This is why capitalism will eventually fail

[Comraddict]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=26266&item=6750430437&rd=

Making just one laptop takes lot of resources: somebody's time, energy, materials, pollution, etc. Just so capitalistic swines can do this for fun. While on other side, poor far east worker who made this probably works 10hr day just to feed his family.
Now this consumer age works cuz opressed one have to work to survive... until they all get enough pissed off on rich people owning everything and needing as much as everybody else.

 

[Paalikles]

I strongly disagree with your post (before having read your link).

For a good, and rather easy read, I recommend

Walsh and Stiglitz' Principles of microeconomics - in particular the chapters about comparative advantage and free trade.

I guess many have started writing to answer to this thread already, and my answer will be short. Not because I dont want to "lecture" you on why you are wrong, but because I havent the time to fully explain all this (topic is rather huge).

Edit: just to specify what I disagree with:

1) You seem to imply that the production process in a world where capitalism is the dominant "ideology" exploits the poor
2) From 1 can follow that you imply that developing nations suffer in world trade/production relations, and are exploited by the rich developed nations.

 

[King Alexander]

History repeats itself: one day, new revolutions will arise, and that's for absolutely certain, e.g.: I don't see the wages of the workers for a company to increase a bit, despite if that company makes huge profits each year. Life(services/products) is getting more and more expensive to afford and people have near to zero time for themselves, as they work almost all day long.

Pure capitalism is a poison, as much as pure communism.

 

[Gelion]

Pure capitalism is a poison, as much as pure communism.

Hear hear!

 

[Bozo Erectus]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=26266&item=6750430437&rd=

Making just one laptop takes lot of resources: somebody's time, energy, materials, pollution, etc. Just so capitalistic swines can do this for fun. While on other side, poor far east worker who made this probably works 10hr day just to feed his family.
Now this consumer age works cuz opressed one have to work to survive... until they all get enough pissed off on rich people owning everything and needing as much as everybody else.

The Western owned factories where things like laptops are made by Eastern workers are likely to be the highest paying employers in their region. Ask the workers there if they want the factories shut down because theyre being 'expolited'. Most of these antiglobalisation people are upper middleclass people who never did a lick of work in their lives, never knew anybody who works for a living, and never bothered to speak to these poor exploited workers who theyre so busy trying to liberate

 

[Yom]

In a purely communistic society, most people probably wouldn't have laptops. The inefficiency that comes about from a regulated economy would probably prevent a lot of goods from being provided because the good would have to be universally desired, and there would be little incentive to develop new goods.

Pure capitalism is a poison, as much as pure communism.

Seconded.

 

[Double Barrel]

Why would someone pay $280 for that thing? Am I missing something?

As far as the topic; I agree with BE. Workers are still better off under a capitalistic system that promotes freedom, a opposed to a state-mandated labor factory that promotes economic bondage.

 

[Perfection]

See this is false logic, you're assuming that capitalists in general like to piss away thier money and destroy things. This is one slightly nutters guy (who may or may not be capitalist) who got overly frustrated and took out his anger on an inanimate object, he does not represent capitalists in general.

And who knows the spyware may have already destroyed the computer to the point that fixing it would require more energy then its worth and the entertainment caused by the shotgunning (Obvioulsy derived from here http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail118.html) is actually the creation of more benefit from what once was trash.

 

[insurgent]

The Western owned factories where things like laptops are made by Eastern workers are likely to be the highest paying employers in their region. Ask the workers there if they want the factories shut down because theyre being 'expolited'. Most of these antiglobalisation people are upper middleclass people who never did a lick of work in their lives, never knew anybody who works for a living, and never bothered to speak to these poor exploited workers who theyre so busy trying to liberate

Am I the only one who thinks this thread was meant as a joke, rather than an actual and serious argument against capitalism?

 

[Gelion]

Am I the only one who thinks this thread was meant as a joke, rather than an actual and serious argument against capitalism?

Its a thought.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

Another thing, when people are "only" making 2 dollars a day, that often isn't adjusted to the local purchasing parity, and infact that 2 dollars might go a LOT longer than it would in the richer countries, especially on any products made locally.

It still isn't a fortune, but it is a hell of a lot better than what they would be making. The funny thing is that if people actually did get equal wages there for their labour, they would be richer than the wage-workers here, because of the lower cost of living.

 

[Yom]

Am I the only one who thinks this thread was meant as a joke, rather than an actual and serious argument against capitalism?

Comraddict is a communist, so it's probably not a joke.

 

[Gelion]

Comraddict is a communist, so it's probably not a joke.

The argument is really really really silly...
[not meant as an offence ]

 

[Paalikles]

BE, (formerly Pothead, but not so Dumb ) gave the short version of what I would have said. I also meant to enlighten the topic with a more elaborate explanation, but my suggested reading should hopefully take care of most of that.

Holding BE's post as a reasonable truth, it is likely that workers chose the best line of work available to them (available means that they are actually able to work somewhere if they would). So workers are better of producing laptops than they would have been if they did something else. If they werent, they would be in another line of work. Or in the extreme: unemployed.

Like what was said above, you have to consider real wages adjusted for PPP (purchasing power parity).

And if you really would hate reading mr Stiglitz' book, read up on the theory of comparative advantage, originally formulated by David Ricardo. There is enough empirical evidence to support that even though Ricardo argumented for that theory 200 years ago, most of the theory holds even today. And it is one of the best ways to approach the subject of globalisation under capitalism, at least IMHO

 

[Japanrocks12]

Ever heard of replaceable parts??


One person does not have to build the laptop on his own.

 

[Paalikles]

One person does not have to build the laptop on his own.

Ah yes, division of labour and specialization.Both interesting topics under capitalism.

A worker who specialize in making lcd screens develop superior knowledge and skill in that area - which makes him more efficient than what would be the case where one worker builds all parts of a laptop


(damnit, I am dragged into this again and again)

 

[amadeus]

capitalistic swines

Okay, Kim!

 

[JohnRM]

Capitolism will be the end of this world for one reason. Capitolism relies on constant and increasing consumer activity in order to grow. Once all the resources are thoroughly consumed, the Capitolist economies will collapse. So, either way, if we consume less, the economy will cease to grow and likely be unsustainable. If we continue to consume resources at the current rate or greater, we will run out of resources and the economies will collapse anyway. So, the rich people figure, lets get the money and live wild while we can, besides we'll be dead when the resources run out anyway.

 

[Winner]

Communism failed, socialism is failing, capitalism is thriving. Well, what more can I say?

 

[Yom]

Communism failed, socialism is failing, capitalism is thriving. Well, what more can I say?

Pure capitalism is not thriving. A mix of capitalism and socialism is what's thriving.

Either way, Paalikes advice is very good. Comparative advantage is one of the very important tenets of modern economics and is key to understanding how economies work.

Capitolism will be the end of this world for one reason. Capitolism relies on constant and increasing consumer activity in order to grow. Once all the resources are thoroughly consumed, the Capitolist economies will collapse. So, either way, if we consume less, the economy will cease to grow and likely be unsustainable. If we continue to consume resources at the current rate or greater, we will run out of resources and the economies will collapse anyway. So, the rich people figure, lets get the money and live wild while we can, besides we'll be dead when the resources run out anyway.

How many millenia do you think it will be before we use up all of the resources in the universe?



@Paalikes: Are you an economist? Judging by your posts, it seems you are.