> every time I mention a critique of capitalism on this forum it gets absolutely zero traction and even downvoted. Why is this the reaction, instead of maybe even telling me why this analysis is completely worthless or wrong in a proper argumented comment?
I'll break the silence to give you at least my view on it.
I find the "blame it on the capitalism" rhetoritc somewhat annoying, to be fair. It sounds like an escape hatch you can always invoke, and since we don't really have a significant example of a non-capitalist society, it's unfalsifiable. It often seems to me, that people use this argument as psychological escapism - a simple solution to a complex problem.
Specifically, I see the "capitalism is bad" argument often used on examples that are not really specific to capitalism and are instead a result of some general principles.
For example, it seems to me that this article just describes preferential attachment process (rich get richer) in various fields.Another common one is multipolar trap (or tragedy of the commons or collective action problem). Those things tend to happen absolutely everywhere, because the conditions for them are very simple to satisfy.
We shouldn't be suprised to see them in capitalism, and we should expect them to arise in different forms in practically every system.
Thank you, this is exactly the answer I would expect from this kind of forum.
I am all but an anti-capitalist per se. I believe that, among all forms of societal organization, capitalism has proven to be the most effective at taking masses out of poverty.
I am also very aware that different types of capitalism exist, and in my critique I'm usually referring to the American "unbridled" or more or less libertarian Capitalism, rather than the social democratic flavor we have in Europe.
We even have chinese capitalism, the most beautiful and effective economic oxymoron to ever prove effective at what it does.
My gripe is mostly with the American form, and its role as a fundamental engine of disequalities. It's socialism for the ultrarich, as many capitalists in America would define it with no issue. I do think that this explains not all, but a lot of the undercurrents that lead to what this article described, as most of this trend seem to spread from a globalized push for optimization through homologation.
Especially when discussing with an educated American counterpart, I have the feeling that capitalism is the untouchable axiom of everything - which is expressed in your "annoyance", or at least that's what I perceive.
"Oh, here we go, let's blame it all again on capitalism..."
To me that's like fish complaining that everything around them is always wet, but getting annoyed if anyone mentions water.
Of course, getting out of the water is not an option for them, and sure there is no alternative for us about capitalism.
In this case the options are twofold: go the Mark Fisher way, conceding to the despair of a lack of an alternative; promote constant discussion and self-reflection about it, in a democratic and dialectically constructive way, to make the best of the water we all swim in.
I'll break the silence to give you at least my view on it.
I find the "blame it on the capitalism" rhetoritc somewhat annoying, to be fair. It sounds like an escape hatch you can always invoke, and since we don't really have a significant example of a non-capitalist society, it's unfalsifiable. It often seems to me, that people use this argument as psychological escapism - a simple solution to a complex problem.
Specifically, I see the "capitalism is bad" argument often used on examples that are not really specific to capitalism and are instead a result of some general principles.
For example, it seems to me that this article just describes preferential attachment process (rich get richer) in various fields.Another common one is multipolar trap (or tragedy of the commons or collective action problem). Those things tend to happen absolutely everywhere, because the conditions for them are very simple to satisfy.
We shouldn't be suprised to see them in capitalism, and we should expect them to arise in different forms in practically every system.