General Discussion

Selatius

(20,441 posts)

88. My main objection is the notion that capitalism is synonymous with "free market"

Wed Dec 14, 2011, 06:51 PM

Dec 2011

The idea of a free market is taken as a truism in too many circles, yet the US is an example of anything but free market capitalism. In many markets in the US, oligopolies and outright monopolies exist. There's very little competition. Health care is one of the worst examples of this. Lack of competition is why health care premiums rise at astonishing levels. Worse yet, they tend to lobby Congress to keep things that way with the amount of wealth they've accrued. The problem--I believe--is capitalists are mixing the power of the state and the power of private capital in something that can only be described as corporatism, not that there is an issue of too much public control. I guess the main point is you can have capitalism without a free market.

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Your thoughts on the philosophy of Anarchism... [View all] Taverner Dec 2011 OP

Most people don't understand much about it which means Remember Me Dec 2011 #1

Here is a good start: Taverner Dec 2011 #3

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you, which has its ironies.... mike_c Dec 2011 #5

Anarchism is a wonderful, beautiful theory that's completely impractical and mostly useless. TheWraith Dec 2011 #72

Without a state to hold the 1% in check, what hope does the 99% have? WonderGrunion Dec 2011 #77

I'm fascinated by many aspects of it such as these: FarLeftFist Dec 2011 #2

Works great until population reaches excessive level, which is 2. n/t dimbear Dec 2011 #4

lol Capn Sunshine Dec 2011 #6

That one... Cid_B Dec 2011 #7

It should not be tied to OWS. Countdown_3_2_1 Dec 2011 #8

Just as post #1 predicted. themadstork Dec 2011 #11

There is a huge difference between Anarchy and Anarchism Taverner Dec 2011 #13

Go read up on Anarchism before you spout ignorant nonsense. Odin2005 Dec 2011 #16

No, it's the agent provocateurs that vandalize and provoke the pigs. backscatter712 Dec 2011 #18

Actually there are plenty of "moderate" anarchists involved in starting the Occupy movement. Leopolds Ghost Dec 2011 #20

OWS is tied to anarchism, not the other way around. joshcryer Dec 2011 #23

OWS is an example of left-wing anarchism. Selatius Dec 2011 #33

Well said Owlet Dec 2011 #35

But this typifies the Tyranny Of The Majority. Ikonoklast Dec 2011 #36

Typically, the assemblies operate upon consensus, as opposed to simple-majority rules. Selatius Dec 2011 #68

Um, no it's not... brooklynite Dec 2011 #57

In this case.... AntiFascist Dec 2011 #79

Having been involved in what might be called "anarchic" or "self-organising" groups... sibelian Dec 2011 #9

There are ways around the no assholes thing. n/t Leopolds Ghost Dec 2011 #21

I am curious. sibelian Dec 2011 #30

Well, I'm only a moderate left-libertarian. Leopolds Ghost Dec 2011 #42

Outvote the assholes Taverner Dec 2011 #50

Have you read "The Dispossessed", Taverner? sibelian Dec 2011 #67

Government of some sort is necessary. That's reality. Edweird Dec 2011 #10

Juvenilia. nt Romulox Dec 2011 #12

succinct and accurate. nt Codeine Dec 2011 #43

Anarcho-capitalism is bad! AntiFascist Dec 2011 #14

aka FrightWing anarchy. FarLeftFist Dec 2011 #15

"anarcho"-capitalism joshcryer Dec 2011 #24

I'm a socialist with some Anarchist leanings. Odin2005 Dec 2011 #17

Anarchy was abolished by early hunter-gatherer societies bhikkhu Dec 2011 #19

I think you're confusing left-libertarianism (aka Thomas Jefferson) with Nihilism. Leopolds Ghost Dec 2011 #22

A more moderate example would be classical (d)emocracy, Leopolds Ghost Dec 2011 #27

Hunter gatherer societies are not post-anarchy. joshcryer Dec 2011 #26

Ahem... Cid_B Dec 2011 #34

Heinlein earned his living as a specialist. Ikonoklast Dec 2011 #37

Having a profession... Cid_B Dec 2011 #38

He was a novelist. None of the other stuff paid the bills or put food on the table. Ikonoklast Dec 2011 #40

