Inequality

[Strontium]

[AngryOfTuebrook]

A good illustration of how shit Capitalism is at distributing benefits of human progress.

[Strontium]

No, it's a good illustration of how people were fucked until capitalism came along.

[Rico1304]

What's the Africa dip in 2000? The AIDS?

[Strontium]

What's the Africa dip in 2000? The AIDS?

 

Correct.

 

The ensuing rise in life expectancy was because the evil capitalist healthcare industry essentially cured HIV, and because that evil capitalist Bill Gates gave $3bn to ensure everyone got treatment.

[Hand Shandy]

Bill Gates net worth in 2017 is estimated at about $85bn.

 

I think he can spare it.

 

It's a shame a few others don't follow his lead however.

[Hand Shandy]

Oh, and I'd argue industrialisation and advances in medical science probably had more to do with it than capitalism...

[Rico1304]

Bill Gates net worth in 2017 is estimated at about $85bn.

 

I think he can spare it.

 

It's a shame a few others don't follow his lead however.

But he earned his money by making something people wanted.

[Strontium]

Oh, and I'd argue industrialisation and advances in medical science probably had more to do with it than capitalism...

 

I think capitalism had a smidgen to do with industrialisation, like.

[Strontium]

But he earned his money by making something people wanted.

 

He's wealthy, intelligent and a political liberal? No, that can't be right, those things have no correlation.

[Section_31]

Too many straw men get thrown around these threads. Capitalism isn't in itself evil, just as socialism isn't, but ours and the USA's societies pervert capitalism every bit as much as the likes of the Soviet Union perverted socialism. 

 

People owning their own shops, stalls, businesses, workers getting a good wage and spending it in those places, wanting to better themselves and a healthy tax revenue that gets taken by the state and spent on an infrastructure that allows the above to flourish is great - that's what we had but no longer had. 

 

What we have now is oligarchy, insurmountable businesses and individuals who control too much and give back too little. It's not even a case of opinions, it's all around you. It's why we're all in debt, why town centres are kept afloat with student flats and the student pound (more debt), why the American rust belt is hollowed out and why our own northern towns are likewise. 

 

Capitalism can be done right,  the Scando countries do it right, we used to do it right, now we don't because the wrong people were in charge for too long. 

[Rico1304]

Too many straw men get thrown around these threads. Capitalism isn't in itself evil, just as socialism isn't, but ours and the USA's societies pervert capitalism every bit as much as the likes of the Soviet Union perverted socialism.

 

People owning their own shops, stalls, businesses, workers getting a good wage and spending it in those places, wanting to better themselves and a healthy tax revenue that gets taken by the state and spent on an infrastructure that allows the above to flourish is great - that's what we had but no longer had.

 

What we have now is oligarchy, insurmountable businesses and individuals who control too much and give back too little. It's not even a case of opinions, it's all around you. It's why we're all in debt, why town centres are kept afloat with student flats and the student pound (more debt), why the American rust belt is hollowed out and why our own northern towns are likewise.

 

Capitalism can be done right, the Scando countries do it right, we used to do it right, now we don't because the wrong people were in charge for too long.

Correct! Fucking Blair.

[Jockey]

Great post by Section. Capitalism comes in many forms, not all of which are evil.

[Jairzinho]

Too many straw men get thrown around these threads. Capitalism isn't in itself evil, just as socialism isn't, but ours and the USA's societies pervert capitalism every bit as much as the likes of the Soviet Union perverted socialism. 

 

People owning their own shops, stalls, businesses, workers getting a good wage and spending it in those places, wanting to better themselves and a healthy tax revenue that gets taken by the state and spent on an infrastructure that allows the above to flourish is great - that's what we had but no longer had. 

 

What we have now is oligarchy, insurmountable businesses and individuals who control too much and give back too little. It's not even a case of opinions, it's all around you. It's why we're all in debt, why town centres are kept afloat with student flats and the student pound (more debt), why the American rust belt is hollowed out and why our own northern towns are likewise. 

