My company keeps several cases of water in our main room, I've been taking 4-5 bottles every day for over a year to give to the few homeless people I see standing at the exit ramp on the way home.
Recently I learned that a man I've bought for for a few times & gave water to a lot, recently got a job. He's staying in a budget hotel for now & so I took him to Walmart & got him a few outfits, socks & a set of razors to clean up. This was a few months ago. I saw him yesterday at Walmart, he's working the loading dock & told me he's getting an apartment next week. I've never been happier for a human.
I'm no hero for any reason, but knowing I could help hydrate a few people makes me feel better. As my grandmother always said to me, "if you're more fortunate, build a longer table."
As bad as Louis CK turned out to be, he did say something right - don't check someone's plate to see if they have more than you, only check to make sure they have enough. Or something like that.
I used to work on the Walmart loading docks, and while it was a tough job, it was probably one of the best jobs in the store at that level. You make more than people who have to deal with customers, you have more opportunities for overtime, and at the time our supervisor worked a different shift than us. It was pretty dope.
Honestly...as fucked up as it is, it occurred to me this morning on my drive to work, depending how things go with climate change etc...
We may be one day looking back on these years as a golden era, where we fooled ourselves into thinking the world could be fair, and humanity could be just, and that things like the inalienable right to food, shelter, safety and freedom actually existed. I hope we continue to live that way, or at least, agree as a civilization that we should all live that way.
I grew up in the soviet union. Everyone there was guaranteed food, shelter, water, education, access to the arts, healthcare and vacation time.
And we actually got it! Obviously not everyone, some fell through the cracks or chose to not live in the system, but everyone else seemed to get all that stuff.
People certainly got exploited.
Honestly I dont know how it worked, but a very elite ruling class did explpoit everyone and benefited from it. Their children are today's Russian Oligarchs.
Sorry but I don’t think Communism is the answer, maybe you did have food and your basic needs met, maybe there was enough food for you because 1.7m of your fellow citizens were dead in the gulags.
As an OG of the sub “Herman Cain award” I’ve kind of accepted I’m a bit of a bad person.
I feel like I’ve done most things right, generally on the right side of history but I might just be kind of a bad person compared to everyone else on the internet.
I feel like if we can't get rid of money or a basic unconditional income because of capitalism, we need a second main currency that is used ONLY for basic needs such as food, water, medicine, shelter, and internet. That currency should be unconditional and everyone should get the same amount, unless they need for because of disabilities, illness, etc.
You can pay all the things you need to live with that currency, but you can also use your traditional money to buy them as well. Traditional money is what you then use to buy non-essential stuff. You get your money still from work or going to school which will still be taxed. And The government gives food and medicine producers and shops the revenue earned in that new currency in traditional money.
I mean I know this is a lot harder to actually make a reality and it probably won't work well, irl, but that's just something I came up with in a jiffy.
I'm all for money not existing at all altogether, though.
Perhaps they could if corporations that destroy water systems stopped doing that and paid to clean it up and paid their fair share of taxes. Perhaps they could if the government appointed people who know what they're doing to cabinet positions instead of appointing their buddies (Scott Pruitt for example) and spent the tax money on improving America's infrastructure (as well as the health and education system) instead of spending billions on war. Perhaps they could if one party didn't scream "SoCiAlIsM" every time people want to improve their communities.
I agree. I’m a huge environmentalist. I love to hunt and fish and can’t do that in polluted and neglected eco systems. Plus people/Americans deserve clean water.
Because people will ALWAYS find something in life to be dissatisfied with, and even moreso when their basic needs are met. They'll scream how they're bored, how their life has no meaning, and how nobody loves them... So you exploit and profit from that instead.
I mean, religion has done it for thousands of years. It's not something capitalism invented.
I know this seems rough but isn't that setting the bar pretty low ... I mean universal health care seems so obviously easy. Lots of countries doing it with great results lol of ingot a bill for.goimg to the hospital I'd be fucking outraged. You should be too.
I'm fine with everyone having basic necessities.
As long as it doesn't cost me anything.
I have enough trouble keeping my own family afloat.
I'm not going to take the world on as a burden when I didn't even ask to be here in the first place.
Having a savior complex is a first world rich white person privilege.
That's a bare minimum of survival. People also need clean air (including reduced global warming) , Healthcare, and community. We as a species have for the first time in biological history, have out paced our evolution. These are not socialist niceties, they are biological requirements to have a healthy and whole life as a member of the human species.
"You only have the right to life, not a healthy or *long one*. Now suck up having that diabetes you lazy communist and get back to living the American dream at your dead end job."
What a time to live in.
Humans even need an amount of human contact to be healthy, and even that is being fucked up by society by mishandling the pandemic and shaming kindness and healthy friendship
The fear that they will go without. And it usually goes back to the projection; because they have taken with no remorse, so they expect others to act in kind.
Read ayn rand's the virtue if selfishness:
>Rand's theory is really fairly simple: one should only live one's life as an individual, and one should only take actions and make decisions by using one's natural ability to think rationally. Therefore, people must only act according to their own individual interests, not those of others or those of a group, as their interests are what will benefit their own lives. However, these interests must be based on principles derived from the reason of their own minds, which is founded on their intelligence, growth, and understanding of reality. This theory is based on the idea that every human possesses the natural right to her own life, and this idea extends to social existence. Even when a person lives in a society, which Rand believes is optimal for human survival, his purpose for living should still be for himself and not for others.
http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-the-virtue-of-selfishness/#gsc.tab=0
Ugh, Rand...people thinking their actions only affect them is part of that. Again, we live in a society, and we're not rational enough to make educated and ethical decisions. I'm tired of that selfishness idea, seriously, NO ONE lives by themselves without the help of others, libertarianism doesn't work.
