| This question <12|1> overall <13|15> Hans: <13|18>. |
| Question 4: Can you think of things which are part of the riches of capitalist society but which are not produced for and traded on markets? |
| [14] Hans: Regulated Capitalism Young people often believe that all conflicts can be reconciled. Jimmy thinks capitalism cannot be that bad, because |
| Mankind as a whole will not allow those reckless self-interested capitalists to destroy what we have. |
| Unfortunately, capitalism is an extremely vicious system. Even if you yourself are not suffering under it right now, others do, and there is no guarantee that you will continue to be spared. And experience shows that you cannot rely on the spontaneous protests of “Mankind as a whole” to rein in capitalism. The majority of the world population is suffering miserably under capitalism right now, yet it is impossible for them to change it. Don't think that things that are too outrageous cannot happen. They are happening now, in other parts of the world, and even here, in parts of the city which you rarely visit. |
| One of the outrageous things connected with capitalism is wars. There is really no reason in this civilized world that political differences should be “resolved” by violent means, yet wars happen all the time. Wars are a natural for capitalism, because capitalism is an inherently violent system. With the advent of modern mass destruction weapons before World War I people thought that from now on there would be no more wars, they would be too cruel. Were they wrong! Even nuclear bombs have been used in war, by none other than our own government. And on several occasions since then, the world just barely escaped a nuclear holocaust. |
| Also with the environment, our governments are highly irresponsible. We are at a threshold to irrepairable damage to the environment, but the governments hardly seem to notice. Bush repudiated the Tokyo Accords, and the current SUV boom is based on a gaping loophole in the safety and emissions legislation. Instead of mass transportation and bicycle paths, we rebuild our expressways at great expense, and the TRAX on 4th South has to serpent around the left-turn lanes for the cars. The priorities of those in power are obviously very wrong. For them, the “business climate” is more important than the natural climate. Time is running out, while the governments stand by and do nothing. |
| I think at some point a lot of people will be very angry at all the missed opportunities to enter a more sustainable path. More and more people recognize that you cannot fix capitalism, you have to get rid of it. This cannot be done by the spontaneous actions of individuals, but only if those who see what is at stake organize, and wage a determined and protracted struggle to overturn the system. |
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