to euph

Tobias-Reiper · 09-24-2005, 11:51 PM

Capitalism doesn't "mandate that you have the poor", just as Communism doesn't mandate that you have a dictator. It is merely an economic theory.

Now, spk, don't think for a minute that being poor in a capitalistic society comes down to a choice. Merely "working hard" (however you decide to define working hard) doesn't guarantee you success, or that you are going to stop being "poor" (however you decide to define being poor). There are many factors that can keep a person poor, such as sickness or disability, just to mention 2; sickness can financially devastate a family; or in the case of the so-called minorities, oppression, racism, etc... it really wasn't that long ago, merely a generation ago that, openly, people were not given either academic or laboral opportunities merely because of the color of their skin.

Capitalism cannot be defined as the "perfect system". Think about the Russian revolution: what good could've capitalism done in a society where no one had anything? You need to consider the specific socio-political environment of a particular society to determine which economic model is better for that society at that particular moment in time.

... this reminds me of the old Russian joke, of the Russian defector who goes back to Russia, and tells his buddy he hasn't seen in many years: "you know all those things the government told us about communism? They were lies. You know all those things they told us about capitalism? They are true"...

..and your water bottle argument is flawed. Gauging doesn't mean that prices go up because demand increases. Staying with the water bottle example; a store sells the bottle of water for $1. The store paid .50 for that bottle of water. Selling that bottle of water will yield the store a profit of .50. Hurricane hits, and now that same bottle of water all of the sudden costs $10, yielding the store $9.50 profit. That's gauging. In layman's terms, taking advantage of a bad situation to make a higher profit on goods and services that are considered necessities when it is not costing you any more to provide those goods or services as before.

09-24-2005, 11:51 PM	#19
Tobias-Reiper Merces Letifer Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 4,161	Capitalism doesn't "mandate that you have the poor", just as Communism doesn't mandate that you have a dictator. It is merely an economic theory. Now, spk, don't think for a minute that being poor in a capitalistic society comes down to a choice. Merely "working hard" (however you decide to define working hard) doesn't guarantee you success, or that you are going to stop being "poor" (however you decide to define being poor). There are many factors that can keep a person poor, such as sickness or disability, just to mention 2; sickness can financially devastate a family; or in the case of the so-called minorities, oppression, racism, etc... it really wasn't that long ago, merely a generation ago that, openly, people were not given either academic or laboral opportunities merely because of the color of their skin. Capitalism cannot be defined as the "perfect system". Think about the Russian revolution: what good could've capitalism done in a society where no one had anything? You need to consider the specific socio-political environment of a particular society to determine which economic model is better for that society at that particular moment in time. ... this reminds me of the old Russian joke, of the Russian defector who goes back to Russia, and tells his buddy he hasn't seen in many years: "you know all those things the government told us about communism? They were lies. You know all those things they told us about capitalism? They are true"... ..and your water bottle argument is flawed. Gauging doesn't mean that prices go up because demand increases. Staying with the water bottle example; a store sells the bottle of water for $1. The store paid .50 for that bottle of water. Selling that bottle of water will yield the store a profit of .50. Hurricane hits, and now that same bottle of water all of the sudden costs $10, yielding the store $9.50 profit. That's gauging. In layman's terms, taking advantage of a bad situation to make a higher profit on goods and services that are considered necessities when it is not costing you any more to provide those goods or services as before.