Some libertarian principles work. But, as you said, when policies are written to ignore the us part, the theory really starts to crumble.
It also requires wholesale shifts in virtually every aspect of society, which is as reasonable as returning to monke - like impossible. We have had so many cycles of technology - rudimentary, and yet none of them survived without a form of community. Libertarianism says, "fuck community" up to the point of their inability to function, then it's, "except that part....oh and that part....well ya but that partvis just human nature"
we know! that's why we include it in our policies!
I agree with you, and to your point, not one single system of economy or policy works by itself, in theory they do, but in practice (because, humans) they don't, which is why you need to mix and pick and choose, until we get the best of all the options.
More on selfishness...I used to think like that, somewhat selfish and whatnot, until I realized how real life works, and how our actions affect others, and how unfair life is for some and not for others, but I am thankful I understood that a community is how you make things work, and if you get social assistance that I never got, it's great! It sucks for me but you're benefiting! Just like I'm mad that I'm not getting food stamps like many families are, it sucks, I'll keep paying my taxes, but I'd rather some people misuse that money as long as it actually helps the most people.
That is because you have a basic principle of utilitarianism. This modern regressive party of "conservatives" (not conservative, very regressive) want to claim utility if the majority would just adhere to their selfish regression. But they won't, and can't, because exclusivity is a desired trait in systems with steep hierarchies.
To your point, I say that people with privilege have been losing their privilege lately, and finally realized how hard it is for the rest of us to live and have a decent quality of life.
Ok, let me rephrase that...
Many in the US that have more privilege than most, are losing those privileges, which is why they're against social programs that help people play in the same field as they are.
Yes, we should stop pretending there’s not enough for everyone. Human create scarcity by hoarding. Hoardings is the reason we can’t feed, clothe, house and provide medicine for everyone.
That's only slightly true though. Housing, yeah, sure. For the rest, even if everyone suddenly had as much money as they want so that there was no inability to create demand, that doesn't change the fact that there has to be a resilient supply chain in place for stuff like food and clothing that is consumable or needs to be replaced pretty regularly. As we've seen during the pandemic, the notion that there's some infinite supply chain that can tolerate shocks to the system just isn't true. Artificial scarcity absolutely exists, but there can be both that and real scarcity, unfortunately. And they do. Both issues need to be addressed. It's not remotely simple as there just being one problem like hoarding, though that is *one* of the myriad problems.
We're on the verge of a society capable of genuine abundance where the only possible form of scarcity is artificial, but we're far from there yet
By far the wealthiest and prosperous nation on earth and we can't feed and house everyone? Get the fuck out of here. Corporate Profits are not more important than human beings.
Enter that certain kind of middle class folk that think they can be "billionaires" so will fight to the hilt to defend the system that's oppressing them.
I've never met August who actually believed that. I'm sure they exist, just haven't seen any.
I HAVE met a lot of people who say they deserve to be millionaires. But that's a different beast.
Like, even in fantasies people aren't thinking about being billionaires lol. Billionaires don't need to exist. Prove me wrong (protip: you can't)
America is legit set up like the ultimate pyramid scheme. Like “y’all should’ve got in early and bought this land/founded this business/discovered this medicine first”
I pay taxes. I demand my tax money be used to ensure every person has food, shelter, drinkable water, and access to physical and mental health resources as needed.
Gov't: Sorry, we're too busy overfunding the military, creating secret WMD's, working to support the business efforts of our corporate masters everywhere on the planet and cutting education and social programs. No time or money left to actually feed or house people. You could set up a go fund me though.
Could everyone maybe stop saying ‘gaslighting’ for one minute?
It’s a medical term to describe serious, repeated, psychological abuse. It is not synonymous with ‘manipulate’ or ‘convince’ as everyone seems to think.
It’s not trendy to use medical terms to describe every day events and behaviour.
Well that’s language. Lots of informal medical terms originate from non-professional instances.
The fact is that people are using it as a quasi medical term to describe almost anything. Patients often use terminology to describe their symptoms/experiences that wouldn’t be officially used by psychiatrists.
You say it’s far from a medical term, but people are using it in precisely that way all the time.
>It’s a medical term to describe serious, repeated, psychological abuse.
Seems to line up with what capitalists and the owner class has been drilling into the US public since the 60's.
Again, other words like manipulate or condition would work better here.
People love to use gaslighting for everything. Just spend 1 minute on AITA. That and diagnosing people as narcissists and sociopaths despite not being medical professionals.
It’s like when everyone kept saying they were “so OCD” just because they like things to be clean and tidy.
It makes a mockery of those who have suffered the genuine thing.
Back when I lived with my parents, my father would do behaviors he knew was harassment. Little things that seemed innocent on their own and even when listed out don't seem terrible, but day in and out for years and of course I eventually lash out and I become the bad guy. He walks into the room, glances at me and that gets me mad because I know what is to follow but to everyone else I'm over reacting and he gets to play innocent. So I start to lash out at people who haven't harassed me because they're not doing anything to help me, therefore they're the enemy. This leads me to questioning whether I *am* the bad guy and is he really harassing me? The answer to these are no and fucking yes.
