Thank you for you thoughts! "Capitalism" is the underlying OS, but when backed up by ~800 military bases (and exceptionalism) it becomes Imperialism on a grand scale. And that, by an empire in decline, is really mere bullying on a grand scale.
Why does anyone think there's a connection between capitalism and imperialism? There is none. A true capitalist would manage his capital such that it never runs out. In a sustainable fashion, in other words.
Capitalism requires a true and unfettered free market along with thoughtfully emplaced, strictly enforced and harshly punished if not followed consumer protections.
Other than the farmers market down at the park on Wednesday evening and Saturday mornings, there is no such thing in the United States. Never has been, unless I am oblivious to something.
What you are describing is a pipe-dream of natural marketing and it is never regulated as you wish for, since, with the overall demise of government, Business has stepped in to do the actual management as well as control the majority of social capital. Classical capitalism is the monetizing of resources and labour. Rapacious imperial capitalism arose in the Canary Islands: https://daily.jstor.org/the-canary-islands-first-stop-of-imperialism/
with the grow/deplete/move-on system of sugar cane production. BTW, there is no possibility of a true “market” where normal people can come in and sell their goods in N. America because there is no commons! There IS NO “public” land, all land is owned either privately, or by the Corporation of (insert city name). That is a real shock to immigrants from real countries.
I would argue the reason it doesn't exist (the macroeconomic model I described) is completely due to the general election of duty on the part of WtP. This is our movie. Everything you describe happened with our consent.
But you don’t understand who the Owners of America are. Here, for example, is a description by Laura, of Normal Island News: “My favourite aspect of British democracy is how the super rich get to choose which candidates can and can’t win elections. Your vote is just a secondary thing after the shortlist has been chosen and the necessary moves have been made to reduce the likelihood of you making the wrong choice.” And for a legislature, America has the best congress that money can buy. As someone once said, if voting actually meant something, they would make it illegal. It’s now govt by the corporations, of the corporations, for the corporations. The entities which endure in this world are Business, their enforcement arm: government, leaving the “mugs” to foot the bill. As John Dewey said in 1905: “Politics is the shadow cast upon society by big business.”
Your first sentence is highly insulting. I promise I have my head COMPLETELY wrapped around the sociopolitik of the day. University of Chicago agrees with me.
"Life converted into Capital cannot be reengineered back into Life." Well said. The deepest core evil in financializing Nature? Perhaps the moral bereftness of feeling no other life on Earth has the same rights as Homo stupidians. We have lost our wonder and reverence for designs and systems that work on a scale and wisdom we are incapable of grasping.
That’s some very “Sane Thoughts,” Geoffrey about wonder and reverence. And we even go so far as to take the miracle of the human body (and brain) for granted, to the point where we are going to be destroyed by internalizing our own plastics trash, see https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2024.118114
Very astute commentary. I must point out one error. You are using the word "capitalism" for what rightly is labeled "IMPERIALISM"...
Not that pedantic buffoonery is going to help or anything.
✌️
Thank you for you thoughts! "Capitalism" is the underlying OS, but when backed up by ~800 military bases (and exceptionalism) it becomes Imperialism on a grand scale. And that, by an empire in decline, is really mere bullying on a grand scale.
Serious question.
Why does anyone think there's a connection between capitalism and imperialism? There is none. A true capitalist would manage his capital such that it never runs out. In a sustainable fashion, in other words.
Capitalism requires a true and unfettered free market along with thoughtfully emplaced, strictly enforced and harshly punished if not followed consumer protections.
Other than the farmers market down at the park on Wednesday evening and Saturday mornings, there is no such thing in the United States. Never has been, unless I am oblivious to something.
What you are describing is a pipe-dream of natural marketing and it is never regulated as you wish for, since, with the overall demise of government, Business has stepped in to do the actual management as well as control the majority of social capital. Classical capitalism is the monetizing of resources and labour. Rapacious imperial capitalism arose in the Canary Islands: https://daily.jstor.org/the-canary-islands-first-stop-of-imperialism/
with the grow/deplete/move-on system of sugar cane production. BTW, there is no possibility of a true “market” where normal people can come in and sell their goods in N. America because there is no commons! There IS NO “public” land, all land is owned either privately, or by the Corporation of (insert city name). That is a real shock to immigrants from real countries.
I would argue the reason it doesn't exist (the macroeconomic model I described) is completely due to the general election of duty on the part of WtP. This is our movie. Everything you describe happened with our consent.
But you don’t understand who the Owners of America are. Here, for example, is a description by Laura, of Normal Island News: “My favourite aspect of British democracy is how the super rich get to choose which candidates can and can’t win elections. Your vote is just a secondary thing after the shortlist has been chosen and the necessary moves have been made to reduce the likelihood of you making the wrong choice.” And for a legislature, America has the best congress that money can buy. As someone once said, if voting actually meant something, they would make it illegal. It’s now govt by the corporations, of the corporations, for the corporations. The entities which endure in this world are Business, their enforcement arm: government, leaving the “mugs” to foot the bill. As John Dewey said in 1905: “Politics is the shadow cast upon society by big business.”
Your first sentence is highly insulting. I promise I have my head COMPLETELY wrapped around the sociopolitik of the day. University of Chicago agrees with me.
I'm sorry. I don't engage with apologists.
Mostly. 😜
"Life converted into Capital cannot be reengineered back into Life." Well said. The deepest core evil in financializing Nature? Perhaps the moral bereftness of feeling no other life on Earth has the same rights as Homo stupidians. We have lost our wonder and reverence for designs and systems that work on a scale and wisdom we are incapable of grasping.
Perfect!!! The glaring flaw of Christianity. Giving us "Domain over" instead of emphasizing "part of" the natural world.
That’s some very “Sane Thoughts,” Geoffrey about wonder and reverence. And we even go so far as to take the miracle of the human body (and brain) for granted, to the point where we are going to be destroyed by internalizing our own plastics trash, see https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2024.118114
Great timing on the link. I'm writing about overconsumption, dumps, leaching and the like. Plastic is on my mind, err, I mean in my brain.