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Originally Posted by ValoWay
yea, once humans have figured out how to store energy effectively we're one step closer to real independence! If you can have as much power as u want a whole lot of things become pointless from a capitalistic point of view  |
You know that classical capitalists know that the term capital means so much more than just "money"? It means: opportunity (right time and right place), skill and knowledge, infrastructure, availablity of workers and ressources, and so forth. Each of that is a form of "capital".
Food, products, the good life, none of this just rains down from heaven. Somebdy has to create all that. And to do so, he must invest "capital" ^. THAT is capitalism
Financial speculation is only a - quite abusive, btw - part of that. Speculation for the short term financial profit, and investing in classical capitalist understanding, are two very different things in fact: the one is constructuve for the thing or company or person in which you invest, the other is destructive for it. Classical capitalism and the so-called Austrian economic school know that. So-called Value-Investing, which is a strategy followed by Warren Buffet and some other famous heavy weight investors, takes this into account, too.
Nor rarely is the criticsm voiced against financial overspeculation and monopolism quite justified. Problem is tht those giving this criticsm, all too often aim it at the wroing target: not against monopolism and planned economy ideology, but against 2caoitalism". But capitalism gets hurt by monopolism as well, for capitlaism bases and depends on free market , and the free market is what monopolism wants to limit and control and in the end: wants to get rid of. In the end, monopolism wants the planned eocnomy.
Its a bit like with life and death. Every life includes the ultimate end of it, its death, and before that: aging, becoming ill, becoming weak. When you live, you cannot avoid this, you will become older, ill, weaker, and die one day. Death is the final attractor all life is heading for. But still, what lives fihgts to delay this development, it tries to stay alive as long as it can, and tries to create new life nefore it dies itself.
So it is with caitlaism and monopolism. All capitlaism has an inherent drive for monopolism, for very shop keepr likes the idea that he is without rival in his claimed territory, so hat he must not fear price competiton, instead can dicate the prices as he wants. He wants a monopoly. But monopolies would kill said competition, and thus: the free market where peopel can freely barter and MUST adapt to the competition's level and standards. So like life moves towards death, capitalism moves towards monopolism and planned economy, but both nevertheless try to delay this: life fights for staying alive, capitalism must not allow monopolies to take place. And like life forms new life before the individual life form dies, capitalism creates aloways new competition as long as monopolies are not strong enough to supress the emerging of new competitors: startup kits, inventors, independent producers, and so forth.
We must fight against monopolies. Not against capitalism. and this figgt we effectively do by our wallets. But if you always stick to the herd and follow the massdes and always embrace the latest Microsoft garbage and the latest Apple sensation and the coolest Google app, then these companies' dominant position and their resulting power over your life and your options are what you get - and you deserve nothing better than that unfreedom.
I indeed think that instead of worriyng for cabrin footprints and such hypes,consmers should always ask themselves when choosing a product: "Do I support competition with my choice, or do I support a monopolist to grow even stronger?" - That is not about "fairness" and protecting the weaker competitor, free market always must nclude the option that those who cannot compete and cannot adapt, go bancrupt - its about your own long-termed interest to have a living, healthy free market not controlled and manipulated by the few.