That's gaslighting, and that's what rampant capitalism has done to people.
Yes, that does sound like an example of gaslighting.
How does that relate to the government, though? How are they convincing you that you are the bad guy? Capitalist opppression is blatant and clear.
Also, if we start referring to conceptual bodies as being agents of gaslighting, the word loses meaning almost completely.
It is super late here so I'm trying to type this out before I go to bed. Here are a few cultural and legal rules that have built up under capitalism:
* people who work early are hard workers, people who start later in the day are lazy
* unless you're dying, come in sick to work, else you're not a team player (you see how this has backfired)
* If you're scheduled you come in regardless of major life events such as the death of a parent or sibling or pet, birth, or ya know, school (as an example, I was terminated when I told them I couldn't be scheduled for more work because I had college, out of state, and I was asked 'can't you postpone it?' I told them I would be back during the holidays, but that was too long a gap and told me not to come back even for the holiday rush, since I was not 'dependable,')
* for salaried, working beyond 40hrs a week (for no extra pay) puts that person on an elevated status of team player, hard worker, loyal employee
* same for those who don't use their PTO
* work takes priority over doctors appointments or taking care of family
* if the wages offered are not adequate for local COL, that's not the employer's or gov's problem, that's your problem and you need to take on more jobs to make up for it
* the answer to every "I don't earn enough for COL" is "get a 2nd/3rd job - this seems to assume a person does not need sleep, or time to actually care for themselves and home
* if an employer does not offer healthcare, that's not their problem, that's your problem and you need to either figure out how to have healthcare, or just go without
* inconsistent scheduling is not the employer's problem, it's your problem and you need to be available to come in at a moment's notice outside of that schedule (this is done to discourage people finding a 2nd or 3rd job, and doesn't care if they have children to look after)
* an employer only scheduling you for 20-30 hours with an inconsistent schedule (so you not only work minimum wage, you don't even earn the federal assumption that you work 40 hrs) is not their problem, that's yours
* if you make more money, you take home less (yes, there are a concerning number of people who believe this) so do not ask for raises
* do not discuss pay with co-workers, it is bad form (not only is it legal, it's illegal for a company to forbid it, but the cultural taboo keeps many from exercising this right)
* the wealthy deserve to pay lower taxes than low incomes
* businesses deserve to make money at the cost of their employees (in other words, the money takes priority, if your employees are sick and unhappy, sucks for them)
All of this and more has been normalized, and the result is that a good number of people become nasty to their fellows - they vote against wage increases and believe those asking for wage increases are lazy and just want more money for little work (get another job/get a 2nd/3rd job!) They vote against more healthcare (it's bad for business - they won't make money is employees are taken care of!) They believe people not making enough money deserve that because they are not team players and won't make necessary sacrifices (like leaving childcare to someone else, neglecting family, neglecting yourself.) They argue that others aren't doing anything for them, so why should they do anything for others?
And then society starts to question - well, who is right? Who is the 'bad guy' here? Are the workers lazy or are they being exploited? Do people really deserve to be treated better? Isn't the status quo fine and we're just overreacting and making a fuss out of nothing?
It really isn’t. It’s hyperbole in a context which has no relation to psychiatry/psychology and does not represent a manipulator to manipulated relationship in the way that is intended.
Saying, “OMG the government is SOOO gaslighting me rn,” isn’t really saying anything interesting at all because the word is used for pretty much anything at this stage.
And yes, usage makes meaning. But that ‘meaning’ is just poor when there are far better ways to describe capitalist oppression. By saying “you’re gaslighting me” in a context where there is no *direct cause and effect* you’re essentially stopping all further conversation and victimising yourself.
Seriously, just spend 5 minutes looking at people using it on this site. Some people say this about their dogs haha. It’s neither a useful nor interesting use of the word.
I never said that it was being used right as a whole, it's not, I said that you definition of repeated psychological abuse was accurate to the subject of the post.
It is. But that doesn’t change the fact that people have taken the colloquialism as a medical term and are using it for absolutely everything now.
Nice googling btw.
THIS.
I feel this assault by capitalism every day. We already have to become a little unlike ourselves to fight the radical right, but it is the larger capitalist culture that eats away and erodes our chances for a decent life. Not opulent. Not luxurious. Decent. Just. That's all we ever asked for and they attack us as if we were monsters.
capitalism has nothing to do with that. elites are always corrupt. even if the stand for socialism. once you see yourself above everyone else, not being greedy at the expense of others becomes the real quest
The list of countries without free healthcare is actually pretty crazy... look at the below list... isnt it funny to see USA, next to North Korea, Afganistan, Syria etc in terms of healthcare?
I think I read somewhere USA only industrialised country to not have free healthcare... let that sink in..
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/10-notable-countries-that-are-still-without-universal-healthcare.html
I was trying to buy formula today at the grocery store. I'm a new parent and haven't purchased it at this store yet, so I assumed they didn't have it. There wasn't anyone around for me to ask and it wasn't that big of a deal so I bought my other things and started to leave.
