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For real this time, NSF, I swear it's the last time.
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This is not capitalisms fault. It’s weak and corrupt leadership. Leaders who care more about people than power and money are required to keep it in check. Last time I looked they were all doing their own thing and I can’t blame them but still, it would be nice.
Except it is capitalisms fault. If the capitalist must make more money each year than it did the year before, eventually the only way to make that happen is by influencing elections to get bills passed that bring up the ladder behind you solidifying your monopoly, or by deregulating the market so you can produce more with less.
What you’re describing is not only caused by unchecked greed (solved by strong leadership), it’s lazy capitalism. In actual capitalism the business must achieve constant growth yes, but the part people forget is this is supposed to be achieved through innovation and adaptation. If the businesses fails to do this it goes out of business. Capitalism allows for years of decline so long as the business is strong enough to sustain it. What we’re seeing by companies influencing elections is open admission that they are either struggling to produce innovation or they are greedy. Sometimes probably both. If they are innovating like alphabet or meta and they still do it it’s lazy greed plain and simple. Capitalism ends here, strong leadership should start here and push back against it. You could argue this is where democracy is broken because these companies can control the flow of information and will sway public opinion to vote out a politician that doesn’t play their game. Unfortunately this is still poor leadership. A truely good leader will do their job regardless of public opinion or in the face of losing an election.
I think we disagree on one specific point, I believe weak leadership is a guarantee when massive institutions can no longer grow and instead seek to cheat growth through political action. The vote of the people is meaningless when compared to so much capital. I believe it to be inevitable. Sure strong leadership could prevent this, ,but we elect leadership and are easily manipulated.
Yeh I agree it’s fucking dire. The electing of easily manipulated leadership is the problem. Basically capitalism has hijacked democracy and the only way forward is through selfless leadership. Without it capitalism will probably consume us. You’re probably right that it will but it’s nice to know there’s a solution, better than no solution.