• Boozilla@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    My hope would be that we can transition peacefully to a hybrid model with the rising power of unions, gradual emergence of worker cooperatives, and increased demand for socialized health care and affordable housing.

    However, I think it’s more likely that things will have to collapse first. Especially with violent accelerationist types doing their thing. Unfortunately, it’s far easier to destroy systems than it is to repair them.

    • Lvxferre@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      You probably know it, but just in case that you (or anyone reading this, who might agree with you) don’t: give the texts of The Fabian Society a check. They’re rather close to what you’re proposing with a peaceful transition; I have my criticisms against it as a Marxist strictu sensu, but I bet that you’ll have a blast with it.

        • Lvxferre@lemmy.ml
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          10 months ago

          I’m proposing to check their texts out because it’s a good way to get theoretical background to back up your beliefs, if you believe in a peaceful transition. (Here’s a link to a good one, by the way.)

          It’s also useful for Marxists, given that Marxism always interacted with other left-wing trains of thought. So by reading this stuff you get a better historical context on why Marxism defends some policies instead of other policies.

          • JimmyMcGill@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            Yea I wasn’t doubting you, I just wanted for your to add some small explanation/context as to what these texts had

    • TheGalacticVoid@lemm.ee
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      10 months ago

      I have reservations about unions. While it does give employees bargaining power, it sometimes does it to a fault. We see this with police unions in the US as it stops bad apples from getting proper punishment, and as a result, they get slaps on the wrist. I imagine that it would be equally as hard to fire somebody in other industries like medicine unless there’s a 3rd party (like an arbitrator or court) enforcing these decisions.

      Also, without any legislation in the US, I’d argue that unions will stay incredibly difficult to form, and even if they do, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they can negotiate with companies fairly. Companies out there (I believe Dish is an example) have spent 10 years stalling negotiations with unions, and it’s all practically legal.

    • SCB@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      My hope would be that we can transition peacefully to a hybrid model with the rising power of unions, gradual emergence of worker cooperatives, and increased demand for socialized health care and affordable housing.

      None of this has anything to do with capitalism tho.

      Like, capitalism can and should be the economic engine driving these positive outcomes.

      • pl_woah@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        The current strategy of venture capital is not success, but sabotage

        It’s not good enough for you to be doing well, you have to strangle the competition and introduce yourself as an unremovable bottleneck

        For example, becoming the intermediary between concerts and concert goers. The fees charged and the trouble caused is worse than if they hadn’t been there.

        Amazon makes examples out of any business that dare challenge it’s dead zone around it.

        VC money is meant to crush the competition and lock in the consumer to charge rent.

        Why would they ever want worker control, or unions?

        Why would the private healthcare industry ever stop lobbying against socialized healthcare? Why would a capitalist success ever lead to the political change necessary for it when the doctrine of capitalism is privatization

        Why would any commercial real estate firm allow affordable housing to exist when they can scalp it on investment properties and leave them empty? Why build affordable housing when the margins are small?

        Capitalism isn’t a savior, it’s just locally optimal to the people with capital.

        • SCB@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          VC money is meant to crush the competition and lock in the consumer to charge rent.

          This is not anything close to correct lol. VCs specifically do not invest in mature companies or they aren’t VCs.

          Why would any commercial real estate firm allow affordable housing to exist when they can scalp it on investment properties and leave them empty? Why build affordable housing when the margins are small?

          All housing built helps other housing come affordable because it increases supply. You are correct that there is little purpose intentionally building less valuable housing

      • JimmyMcGill@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        I mean not really? Because currently capitalism as an economic engine is actively preventing these outcomes. And basically by design. How do you explain that?

        • xigoi@lemmy.sdf.org
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          10 months ago

          A lot of capitalist countries have free healthcare. So how is capitalism preventing that?

          • JimmyMcGill@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            Because in those countries it was regulated enough?

            The question you need to answer is why countries like the US don’t and if you disagree that capitalism didn’t have anything to do with it

            • xigoi@lemmy.sdf.org
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              10 months ago

              Well yes, regulation is often needed to ensure that markets remain free and the USA is a great example of how that can fail.

              • JimmyMcGill@lemmy.world
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                10 months ago

                The USA is also a good example how the markets can get in the way of the regulation and of free markets. The players in the free market don’t really benefit from being in a free market. They have every incentive to change that.