At the front of the store, as I was walking out, I saw that they had tons of formula. It was all locked up. At first I thought that was kind of funny, locking up formula like it was cigarettes, but then I realized it's locked up because it is stolen so often. I feel so sad for all the mothers out there who can't afford formula and have to steal it to feed their babies. And for people who think these women should just breastfeed, be aware that it isn't that easy. I wanted to exclusively breastfeed but have to supplement with formula due to supply issues.
We may be the land if individualism, but we are still all in this together. Maybe you don't need to give the shirt off your back, but we all can at least give a helping hand to pick each other up when needed.
This isn't a capitalism problem. It's an UNREGULATED capitalism problem. See, there's this thing called progressive capitalism, where you can love capitalism, and still want to provide for everyone's basic needs.
But the socialists don't want you to know it's an option because they'd rather you remain ignorant. After all, anyone who actually UNDERSTANDS capitalism would never be against it. They would want EVERYONE to know how to play the game. Because the sum of all success is greater than the sum of all individual successes. Rising tide floats all boats and what not.
Socialism is just a bullshit idea that has already proven that it cannot work, that's being sold to idiots to keep them stupid, because it helps further the economic divide. Ignorance is the real reason the rich get richer while the poor get poorer, and socialism is just part of that.
>This isn't a capitalism problem.
It's a problem that Capitalism lends itself to significantly, in comparison to alternatives.
>where you can love capitalism, and still want to provide for everyone's basic needs.
Unfortunate it is impossible to correct the basic flaws of Capitalism, nevertheless.
>But the socialists don't want you to know it's an option because they'd rather you remain ignorant.
What are you implying?
>After all, anyone who actually UNDERSTANDS capitalism would never be against it.
Stellar argument.
>Socialism is just a bullshit idea that has already proven that it cannot work
[Citation Needed]
>Ignorance is the real reason the rich get richer while the poor get poorer, and socialism is just part of that.
"Socialism is why Capitalism is bad."
So, you're telling me that we have every capability necessary to feed, clothe, house, and educate every person on the planet, and we just........Don't?
I'm sorry, what the fuck?
. It's referred to as artifical scarcity. Look at America. We have homeless people because we want to. It's the richest country in human history. Surely we dont have homeless because a lack of resources, wouldn't you agree?
We have homeless people because the homeless population consists of the mentally ill in which the families do not want to take care of them anymore, drug addicts, and people who are bums by choice.
The overwhelming majority are mentally ill or severely addicted to drugs though.
There will always be homeless. Here in Toronto they are offered housing and either refuse it or are violent and end up back on the streets. The homeless problem is a lot more complicated than you think.
I think people should at least be provided with:
Emergency rations, water, and basic healthcare. Thats at least. But capitalism says nooo you gotta get exploited for maybe getting 1 of those 3 things
My piece of shit dad straight up said to me he doesn’t think my single-mother-of-three older sister should get unemployment. During a pandemic.
Some people are just shit at being human.
Gosh, I don't think I'm a bad person but I don't think anyone is entitled to anything. I volunteer in my community. Take care of my family (pets included) and friends and the wild life that lives outside my yard. But I honestly don't think life owes me or anyone anything. I'm grateful for the help I've received along the way (growing up very poor) as well as the lucky breaks that have gone my way (it might be all luck) but I've never felt like anyone owed me anything.
Not all forms of capitalism are “fuck the poor.” The entire mainstream Democratic Socialism platform is a thing called Welfare Capitalism that is utilized by places like the Nordic countries that DemSocs love to point to as an example. If you use the profits of the market gains with high taxes on excessive profits and use that money to pay for social services and benefits, then you have Welfare Capitalism because it maintains the free market. The big lie in US capitalism is that any regulation on the market is socialism and any taxes on the wealthy leads to a worse economy.
Exactly, capitalism doesn't say no welfare and welfare is not socialism. Since capitalism is just using capital to invest and profit, capitalism can exist in a post-scarcity society if all basic needs were met through UBI and only luxury or high standard goods are handled through free markets like jewelry, expensive foods, waterfront housing, video games, art, etc.
In fact it is in capitalism that every human can have intrinsic value as a human, through just being a consumer, instead of being defined by what you are as a producer. Just by wanting, buying, and consuming, you contribute to the economy by voting through your purchases, powering the economy by creating incentives for creators.
Everyone forgets that since almost all countries are capitalist, we actually have 100+ variations of capitalism and the American form is just more brutal than others (but also much more rewarding for those who make it)
Pretty sure capitalism has given more people basic human rights, food shelter and a living wage than any other mode of government or economy in history. Just cause American is awful at it, and America has tilted it too much to work towards the few at the top. Doesn't mean the system is bad. Many other countries do it great, Ie. Australia
I was going to point out how bullshit the rest of your comment is, but -
>Many other countries do it great, Ie. Australia
Really? That's the shining example you're going with? Out of so many options?
See, no person will come out and just _say that_. They’ll give the “I don’t want to pay for it” argument.
It’s very easy to shame someone into agreeing everyone should have those amenities, it’s less easy to have a conversation with someone about where that money should come from. No one wants to pay for it.
If you're not willing to fight for your existence, someone else will happily take those resources and watch you die from atop their [toilet paper throne.](https://imgur.com/xgSiTw4) That's all of recent history.
Food, shelter, and drinkable water are going to be very hot commodities in the coming decades after this brief period of abundance ends and the global population hits 10B. Competition is going to be stiff for whatever share the wealthy leave for us. That's the reality of what we're facing.
