Capitalism - Good or bad ?

[kentuck]

144. Thanks to Skinner, mairead, randome, Starry Messenger, et al....

...for all their great responses in this thread. Very educational and thought-provoking.

From what I can decipher, it seems that capitalism could take something as simple as a hula hoop or a yo-yo or a pet rock and make a bunch of money off it by mass-production. However, they do not normally think of the creation or invent the product, but they are capable, not only of mass production with the labor of others, but also with advertising and marketing, of making the product appealing to the masses, whether they need it or not. Corporations can make products, even computers, available to more people, for better or worse.

However, corporations are not necessary for any of these products to exist. It is mostly personal ingenuity that creates products that can used by individuals and society. Could these products be produced without the present form of corporations? Yes, I think they could. But, none of these could be made without labor. In the final analysis, labor is a more important ingredient in the mass production for society's use than is the existence of a "corporation".

Whether corporations are good or bad can only be measured by the "good" or "bad" they do for society, for all of us. Whether or not they reward labor fairly and whether or not they treat our environment with respect. If we assume that corporations can make as much money as they are capable of making without regard to the above, then we are looking at the issue from the wrong perspective, in my opinion.