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submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by RyanGosling@hexbear.net to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net
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[-] Asafum@feddit.nl 2 points 1 year ago

I'm not sure that's the best argument as no one owns a capitalist government or a communist government. "The people" own the governments of both systems. The ultra rich influence the government, but no one owns any government.

I do tend to agree with the comment about "people who are power hungry seek positions of power." No matter what system you have you're going to have positions of leadership that have to exert some form of "power" over others and the worst people of any society are going to gravitate to those positions.

I suppose It's really a people problem more than a system problem though. :/

[-] DefinitelyNotAPhone@hexbear.net 35 points 1 year ago

I suppose It's really a people problem more than a system problem though. :/

No, it's a system problem. The worst abuses of power under communist regimes pale in comparison to the atrocities capitalist powers commit on a regular basis. Even if you took the Black Book of Communism at face value and assumed every bad thing that happened in the USSR or the PRC was the direct, intended result of the government it would not hold a candle to the British rule of India, the European colonization of the Americas, or the austerity-driven debt slavery of the global south under neocolonialism.

A few government officials taking bribes is not morally or logistically comparable to systematic chattel slavery or stealing the surplus labor value of billions.

[-] huf@hexbear.net 32 points 1 year ago

it helps if your system isnt built from the ground up to reward the most psychopatic monsters that can be found...

perhaps putting people before private property in the ideology of your government might also help mitigate this "human nature" problem you bring up.

[-] Asafum@feddit.nl 2 points 1 year ago

It's a matter of what benefits can be obtained by the position of power, it doesn't have to specifically be private property. If there is any voting to be done to choose who obtains those positions of power then it's just a popularity contest for the most skillful at hiding their intentions, those most entertaining and narcissistic that end up winning.

I don't exactly know the solution to that problem. Maybe the Romans has a slightly good idea with a random lottery lol we all have mandatory government service if called on, but that brings its own issues like supremely moronic/ignorant people in positions of power.

[-] ProfessorOwl_PhD@hexbear.net 17 points 1 year ago

If there is any voting to be done to choose who obtains those positions of power then it's just a popularity contest for the most skillful at hiding their intentions, those most entertaining and narcissistic that end up winning.

This happens in the west because we're so far detached from power. Millions of us vote on who will occupy a single position near the top of the pile, with no way to actually know our representative. In places like China and North Korea you vote for your direct representative, literally the person directly above you in the heirarchy, meaning you can actually know what they're like as a person, because they are a peer that you work with, not a member of the ruling party(/parties) that's been parachuted in to a seat representing millions who will never know them.

[-] Tunnelvision@hexbear.net 19 points 1 year ago

As a citizen of capitalism no brother we the people do not own shit.

[-] RyanGosling@hexbear.net 14 points 1 year ago

I do tend to agree with the comment about "people who are power hungry seek positions of power." No matter what system you have you're going to have positions of leadership that have to exert some form of "power" over others and the worst people of any society are going to gravitate to those positions.

Well yes. That’s just natural. But I imagine it can minimized when you have a society that doesn’t promote being parasites and screwing over other people as part of the national dream.

this post was submitted on 11 Apr 2024
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