoms and want to rule the world, where they have to work real hard and still can’t afford a house, and the regeeeem is spying on them all the time.
We wouldn’t want to live like that would we?Because they think of themselves as temporarily embarrassed millionaires rather than wage slaves.
Because they’ve been taught it’s the best system and only one that works.
I think a lot of people does fine under it. They are also very vocal, because they are in a relative position of power. For example, little bosses in front of a couple of employees will make more noise than their employees regarding capitalism and entrepreneur values, while the employees will basically survive.
I think in some way capitalism is tied up with technological advancement and we like that. We probably shouldn’t because it will be our undoing, but we do.
In America, we grow up to really cherish liberty and freedom of choice (even if it just the illusion of choice) and so we really idealize entrepreneurship.
Capitalism is the only economic system that allows upward class mobility
The examples of socialism/communism collapse are all within the lifetimes of most (or not far off for those of us under 40). Capitalism hasn’t quite failed yet (2008 hurt a lot and woke some people up to its failures).
It may not be popular with some of the instances on the fediverse but capitalism is the least flawed of all the flawed economic systems. The systems are flawed because they are ran by flawed humans. The best societies take strengths of each system and combine them to mitigate the flaws of each. Capitalism with strong social safety nets is probably the best that humans can do.
Capitalism requires brutal resource extraction, by force, from poor countries and that is usually done by killing, bombing, and using other forms of violence to enforce this extraction of resources.
We (USA) are literally doing it to Venezuela and other countries right now. I’m guessing you are American if you think capitalism with strong safety nets is the best.
You mean Capitalism with Strong safety nets for YOU. Not for people from South America, Africa, South Asia, etc. Americans (among other euro countries and some Scandinavian and east euro countries too) would have to give up a few apparatuses of luxury for the world to be able to afford even half of what we enjoy on a daily basis.
That last sentence is a mixed economy system, which should probably be the best, current way of doing things. Taking the benefits of each successful economical system. Yes, communism was successful in converting Russia from am agricultural-servant nation to an industrial powerhouse. Also, communism didn’t collapse by itself, the USA made everything they could to boycott it, and they still do because they are afraid of it. They are perpetrating their own silent genocide in Cuba, just to ingrain in our brains that communism is sentenced to collapse.
Wait… So all of those rich and billionaires in socialist countries are just figments of imagination?
Also, have you looked at how terrible the US upward mobility rankings are now? Under Capitalism you aren’t likely to move anywhere unless you’re born into it.
Edit: I brought receipts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Social_Mobility_Index
The rich and powerful in socialist countries were born into it.
I can’t argue with social mobility being harder than ever under capitalism now. But perception often lags reality which is why people defend the broken system
Except that’s not what the data shows: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Social_Mobility_Index
What exactly does the data show? The only socialist country on the list in China at #45 while the US is #27 (not great)
If you are saying that the US should be more like Northern Europe then I agree
What other alternatives do we have? We have some experience with communism and, eh, that didn’t go well either. Not defending capitalism here, just saying that the alternative need to work. Really work. Not just in theory.
Do we? Isn’t it mostly state capitalism and dictatorship, which has been falsely labeled as communism? Not to mention American/western intervention to destabilise any remotely socialist/communist attempt, and constant fear mongering anti-communist propaganda. Also capitalism doesn’t really work itself, riddled with internal contradictions and frequent economic crashes. If interested watch e.g. some LiterateMachine: https://redirect.invidious.io/watch?v=QaDtAOWgKdQ from 4:18
