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What are other economic systems..? Nobody seems to be able to answer, I would be happy to look them up to learn more about them.
Look into what the Blackfoot Indians were doing. Their lifestyle inspired Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs — though he gets it pretty wrong IMO.
But here’s the thing: the Blackfoot didn’t really have an economic system divorced from other systems. It was all part of a whole that valued people and made sure everyone had what they needed.
Now here’s the kicker: Its my belief their society was based on spreading abundance. Whereas Capitalism is based on spreading scarcity.
I dunno. I’m not an economist… have you asked an economist?
Edited to add: hey I found a use for AI; here’s a prompt for your favorite model:
“What economic systems have humans devised over the course of recorded history?”
:)
You implied in your first comment that being against capitalism didn't mean being in favor or socialism, but it is because they're the only modern economic systems.
So, I guess I can keep going without changing my mind.
Isn't there capitalism, socialism--which is what people are actually talking about when they talk about communism, and then communism which will never exist?
What were you referring to?
It’s not a black and white choice of either we jump hardcore into capitalism or all the other way into socialism.
Similarly to OP I work at a company that has a certain set of core values and the moment they have changed irreversibly I am gone out the door.
Which is good, I can't figure out how anybody can see the government owning everything as a good thing for anyone.
If you just look at postal services across the world, as an example, or anything else run by government, they're 100 times less efficient then competitors and their workers always look like they're super-miserable. Imagine if that was the only option.
Funnily enough it's the couriers working for the private companies that I see looking more and more dead inside recently.
So, yknow, anecdote for an anecdote.
If you're saying FedEx people are also depressed, then maybe it's just delivering boxes that's the problem?
But I think it's pretty safe to say that there is nobody more pissed off than post office workers. Are they nice in Estonia? Luckily I do most stuff online nowadays but when I have to go to the post office it's always an awful experience.
A few grumpy delivery workers aside, most people in Estonia are nice in general. You should come visit :)
I don't know where you are but consider that the reasons your postal workers are pissed of may go deeper than simply being government employed. Could it be your state-owned services are being managed in way that makes their workers unhappy because they are run by people who think that government services even need to be profitable in the first place?
Other low-paying jobs don't seem to generate the same amount of unhappiness.
I have no idea what the reason is, to me it's just that governments can't do anything right because they're too big with no oversight.
That's why I was complaining about socialism, anywhere I've been where the government runs more than just post offices it was hell.
In Poland, all these Soviet buildings and if you look at old pictures of people standing for hours in queues for bread. Truly horrific. I was recently in Cuba and even if they can't talk about it many people told me they would flee right away if they could, but the government doesn't give them passports. Socialism destroys everything.
FedEx and UPS do... and in fact in those rural communities often uses the USPS for last mile service.
If it's deeply entangled in the Protestant work ethic and prosperity gospel ideals in the U.S., then what's bad is the Protestant work ethic and prosperity gospel--whatever that might be.
If you're saying that governments always mess with the free market, then I guess we're in socialist-capitalist economic systems..? Still better than just socialist.
Personally I don't find a framework so reductionist that it considers the USSR and the US to be equivalent to be very useful.
I can't figure out why that must necessarily mean that those companies can't leave the world in a slightly better place. A LOT of them do, specially small businesses.
I've seen the destruction that socialist governments left even after decades and I went to Cuba and other socialist countries and the government treats them like literal slaves and life is shit over there, with no way out.
Anyways, I know of capitalism, socialism, and communism. I just wanted to see if you meant another form that I wasn't aware of.
But what I was responding to in particular with my original comment was the parent commenters claim that "It’s just business" and that engaging in capitalism means you must inherently engage in the practices the OP was complaining about.
If the government owned the company OP works at, it would still be "just business" according to the commenter.
Capitalism, socialism (what people refer to as communism), and then communism which will never exist because it always stops with the government stealing everything and not wanting to give up power to move on to communism.
What are other economic systems? Not saying there aren't any other ones, I just don't know.