1012
In the wealthiest country on Earth.
(lemmy.world)
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2025
1012 points (100.0% liked)
Late Stage Capitalism
2446 readers
228 users here now
A place for for news, discussion, memes, and links criticizing capitalism and advancing viewpoints that challenge liberal capitalist ideology. That means any support for any liberal capitalist political party (like the Democrats) is strictly prohibited.
A zero-tolerance policy for bigotry of any kind. Failure to respect this will result in a ban.
RULES:
1 Understand the left starts at anti-capitalism.
2 No Trolling
3 No capitalist apologia, anti-socialism, or liberalism, liberalism is in direct conflict with the left. Support for capitalism or for the parties or ideologies that uphold it are not welcome or tolerated.
4 No imperialism, conservatism, reactionism or Zionism, lessor evil rhetoric. Dismissing 3rd party votes or 'wasted votes on 3rd party' is lessor evil rhetoric.
5 No bigotry, no racism, sexism, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or any type of prejudice.
6 Be civil in comments and no accusations of being a bot, 'paid by Putin,' Tankie, etc. This includes instance shaming.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
"refusing to leave"
Where, specifically, did they expect her to go? Being thrown out on the streets at 93 is effectively a death sentence.
not being able to work is a death sentence in America
guess the freedom in america is the "works makes you free" variety
I saw that sentence somewhere in German.
Reminder that socialist countries like Cuba or the USSR have historically de jure and de facto guaranteed employment, with worse economic conditions and over a half century ago. Unemployment is a capitalist construct and we can do better than that.
i think we need to get rid of the mentality that work is a moral obligation.
what's the point in having exponential productivity increase if we are all still expected to work full time or starve.
we could probably just set up a 20 hour week maximum and the economy would still run. just with less profits for the 1%, but they can go fuck themselves with syphilitic cacti.
That's up for debate, but my point was about work being a guaranteed universal right, not about it being forced at gunpoint.
It's only up to debate if someone's is a capitalist bootlicker.
I'm a communist, so no, the only way to debate this isn't by being a capitalist bootlicker.
ok.
tankie bootlicker? if I'm off, please provide me a slur to use for you...
actually, besides pronouns, it would be polite to ask people for their slurs.
Just "Marxist" suffices. Judging by your hatred of socialists, that's probably a slur for you already.
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, and explain myself to you:
Labor, according to Marx's Labor Theory of Value, is the source of value in society and economy. Without labor, there simply is no value.
I envision a society that behaves according to the moral principle that can be summarized as "everyone contributes according to their capabilities, and everyone receives according to their needs".
Who are those who obtain compensation without work? Landlords, capitalist owners, financial institutions: rentiers and exploiters, in short. I don't want those in my society.
can we please chill.
tried to make the last comment half a joke. I'm a Marxist too, work with my local DSA and mutual aids (not as socialists as I would want, but the closest thing).
I just disagree with the concept that work is a moral thing. people should work according to their habilites. but if it isn't necessary, there shouldn't be bullshit jobs just for people to be busy and "earn" a living.
Even comparing with medieval serfs we work more than them and barely affording rent. despite productivity being orders of magnitude greater.
fuck landlords, they definitely do not "earn" a living, they suck it from others who do like the parasites that they are.
I think we're both getting too defensive.
It's ok to disagree in the small details, if you want to continue, we can focus on that.
for me, feel free to use he/him and any slur you prefer (i think I've earned a couple here)
Sure, let's chill, sorry for my part on that.
Seeing as you're a Marxist and DSA member: mate, why the need for the left-punching "tankie bootlicker" stuff? Actually existing socialism has brought liberation to hundreds of millions of people, had there been no USSR what would have happened to Cuba or Vietnam?
Now, about work. I agree there shouldn't be bullshit jobs. Labour, as the only source of value, is a precious commodity, and shouldn't be wasted on bullshit just because "working dignifies" or some right wing shit like that. That said, I also thing that there will always be labor to do, and since someone has to do it, it would be fair to more or less share it equally and according to our capabilities. We should also work fewer hours than we currently do.
As a final nitpick: when people say that medieval serfs worked less than we do, I suspect only field labor is counted. Peasants mostly lived in self-sustaining communities where the clothes, the housing, the iron utensils, the ceramics, the basketry etc. were manufactured to a great degree by serfs themselves. Serfs may have had fewer "working days" than us as in fewer days spent in the field vs. the office, but I suspect that the rest of the time they were mostly also working doing basketry, woodworking, fixing clothes and cleaning them, building homes, or other labors that were for self consumption or for local trade.
Calling you a tankie bootlicker was intended as a jest. I hate how tone gets lost on the internet and I suck at making it clear (I also hate that it ends up with me being a Schrödinger asshole, where my statement is serious or a joke based on the outcome). There are tankies that are just red fascists and there are tankies that acknowledge the dangers of totalitarianism (and think how to avoid it) and the benefit of a state that cares for the public (I hope you are here).
I only disagree that it is fair to spread the work as evenly as possible. like yhea, in principle it is fair, but in practice? Maybe I am a bit naïve in my utopia, but I believe that if our economy did not focus on BS commodities and luxuries, and instead focused on things that we need and make life better, most of the jobs would disappear. so much so that unemployment would be really high. but if living isn't tied to labour, that would not a bad thing. if only half the population has to work in jobs they enjoy doing that treat them well, then why not let the rest focus on the things that they love.
From experience in academy, I know that 90% of scientists would do science just for the love of it. how many carpenters love their craft? how many truckers get home from a 16 hour shift and relax playing truck simulators? Let the rest do art, or just enjoy life.
Those things are only relevant once/if we cover the lower rungs of Maslow's pyramid of needs, if there is no poverty, everyone is fed, has access to healthcare, education, and a dignified life, then who cares of someone wants to dedicate his life doing absolutely nothing?
I will give you the point about serfs, but then we also have to account for the "chores" we do nowadays. if we include groceries, cooking, commuting, cleaning... then we practically have no free time as well, just like those serfs.
although we can for sure agree that BS like the crank machine is objectively evil.
The cruelty is the point