You do understand the difference between specialization and being a specialist? malthaussen Dec 2011 #65

Oops, thanks for the correction. joshcryer Dec 2011 #61

Any unchecked power is dangerous... anarchy is the greatest tool by which powers rise. Fearless Dec 2011 #25

Most anarchists are small-d democrats. They are left-libertarians by definition n/t Leopolds Ghost Dec 2011 #28

I don't really know what you mean by this. sibelian Dec 2011 #31

In society there are two or more pieces to a properly balanced puzzle Fearless Dec 2011 #45

Your model seems to ignore differences on the left and right themselves. Selatius Dec 2011 #69

The graph represents the location of power... gov't or private. Fearless Dec 2011 #74

My main objection is the notion that capitalism is synonymous with "free market" Selatius Dec 2011 #88

holy crap, this is astoundingly ill-informed themadstork Dec 2011 #73

Mighty strong statement without supporting evidence. Fearless Dec 2011 #75

true, and point taken themadstork Dec 2011 #76

Let me give you an example of elements of anarchism. Selatius Dec 2011 #32

Society, at it's most basic level, is or should be an agreement among people Warren DeMontague Dec 2011 #29

Inadequate. blindpig Dec 2011 #39

I'm never quite sure what is meant by the term Marrah_G Dec 2011 #41

It seems to me that anarchy is a form of eveyone out for themselves and there is no one to protect jwirr Dec 2011 #44

There is a difference between Anarchy and Anarchist Theory Taverner Dec 2011 #49

That is good to know. jwirr Dec 2011 #64

Hegel to Bakunin to Marx to Chomsky to Goldman to...Gandhi and Tolstoy. Tierra_y_Libertad Dec 2011 #46

I think anyone who says they have both anarchist and socialist ideas muriel_volestrangler Dec 2011 #47

I guess a clarification would be that I am a Socialist receptive to Anarchist Theory Taverner Dec 2011 #48

Taxes are necessary for social services that require monetary recompense. joshcryer Dec 2011 #60

That would mean all their inputs would have to be free too muriel_volestrangler Dec 2011 #66

I'm a libertarian socialist Warren Stupidity Dec 2011 #86

Anarchism requires a better quality of human than we currently have available... saras Dec 2011 #51

Anarchists are libertarians who forego police protection from their slaves. Chichiri Dec 2011 #52

I would LOVE anarchism... RevStPatrick Dec 2011 #53

anarchism as agrarian socialism BOG PERSON Dec 2011 #54

the syndicalists of spain in the 30's would laugh at that. Warren Stupidity Dec 2011 #82

they murdered nuns and priests in cold blood BOG PERSON Dec 2011 #85

Well that is one history. Warren Stupidity Dec 2011 #87

I'd write you a detailed response, but...... izquierdista Dec 2011 #55

Until and unless a dynamic and sustainable culture illustrates that it can work LanternWaste Dec 2011 #56

just like Libertarians Matariki Dec 2011 #58

I like Chomsky's description of his version of anarchy Capitalocracy Dec 2011 #59

I appreciate it's strands that incorporate a great deal of syndicalist thought into the fold, Puregonzo1188 Dec 2011 #62

Anarchism is what casts the shadows on my Platonic wall cave. arely staircase Dec 2011 #63

Democratically principled anarchism sounds fine (nt) T S Justly Dec 2011 #70

The anarchists I've met at Occupy Denver are actually pretty cool folks. backscatter712 Dec 2011 #71

As long as wealth and property exist in any form, Anarchy is doomed to failure WonderGrunion Dec 2011 #78

decentralized democratic socialism - also known as libertarian socialism - Warren Stupidity Dec 2011 #80

What I don't get - Anarchist groups who hate corporations chrisa Dec 2011 #81

left libertarians view the corporate state as a continuum Warren Stupidity Dec 2011 #83

You're not the boss of me! Magoo48 Dec 2011 #84