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Legendary British historian Eric Hobsbawm discusses the “pathological degeneration” of capitalism today.
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9682626.stm
Legendary British historian Eric Hobsbawm discusses the “pathological degeneration” of capitalism today.
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9682626.stm
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Immortal Capitalism, as it
Immortal
Capitalism, as it exists in America today, is touted as needing to be totally free. This is like wanting an economic system that's the equivalent of a carriage being pulled by a runaway "screaming wild" horse, with no one holding the reins. Each horse is free to run wildly until its buggy or carriage tips over or crashes, and that's supposed to be okay with all of us who supposedly must ride in one buggy or another as "workers". Or we can just each run wild on our own--but then who would stock the grocery stores? Capitalism might work, but SOMEONE MUST hold the reins in one way or another, and only government is large enough to fulfill that purpose for large corporations, of course. So that is what is needed. Capitalism can work, but only if a strong democracy can form the governmental function of regulating business toward the COMMON good (or the "screaming wild" horses will always end up destroying the carriages and all in them). Peace!
man that dude has EARS
man that dude has EARS
Christmas, That is one ugly
Christmas, That is one ugly Communist Son of a Bitch. I especially loved the picture of Stalin in the early picture of Human-Frog mutant.
I thought the interviewer was
I thought the interviewer was incredibly ugly when he said "you're just an old Marxist grasping at straws, aren't you?"
anybody else find that incredibly insensitive?
I appreciate you courteous
I appreciate you courteous sensitivity, however I believe that the interviewer didn't really mean it in the way you perceived it. I think he was merely affording Hobsbawm the opportunity to respond to "the usual hater criticism" to the airing of Marxist views. You can really see this in the matter of fact way in which Hobsbawm replies. The fact is only on a show like newsnight would a marxist even be interviewed in the first place.
Yes, terribly insensitive. He
Yes, terribly insensitive. He should have said you're just a geriatric Marxist grasping st straws.
Hey, Hobsbawn is a great
Hey, Hobsbawn is a great historian regardless of your ideological viewpoint. You should read some of his books before you blindly label him and ignore his ideas.
Capitalism as we know it
Capitalism as we know it cannot be sustained.
A few people can now make all goods we need.
But we can not get our share of the produce because we cannot find paying work, and have no money.
Most of the money is in very few hands, and they can get more just by being moneylenders.
Even the few that are able to find paying work loose their earnings to moneylenders, and the problem keeps on geting worse.
Leftists confuse corporatism
Leftists confuse corporatism with capitalism.
If you want big government you automatically get corruption, either in the form of fascist dictatorships, communism or corporatism.
Capitalism is nothing more or less than freedom. Freedom for people to trade with each other under the law (contract law).
Well said. Media distorts
Well said. Media distorts capitalism and feeds on people's ignorance towards it. A friend of mine wrote an interesting piece on how capitalism is distorted by media. It will be appearing feb. 1st on poletical.com.
How is it that the American
How is it that the American people have confused Freedom with profit. The freedom to profit is NOT the same as the freedom to be..well free.. without imposition. I agree that people confuse coporatism with capitalism but for goodness sake we need not confuse freedom with economic prowess!!
I really don't think these
I really don't think these leftist dolts will get your point, but fair play to you for trying to make it.
What does capitalism have to
What does capitalism have to do with democracy? Chinese-style totalitarian capitalism ended that little fairy tale, didnt it?
Next question: what does communism have to do with government? See The Spanish Civil War and maybe you'll realize that your simplistic dichotomies are not quite adequate to deal with the complexities of the real world.
Unchecked capitalism is not
Unchecked capitalism is not freedom. Capitalism is the ability of those with wealth to determine the rules of society without a democratic check. You seem to support economic might makes right. As the last few years have clearly shown such a system leads to bad economic decisions and the establishment of a police state.
the point being made by
the point being made by Polly, as I have made many times is that rent payments go directly to private landlords. In other words, the government is actually subsidizing the owners of these properties and there is no capital gain or advantage of any kind for the tenants. The people who criticize this system have never had to live with real poverty and seem to think having a roof over your head solves all your problems. People survive by their wits, or in other words resort to extra-legal means, whether begging in the streets, selling illegal drugs or just plain petty crimes which harm all of us. If you allow people to live with dignity, they maintain their respect for their fellow man and society benefits, if you force them into desperate means we all suffer.
Capitalism only looks good
Capitalism only looks good because Socialists clean it up.
Socialism at best results in
Socialism at best results in poverty, at worst mass murder. Utopian pipe dreams are just that, dreams. Don't be fooled into believing crony capitalism as practiced by the Europeans or Obama is true capitalism. No socialist movement has ever been a working class or peasant movement, quite the contrary. They have all been movements instigated by an elite class as a means to gain power. All socialist societies are run by and for the elites, and once in power, they have always been more than willing to spill blood to maintain that power.
Freedom is the answer you are looking for.
I can't believe you say
I can't believe you say "Utopian pipe dreams are just that; dreams," and then you say "Freedom is the answer you are looking for". Hello there pipe dream! What freedom are you talking about? My freedom to get a job for a rich person (and do all his work for him) or starve and lose my house? That isn't freedom. Work for someone or starve... that's "Freedom"? No. Not at all. Not even close. It's servitude and humility and degradation.
Minimum wage cleans up
Minimum wage cleans up Capitalism. Unions clean up Capitalism. Regulations clean up Capitalism. Every time you clip a coupon to avoid the free market, Socialism is cleaning up Capitalism. Capitalism only looks good because enough Socialist systems are put into place that it corrects many problems economies run into when adopting strict free market Capitalism. Retirement accounts clean up Capitalism. Loans clean up Capitalism. Free education would clean up Capitalism a lot. You can see how all of these things correct a problem that occurs in Capitalism. You are demonizing and it's boring to read about demons. I just am pointing out that Capitalists allow Socialism in when it needs to make itself look more appealing. I didn't even mention utopias. I criticized them.
Have you ever noticed that
Have you ever noticed that with socialism the good times are always around the corner?
By the way what we have in the USA isn't capitalism.
I used to hear all about how
I used to hear all about how what we have right now isn't capitalism. I read that junk on conspiracy theory websites. You want to talk about some shit that never pans out? Conspiracy theories. "What we have right now isn't Capitalism" is just an incredulous way of stopping people from criticizing the current economic system. If it isn't capitalism, then all the criticism about capitalism can't possibly be true! =/ Come on, you don't fall for that "what we have isn't capitalism" shit, do you? Oh and what Stalin had wasn't Authoritarian Communism. What Hitler had wasn't Right Wing Socialism. What Mao had wasn't Totalitarian Socialism. Dude, get real. This is Capitalism and it fucking sucks as much as every other system does. No surprise there. There is no perfect system. Even if we did have "real capitalism" it would blow ass.
Oh yes it is. Its capitalism
Oh yes it is. Its capitalism without a democratic check!
Exactly. Any system without a
Exactly. Any system without a Democratic check is going to be terribly shitty. Capitalism without Democracy is shitty. Socialism without Democracy is shitty. Every single system, by not listening to the people inside it, is crap.