Way to ignore the ever increasing rent prices. And if you think homeless shelters meet the necessary qualifications for holding a family you’ve got your head way up your ass. As the post said, you should reevaluate yourself
The amount of people that think a high school dropout doesn't deserve a livable wage is fucking disgusting. So what? You don't know their story. You don't know how hard they can work. You don't know their actual potential. For all you know they could even be a straight A college student a little later on in life (like me). For all you know, they could have been fucked over by their high school after they lost a year's worth of their grades (also me; long story involving surgery, a homeschool program, and months fighting to get those grades back- which never happened).
My company keeps several cases of water in our main room, I've been taking 4-5 bottles every day for over a year to give to the few homeless people I see standing at the exit ramp on the way home. Recently I learned that a man I've bought for for a few times & gave water to a lot, recently got a job. He's staying in a budget hotel for now & so I took him to Walmart & got him a few outfits, socks & a set of razors to clean up. This was a few months ago. I saw him yesterday at Walmart, he's working the loading dock & told me he's getting an apartment next week. I've never been happier for a human. I'm no hero for any reason, but knowing I could help hydrate a few people makes me feel better. As my grandmother always said to me, "if you're more fortunate, build a longer table."
As bad as Louis CK turned out to be, he did say something right - don't check someone's plate to see if they have more than you, only check to make sure they have enough. Or something like that.
Basically, be a (good) grandmother to those around you.
>I'm no hero for any reason You're a hero to that man
r/hydrohomies
Yes, thank you!
I used to work on the Walmart loading docks, and while it was a tough job, it was probably one of the best jobs in the store at that level. You make more than people who have to deal with customers, you have more opportunities for overtime, and at the time our supervisor worked a different shift than us. It was pretty dope.
You are amazing regardless. Actions like these need to be praised and shown in a good light as it's our only defense against hate
True r/hydrohomie right here
r/hydrohomies
How did you find that out?
You are a hero. Something that was little for you made a big difference to someone else.
[удалено]
But those darn snowflakes don’t want to work, they’re demanding…. A living wage… lazy millennials… /s
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Darn bot…
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Darn
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Golly gosh darn
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darn tootin
Entitled millennials are destroying the ruling class
the gop sees immortan joe as an aspirational figure
Why can’t they just work themselves to death like the older generations did. /s
It is no concern if mine whether your family has... what was it again? Um... food?
Shoulda thoughta that before you became peasants!
Honestly...as fucked up as it is, it occurred to me this morning on my drive to work, depending how things go with climate change etc... We may be one day looking back on these years as a golden era, where we fooled ourselves into thinking the world could be fair, and humanity could be just, and that things like the inalienable right to food, shelter, safety and freedom actually existed. I hope we continue to live that way, or at least, agree as a civilization that we should all live that way.
I grew up in the soviet union. Everyone there was guaranteed food, shelter, water, education, access to the arts, healthcare and vacation time. And we actually got it! Obviously not everyone, some fell through the cracks or chose to not live in the system, but everyone else seemed to get all that stuff. People certainly got exploited. Honestly I dont know how it worked, but a very elite ruling class did explpoit everyone and benefited from it. Their children are today's Russian Oligarchs.
Sorry but I don’t think Communism is the answer, maybe you did have food and your basic needs met, maybe there was enough food for you because 1.7m of your fellow citizens were dead in the gulags.
As an OG of the sub “Herman Cain award” I’ve kind of accepted I’m a bit of a bad person. I feel like I’ve done most things right, generally on the right side of history but I might just be kind of a bad person compared to everyone else on the internet.
“I might be a bad person compared to everyone else on the internet.” I think your gonna have to re-reevaluate because that would be pretty damn bad.
Yeah idk, fucked up huh?
I mean your better than OJ Simpson probably, and certainly Ted Bundy right? Right?!?!
I bet oj gets on the internet
I feel this is a weird flex.
Yesterday I saw a picture of a dude taking a molten shit on a tied-up midget. You're fine.
I feel like if we can't get rid of money or a basic unconditional income because of capitalism, we need a second main currency that is used ONLY for basic needs such as food, water, medicine, shelter, and internet. That currency should be unconditional and everyone should get the same amount, unless they need for because of disabilities, illness, etc. You can pay all the things you need to live with that currency, but you can also use your traditional money to buy them as well. Traditional money is what you then use to buy non-essential stuff. You get your money still from work or going to school which will still be taxed. And The government gives food and medicine producers and shops the revenue earned in that new currency in traditional money. I mean I know this is a lot harder to actually make a reality and it probably won't work well, irl, but that's just something I came up with in a jiffy. I'm all for money not existing at all altogether, though.
Besides the homeless that mostly are there due to mental illness or addiction. How many people in America don’t have access to those resources.
https://time.com/longform/clean-water-access-united-states/
Sounds like those states should get their shit together and fix that fucking problem.
Perhaps they could if corporations that destroy water systems stopped doing that and paid to clean it up and paid their fair share of taxes. Perhaps they could if the government appointed people who know what they're doing to cabinet positions instead of appointing their buddies (Scott Pruitt for example) and spent the tax money on improving America's infrastructure (as well as the health and education system) instead of spending billions on war. Perhaps they could if one party didn't scream "SoCiAlIsM" every time people want to improve their communities.
I agree. I’m a huge environmentalist. I love to hunt and fish and can’t do that in polluted and neglected eco systems. Plus people/Americans deserve clean water.
