The Next Major War...

[El_Machinae]

I mean, what's "capitalism"? People can own stuff, even far away. What else is embodied in the term?

 

[red_elk]

Private ownership of the means of production.

 

[Patine]

I mean, what's "capitalism"? People can own stuff, even far away. What else is embodied in the term?

I think the abstract, token-based representation of a nation's wealth and economic backing (currency) as the means of exchange instead of barter, quid pro quo, or landed-grants-in-fealty is a big part of it, too...

 

[El_Machinae]

Is it, though? Communist systems have currency, don't they? I mean, I'm not really sure what the colloquial definition is

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I think the abstract, token-based representation of a nation's wealth and economic backing (currency) as the means of exchange instead of barter, quid pro quo, or landed-grants-in-fealty is a big part of it, too...

Currency has nothing to do with it.

Private property has pretty much everything to do with it. Capitalism is market driven, in that production decisions are made based on individual assessments of what can be most advantageously traded in the competitive marketplace, whether such trade is facilitated by use of currency or not. That's the really defining feature. The problem is the maintenance of that competitive marketplace. As I said, the seeds of monopolization are inherent in every market, so keeping them from sprouting has to be a collective effort despite the false belief held by almost all participants in said market that they will individually be the ones to benefit when the seeds do sprout. Real world economic systems that claim to be capitalism invariably feature markets that are driven by some small segment of producers, supported by a huge segment of dupes who believe that the system is fine and that "their turn is coming" so they help resist regulation that would lead to actual capitalism.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I think the abstract, token-based representation of a nation's wealth and economic backing (currency) as the means of exchange instead of barter, quid pro quo, or landed-grants-in-fealty is a big part of it, too...

Trade and personal ownership of "stuff" goes back over 6000 years. Long before writing and currency

 

[caketastydelish]

Honestly, I want a war with China as long as we are guaranteed to win, and the war itself wouldn’t cost me any comforts.

The Chinese government is absolutely horrible and they should crushed quickly and decisively before they continue to grow more and more out of hand. The human rights violations by the Chinese government is unbelievable.

 

[Patine]

and the war itself wouldn’t cost me any comforts.

Of course it would cost you comforts. Good and plenty of them. Given that most of your "comforts," are made, in whole or in part, in China...

 

[caketastydelish]

Hence why I wouldn't be in favor of the war.

 

[Zardnaar]

Hence why I wouldn't be in favor of the war.

China also has ICBMs.

Rather than war have a competent President use sanctions, tariffs etc on the worst offenders.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Honestly, I want a war with China as long as we are guaranteed to win, and the war itself wouldn’t cost me any comforts.

The Chinese government is absolutely horrible and they should crushed quickly and decisively before they continue to grow more and more out of hand. The human rights violations by the Chinese government is unbelievable.

Wars are mostly about killing people who are not involved in starting them. In war there are few guarantees other than people will suffer. So it appears that you like the idea of killing lots of people you don't know so long as your lifestyle is unaffected and if they have different political ideas than you do.

What should we do about the Mexican cartels? They are not very nice either.

 

[Patine]

China also has ICBMs.

Rather than war have a competent President use sanctions, tariffs etc on the worst offenders.

Which would also take away his comforts...

 

[Patine]

Hence why I wouldn't be in favor of the war.

Wars are mostly about killing people who are not involved in starting them. In war there are few guarantees other than people will suffer. So it appears that you like the idea of killing lots of people you don't know so long as your lifestyle is unaffected and if they have different political ideas than you do.

What should we do about the Mexican cartels? They are not very nice either.

I don't support any war, or proposed war, based on a perceived moral obligation of Western First World Nations to militarily step in and remove tyrants from power. The West, in truth, has no such mandate or obligation, and every endeavour based on that ideal alone, unless said tyrants were an actual clear, present, and imminent military threat to Western nations themselves (like the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis) has always created more evil, by both the Western intervention itself, the tyrant trying to hold onto power, and whomever sweeps into the power void afterward, and usually sets up the change for more tyrants to rise, as well as the cause of the phenomenon called "terrorism."

 

[Narz]

I don't see any reason to believe nukes and other "weapons of mass destruction" will necessarily stay out the hands of rogue groups not necessarily affiliated with certain governments... especially if global society starts to collapse.

If you're a suicidal fanatic what do you care about MAD?

Or some mad scientist in his basement who can't get laid could create some AI that would take down the power grid. Hard to call that an act of war but certainly terrorism.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Wars are mostly about killing people who are not involved in starting them. In war there are few guarantees other than people will suffer. So it appears that you like the idea of killing lots of people you don't know so long as your lifestyle is unaffected and if they have different political ideas than you do.

What should we do about the Mexican cartels? They are not very nice either.

Rather than a "what should we do" question this is a good place for a "what have we done in the past" question, since "like the idea of killing lots of people you don't know for the benefit of your lifestyle" basically describes the average USian's views on the middle east for...half a century? Maybe more?

 

[Birdjaguar]

Rather than a "what should we do" question this is a good place for a "what have we done in the past" question, since "like the idea of killing lots of people you don't know for the benefit of your lifestyle" basically describes the average USian's views on the middle east for...half a century? Maybe more?

Yes, the "what have we done?" question can be applied in lots of places. And many times the answer is "It didn't help." "What have we done?" can be a good guide into what not to keep doing.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Yes, the "what have we done?" question can be applied in lots of places. And many times the answer is "It didn't help." "What have we done?" can be a good guide into what not to keep doing.

Saying it as "what have we done?" gives a false sense that there is some sort of remorse. At the end of the day we needed petroleum and we killed a whole bunch of people to keep it flowing...with no apparent remorse whatsoever. The closest we have come to remorse is the fake "anti-war libertarian" pretenders who blame all the rest of us for the killing but cheerfully burn the provided gas.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Honestly, I want a war with China as long as we are guaranteed to win, and the war itself wouldn’t cost me any comforts.
The Chinese government is absolutely horrible and they should crushed quickly and decisively before they continue to grow more and more out of hand. The human rights violations by the Chinese government is unbelievable.

Why not just wish for world peace instead ?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Why not just wish for world peace instead ?

As USians, world peace would destroy our standard of living.

 

[Moriarte]

As USians, world peace would destroy our standard of living.

Not everyone’s standard of living, just the ones employed in the military.