Comments on: Capitalism vs. Capitalism

By: pebble

pebble — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:56:42 +0000

Technically corporations are created to protect people. They have to pull the ‘personal’ out to protect the person. If I start an ice cream business that is incorporated then joe blow who decides that my ice cream frost bit his tongue can’t sue me for my house, car and savings. The inc. protects me. He can however sue my company.

We live in a society of fear. I don’t think capitalism is over. I think maybe corporations are us trying to protect us from ourselves. Have we given up on us?

By: xqqumiata

xqqumiata — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:35:21 +0000

Free market capitalism died in the 1930’s in the US.
Funny, back then they tried to blame the collapse on the ‘industrialists’, too.

What we learn from history, is that people don’t learn from history! -Buffet

By: rekonstruct

rekonstruct — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:16:53 +0000

Ha, what we thought was a tame beast…

So, does this mean we finally agree on something?

By: willwindow

willwindow — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 19:17:15 +0000

Exactly.

Though, I don’t know that I would chalk capitalism up to turning resource into capital. It’s not enough to turn lion cubs into circus animals. You then have to put on show after show, whipping them around the ring and putting your head in their mouths. You have to force them to breed. You need three generations of circus animals jumping through rings of fire. Then you call for a bailout when one of them bites off your head.

By: rekonstruct

rekonstruct — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:21:06 +0000

The big other is magical, by definition. It’s also nothing. And that’s kind of the point. We’ve outsourced ourselves, our belief, our will, and intellect to an effigy of burning ether. Capitalism is an idea; it’s an idea that has so permeated American culture that it’s hard to harbor any other belief. That’s why it was so terrifying in the cold war to see an other. There wasn’t supposed to be an other. There was only supposed to be us. Capitalist us. Capitalist US of A.

When I say that American capitalism gave up on human beings a long time ago, I refer to the “giving up on the self” that is the inevitable shadow of the American Dream.

American capitalism is an idea that we have tried to hold so absolutely–an idea that we (the generic, patriotic, fully outsourced, melting pot we) were forced to hold absolutely when confronted by the other of communism. Capitalism is an ideology that functions as a means to turn resource into capital.

In our case, throughout the history of our country, capitalism has done this. But the goal is not capital for the sake of the people, it is capital for the sake of capital.

By: willwindow

willwindow — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:44:27 +0000

“The sad truth is that American capitalism gave up on human beings a long time ago.”

If I wanted to mail American capitalism a letter what address would I put on the front? If I wanted to ask it a question, who would be its spokesperson? What does American capitalism really want? What is its favorite color? Did American capitalism put out a little too much on the first date with Chinese capitalism?

The Big Other is so magical. It is nothing, but, boy, does it have personality.