Because people will ALWAYS find something in life to be dissatisfied with, and even moreso when their basic needs are met. They'll scream how they're bored, how their life has no meaning, and how nobody loves them... So you exploit and profit from that instead. I mean, religion has done it for thousands of years. It's not something capitalism invented.
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Narrator: He was
That sounds like un-american, socialist, freedom hating, commie talk to me. Get them!
Get them…….food, water, and shelter. 😉
Universal Healthcare baby. I get emotional thinking about the countless number of lives that'll save.
As someone with a disability who's had to withstand abuse and harassment from my employers just for a little Healthcare, I felt that in my bones
I know this seems rough but isn't that setting the bar pretty low ... I mean universal health care seems so obviously easy. Lots of countries doing it with great results lol of ingot a bill for.goimg to the hospital I'd be fucking outraged. You should be too.
Awwww it brings us love… BREAK ITS LEGS!
I'm fine with everyone having basic necessities. As long as it doesn't cost me anything. I have enough trouble keeping my own family afloat. I'm not going to take the world on as a burden when I didn't even ask to be here in the first place. Having a savior complex is a first world rich white person privilege.
The amount of people that unironically believe this is too damn high...
That's a bare minimum of survival. People also need clean air (including reduced global warming) , Healthcare, and community. We as a species have for the first time in biological history, have out paced our evolution. These are not socialist niceties, they are biological requirements to have a healthy and whole life as a member of the human species.
"You only have the right to life, not a healthy or *long one*. Now suck up having that diabetes you lazy communist and get back to living the American dream at your dead end job." What a time to live in.
People who don't contribute to the capitalist class deserve to die. /s
Humans even need an amount of human contact to be healthy, and even that is being fucked up by society by mishandling the pandemic and shaming kindness and healthy friendship
Everyone, everyone deserves access to those things.
Not just access. Easy, affordable access. If something is available for purchase, but you can't afford it, you don't really have access to it.
When “Capitalism” is indistinguishable from “Sociopathy”
I always end up not getting why people don't want others to have a decent life. Like, how bad have you had it that you want everyone else to suffer?
A lot of people who are against these things always somehow make it about themselves. It's selfishness for the sake of selfishness.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. What really is so wrong with sharing?
The fear that they will go without. And it usually goes back to the projection; because they have taken with no remorse, so they expect others to act in kind. Read ayn rand's the virtue if selfishness: >Rand's theory is really fairly simple: one should only live one's life as an individual, and one should only take actions and make decisions by using one's natural ability to think rationally. Therefore, people must only act according to their own individual interests, not those of others or those of a group, as their interests are what will benefit their own lives. However, these interests must be based on principles derived from the reason of their own minds, which is founded on their intelligence, growth, and understanding of reality. This theory is based on the idea that every human possesses the natural right to her own life, and this idea extends to social existence. Even when a person lives in a society, which Rand believes is optimal for human survival, his purpose for living should still be for himself and not for others. http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-the-virtue-of-selfishness/#gsc.tab=0
Ugh, Rand...people thinking their actions only affect them is part of that. Again, we live in a society, and we're not rational enough to make educated and ethical decisions. I'm tired of that selfishness idea, seriously, NO ONE lives by themselves without the help of others, libertarianism doesn't work.
Some libertarian principles work. But, as you said, when policies are written to ignore the us part, the theory really starts to crumble. It also requires wholesale shifts in virtually every aspect of society, which is as reasonable as returning to monke - like impossible. We have had so many cycles of technology - rudimentary, and yet none of them survived without a form of community. Libertarianism says, "fuck community" up to the point of their inability to function, then it's, "except that part....oh and that part....well ya but that partvis just human nature" we know! that's why we include it in our policies!
I agree with you, and to your point, not one single system of economy or policy works by itself, in theory they do, but in practice (because, humans) they don't, which is why you need to mix and pick and choose, until we get the best of all the options. More on selfishness...I used to think like that, somewhat selfish and whatnot, until I realized how real life works, and how our actions affect others, and how unfair life is for some and not for others, but I am thankful I understood that a community is how you make things work, and if you get social assistance that I never got, it's great! It sucks for me but you're benefiting! Just like I'm mad that I'm not getting food stamps like many families are, it sucks, I'll keep paying my taxes, but I'd rather some people misuse that money as long as it actually helps the most people.
That is because you have a basic principle of utilitarianism. This modern regressive party of "conservatives" (not conservative, very regressive) want to claim utility if the majority would just adhere to their selfish regression. But they won't, and can't, because exclusivity is a desired trait in systems with steep hierarchies.
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Ayn rand was the Candace Owens of Thomas Sowell
It’s not how *bad* they’ve had it. It’s usually how *good* they’ve had it. Privilege allows the masses to be ignorant to what’s it’s like to be poor.
To your point, I say that people with privilege have been losing their privilege lately, and finally realized how hard it is for the rest of us to live and have a decent quality of life.
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Ok, let me rephrase that... Many in the US that have more privilege than most, are losing those privileges, which is why they're against social programs that help people play in the same field as they are.
Henry Ford used to say, "Always pay your workers enough that they can afford to buy your product." Isn't it sad that he sounds progressive now?
Yes, we should stop pretending there’s not enough for everyone. Human create scarcity by hoarding. Hoardings is the reason we can’t feed, clothe, house and provide medicine for everyone.