 

Capitalism can be done right,  the Scando countries do it right, we used to do it right, now we don't because the wrong people were in charge for too long. 

 

Yep, this isn't capitalism. 

 

It's corporatism. The power of the nation has been largely replaced by the billion dollar companies. They carve up the planet, grabbing every resource they can lay their hands on. Controlling directly, or indirectly, the globe's biggest organisations ensuring their particular brand of cunt economics can thrive across the world. Nestle and Evian decide whether an African country gets to have schools and hospitals. Tesco and Wetherspoons eviscerating towns up and down the UK. The Cock family buying the US government. The troika privatising an entire country. None of this is fucking capitalism. Adam Smith would have dissociated himself from this shit in a heartbeat.

 

But the Scandi model, or even just post war Keynesianism in the UK and the US isn't allowed any more. It's precisely why wrestling back some control of the message is the single most important factor in affecting progressive change. 

[magicrat]

Too many straw men get thrown around these threads. Capitalism isn't in itself evil, just as socialism isn't, but ours and the USA's societies pervert capitalism every bit as much as the likes of the Soviet Union perverted socialism. 

 

People owning their own shops, stalls, businesses, workers getting a good wage and spending it in those places, wanting to better themselves and a healthy tax revenue that gets taken by the state and spent on an infrastructure that allows the above to flourish is great - that's what we had but no longer had. 

 

What we have now is oligarchy, insurmountable businesses and individuals who control too much and give back too little. It's not even a case of opinions, it's all around you. It's why we're all in debt, why town centres are kept afloat with student flats and the student pound (more debt), why the American rust belt is hollowed out and why our own northern towns are likewise. 

 

Capitalism can be done right,  the Scando countries do it right, we used to do it right, now we don't because the wrong people were in charge for too long. 

 

It doesn't help when idiots in their droves can't discriminate between whats true and what's bullshit and vote for Brexit or Trump.  

[Rico1304]

There's a section in Joe Rogan's latest podcast about Inequality and why it happens. It's interesting but I'll let you listen and make up your own minds.

 

One interesting fact in there was that the minimum IQ for someone joining the US army is 83. That's because they've found that anyone with an IQ lower than that can't be trained for any useful task. 10% of the population has an IQ lower than 83.

[Hades]

FFS.

[Rico1304]

FFS.

You reading my posts again?

 

It didn't say they were incapable of being trained for anything, just nothing for the army - you know, where there's a requirement to fire a gun safely and without killing your mates.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

No, it's a good illustration of how people were fucked until capitalism came along.

According to that graph, lifespans were much of a muchness until European Imperialism really got into its stride in the late 19th Century.

 

Also, I don't think Capitalism played a great part in conquering smallpox, polio, etc. or in providing water, sewerage and habitable accommodation in Europe and North America.

 

The bottom line is, of course, that one graph shows nothing more than what you already see: you're seeing a candlestick; I'm seeing two faced.

[Numero Veinticinco]

An IQ of 83 is hideously low. You don’t want to let people with that IQ hold a gun, much less try to yeah them ROE.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

you're seeing a candlestick; I'm seeing two faced.

*two faces*

[Rico1304]

An IQ of 83 is hideously low. You don’t want to let people with that IQ hold a gun, much less try to yeah them ROE.

I just didn't realise how many people have an IQ that low, but I've not been in the FF for a while. As automation takes away roles they may have had it increases the arguments for Universal Basic Income.

[Numero Veinticinco]

I just didn't realise how many people have an IQ that low, but I've not been in the FF for a while. As automation takes away roles they may have had it increases the arguments for Universal Basic Income.

I wonder if there’s any videos of people with IQs that low. Verified IQs. I think IQ tests are a fairly poor way of measuring intelligence, generally, but when you’re that low it can’t really matter.

[Rico1304]

I wonder if there’s any videos of people with IQs that low. Verified IQs. I think IQ tests are a fairly poor way of measuring intelligence, generally, but when you’re that low it can’t really matter.

I don't know enough to comment on it really, but I'd say it gives a general idea.

[Hades]

Starting to understand why the British make perfect movie villains.