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Worldwide view of capitalism being seriously flawed

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8347409.stm

Quote:

More than 29,000 people in 27 countries were questioned. In only two countries, the United States and Pakistan, did more than one in five people feel that capitalism works well as it stands.
Almost a quarter - 23% of those who responded - feel it is fatally flawed. That is the view of 43% in France, 38% in Mexico and 35% in Brazil.
And there is very strong support around the world for governments to distribute wealth more evenly. That is backed by majorities in 22 of the 27 countries.
If there is one issue where a global consensus seems to emerge from the survey it is this: there are majorities almost everywhere wanting government to be more active in regulating business.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...aptial_466.gif

The also asked whether or not the demise of the USSR was positive or negtative.

Quote:

Opinion about the disintegration of the Soviet Union is sharply divided.
Europeans overwhelmingly say it was a good thing: 79% in Germany, 76% in Britain and 74% in France feel that way.
But outside the developed West it is a different picture. Almost seven in 10 Egyptians say the end of the Soviet Union was a bad thing and views are sharply divided in India, Kenya and Indonesia.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...soviet_466.gif

I'm a bit surprised that more people in the US believe capitalism to be fatally flawed than in Germany.:o
No surprise on the Pole's opinion about the USSR though.:D

Most people in Russia think that the fall of the Soviet Union is bad? :hmmm:

Quote:

Most people in Russia think that the fall of the Soviet Union is bad?

If you look at the very strange version of "capitalism" they got as a replacement it isn't surprising.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raptor1 (Post 1201166)

Most people in Russia think that the fall of the Soviet Union is bad? :hmmm:

I'd believe that. Many are nostagic for the good ol' days, when they were a major superpower.

Poles like the first one are pretty much useless IMO.

Taking a pole like this during a major recession is going to give a very predictable result. Nobody is happy with the state of the economy and they vote that way.

Take the same pole 3 years ago when the world economy was booming and you would have had a very different set of numbers.

Take it 3 years from now and if things are going good you will see about the same as 3 years ago. With the mess we're in now maybe should make that 6 yr. from now.

Magic

In looking at the state of the United States during the 19th century when we were as close to a "pure" capitalistic system as you could get, I would say it had some flaws. The biggest flaw being that it involves humans and human nature. :O:

I am not aware of any society that is a pure capitalistic system these days so this poll question may be a pointed moot. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by magic452 (Post 1201516)

Taking a pole like this during a major recession is going to give a very predictable result. Nobody is happy with the state of the economy and they vote that way.

I beg to differ; it rather indicates the bottom line of approval.
The vast majority of people still support capitalism in general (though I think the French are against anything, as a matter of principle ;)), so I guess the biggest shift is from "no regulation" to "some regulation", and the really large battles are fought about what "some" actually means.
Asking people about capitalism during an economic boom will lead them to confuse the system as a whole with their current economic position.
It reminds a bit of what I once said about my old stereo - "It worked well until something got broken."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shearwater (Post 1201883)

Even broken I think it still works better than any other system with a comparable level of personal liberty.

I, in fact, agree that capitalism is fatally flawed. I even began a thread about it awhile back: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=154340

On the other hand, I also agree with August - its the best we've got. Considering that we're in an era of unchecked population growth and limited resources, capitalism is the only thing close to "fair" economics there is.

Ultimately, however, it WILL fail for reasons outlined in the thread linked above.