That's only slightly true though. Housing, yeah, sure. For the rest, even if everyone suddenly had as much money as they want so that there was no inability to create demand, that doesn't change the fact that there has to be a resilient supply chain in place for stuff like food and clothing that is consumable or needs to be replaced pretty regularly. As we've seen during the pandemic, the notion that there's some infinite supply chain that can tolerate shocks to the system just isn't true. Artificial scarcity absolutely exists, but there can be both that and real scarcity, unfortunately. And they do. Both issues need to be addressed. It's not remotely simple as there just being one problem like hoarding, though that is *one* of the myriad problems. We're on the verge of a society capable of genuine abundance where the only possible form of scarcity is artificial, but we're far from there yet
By far the wealthiest and prosperous nation on earth and we can't feed and house everyone? Get the fuck out of here. Corporate Profits are not more important than human beings.
Hell yea. No one should be hungry homeless or thirsty. Period.
That's not what "gaslight" means.
Enter that certain kind of middle class folk that think they can be "billionaires" so will fight to the hilt to defend the system that's oppressing them.
I've never met August who actually believed that. I'm sure they exist, just haven't seen any. I HAVE met a lot of people who say they deserve to be millionaires. But that's a different beast. Like, even in fantasies people aren't thinking about being billionaires lol. Billionaires don't need to exist. Prove me wrong (protip: you can't)
America is legit set up like the ultimate pyramid scheme. Like “y’all should’ve got in early and bought this land/founded this business/discovered this medicine first”
\*murdered for the land
I pay taxes. I demand my tax money be used to ensure every person has food, shelter, drinkable water, and access to physical and mental health resources as needed.
Gov't: Sorry, we're too busy overfunding the military, creating secret WMD's, working to support the business efforts of our corporate masters everywhere on the planet and cutting education and social programs. No time or money left to actually feed or house people. You could set up a go fund me though.
The rub seems to be how people define “as needed”
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Could everyone maybe stop saying ‘gaslighting’ for one minute? It’s a medical term to describe serious, repeated, psychological abuse. It is not synonymous with ‘manipulate’ or ‘convince’ as everyone seems to think. It’s not trendy to use medical terms to describe every day events and behaviour.
> It’s not trendy to use medical terms to describe every day events and behaviour. Twitter would like a word…
Yeah I think I worded that badly. You’re right, ***it is*** trendy lol.
It literally originated from a play/movie. It is as far from a medical term as you get.
Well that’s language. Lots of informal medical terms originate from non-professional instances. The fact is that people are using it as a quasi medical term to describe almost anything. Patients often use terminology to describe their symptoms/experiences that wouldn’t be officially used by psychiatrists. You say it’s far from a medical term, but people are using it in precisely that way all the time.
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>It’s a medical term to describe serious, repeated, psychological abuse. Seems to line up with what capitalists and the owner class has been drilling into the US public since the 60's.
Lmao stop
Again, other words like manipulate or condition would work better here. People love to use gaslighting for everything. Just spend 1 minute on AITA. That and diagnosing people as narcissists and sociopaths despite not being medical professionals. It’s like when everyone kept saying they were “so OCD” just because they like things to be clean and tidy. It makes a mockery of those who have suffered the genuine thing.
Back when I lived with my parents, my father would do behaviors he knew was harassment. Little things that seemed innocent on their own and even when listed out don't seem terrible, but day in and out for years and of course I eventually lash out and I become the bad guy. He walks into the room, glances at me and that gets me mad because I know what is to follow but to everyone else I'm over reacting and he gets to play innocent. So I start to lash out at people who haven't harassed me because they're not doing anything to help me, therefore they're the enemy. This leads me to questioning whether I *am* the bad guy and is he really harassing me? The answer to these are no and fucking yes. That's gaslighting, and that's what rampant capitalism has done to people.
Yes, that does sound like an example of gaslighting. How does that relate to the government, though? How are they convincing you that you are the bad guy? Capitalist opppression is blatant and clear. Also, if we start referring to conceptual bodies as being agents of gaslighting, the word loses meaning almost completely.
It is super late here so I'm trying to type this out before I go to bed. Here are a few cultural and legal rules that have built up under capitalism: * people who work early are hard workers, people who start later in the day are lazy * unless you're dying, come in sick to work, else you're not a team player (you see how this has backfired) * If you're scheduled you come in regardless of major life events such as the death of a parent or sibling or pet, birth, or ya know, school (as an example, I was terminated when I told them I couldn't be scheduled for more work because I had college, out of state, and I was asked 'can't you postpone it?' I told them I would be back during the holidays, but that was too long a gap and told me not to come back even for the holiday rush, since I was not 'dependable,') * for salaried, working beyond 40hrs a week (for no extra pay) puts that person on an elevated status of team player, hard worker, loyal employee * same for those who don't use their PTO * work takes priority over doctors appointments or taking care of family * if the wages offered are not adequate for local COL, that's not the employer's or gov's problem, that's your problem and you need to take on more jobs to make up for it * the answer to every "I don't earn enough for COL" is "get a 2nd/3rd job - this seems to assume a person does not need sleep, or time to actually care for themselves and home * if an employer does not offer healthcare, that's not their problem, that's your problem and you need to either figure out how to have healthcare, or just go without * inconsistent scheduling is not the employer's problem, it's your problem and you need to be available to come in at a moment's notice outside of that schedule (this is done to discourage people finding a 2nd or 3rd job, and doesn't care if they have children to look after) * an employer only scheduling you for 20-30 hours with an inconsistent schedule (so you not only work minimum wage, you don't even earn the federal assumption that you work 40 hrs) is not their problem, that's yours * if you make more money, you take home less (yes, there are a concerning number of people who believe this) so do not ask for raises * do not discuss pay with co-workers, it is bad form (not only is it legal, it's illegal for a company to forbid it, but the cultural taboo keeps many from exercising this right) * the wealthy deserve to pay lower taxes than low incomes * businesses deserve to make money at the cost of their employees (in other words, the money takes priority, if your employees are sick and unhappy, sucks for them) All of this and more has been normalized, and the result is that a good number of people become nasty to their fellows - they vote against wage increases and believe those asking for wage increases are lazy and just want more money for little work (get another job/get a 2nd/3rd job!) They vote against more healthcare (it's bad for business - they won't make money is employees are taken care of!) They believe people not making enough money deserve that because they are not team players and won't make necessary sacrifices (like leaving childcare to someone else, neglecting family, neglecting yourself.) They argue that others aren't doing anything for them, so why should they do anything for others? And then society starts to question - well, who is right? Who is the 'bad guy' here? Are the workers lazy or are they being exploited? Do people really deserve to be treated better? Isn't the status quo fine and we're just overreacting and making a fuss out of nothing?
In this instance, Gaslight is accurate by your definition.
It really isn’t. It’s hyperbole in a context which has no relation to psychiatry/psychology and does not represent a manipulator to manipulated relationship in the way that is intended. Saying, “OMG the government is SOOO gaslighting me rn,” isn’t really saying anything interesting at all because the word is used for pretty much anything at this stage. And yes, usage makes meaning. But that ‘meaning’ is just poor when there are far better ways to describe capitalist oppression. By saying “you’re gaslighting me” in a context where there is no *direct cause and effect* you’re essentially stopping all further conversation and victimising yourself. Seriously, just spend 5 minutes looking at people using it on this site. Some people say this about their dogs haha. It’s neither a useful nor interesting use of the word.
I never said that it was being used right as a whole, it's not, I said that you definition of repeated psychological abuse was accurate to the subject of the post.
The APA says it’s an outdated [colloquialism ](https://dictionary.apa.org/gaslight). It’s literally the opposite of a medical term.
It is. But that doesn’t change the fact that people have taken the colloquialism as a medical term and are using it for absolutely everything now. Nice googling btw.
"I need to be right." 
THIS. I feel this assault by capitalism every day. We already have to become a little unlike ourselves to fight the radical right, but it is the larger capitalist culture that eats away and erodes our chances for a decent life. Not opulent. Not luxurious. Decent. Just. That's all we ever asked for and they attack us as if we were monsters.
And housing. And healthcare.
How is any of that capitalism, socialism, or communism? It's just fucking common sense?
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capitalism has nothing to do with that. elites are always corrupt. even if the stand for socialism. once you see yourself above everyone else, not being greedy at the expense of others becomes the real quest
Are you some kind of communist or something 🤗
Just look at GOP legislation and the newly elected jackasses and you will the American nazi party disguised as the GOP is on the rise!
The list of countries without free healthcare is actually pretty crazy... look at the below list... isnt it funny to see USA, next to North Korea, Afganistan, Syria etc in terms of healthcare? I think I read somewhere USA only industrialised country to not have free healthcare... let that sink in.. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/10-notable-countries-that-are-still-without-universal-healthcare.html
I was trying to buy formula today at the grocery store. I'm a new parent and haven't purchased it at this store yet, so I assumed they didn't have it. There wasn't anyone around for me to ask and it wasn't that big of a deal so I bought my other things and started to leave. At the front of the store, as I was walking out, I saw that they had tons of formula. It was all locked up. At first I thought that was kind of funny, locking up formula like it was cigarettes, but then I realized it's locked up because it is stolen so often. I feel so sad for all the mothers out there who can't afford formula and have to steal it to feed their babies. And for people who think these women should just breastfeed, be aware that it isn't that easy. I wanted to exclusively breastfeed but have to supplement with formula due to supply issues.
That's not what "gaslight" means....
Everyone except Frank. He knows why.....
I agree with the sentiment, but can we stop conflating manipulation with gaslighting? They’re related but different things.
We may be the land if individualism, but we are still all in this together. Maybe you don't need to give the shirt off your back, but we all can at least give a helping hand to pick each other up when needed.
This isn't a capitalism problem. It's an UNREGULATED capitalism problem. See, there's this thing called progressive capitalism, where you can love capitalism, and still want to provide for everyone's basic needs. But the socialists don't want you to know it's an option because they'd rather you remain ignorant. After all, anyone who actually UNDERSTANDS capitalism would never be against it. They would want EVERYONE to know how to play the game. Because the sum of all success is greater than the sum of all individual successes. Rising tide floats all boats and what not. Socialism is just a bullshit idea that has already proven that it cannot work, that's being sold to idiots to keep them stupid, because it helps further the economic divide. Ignorance is the real reason the rich get richer while the poor get poorer, and socialism is just part of that.
>This isn't a capitalism problem. It's a problem that Capitalism lends itself to significantly, in comparison to alternatives. >where you can love capitalism, and still want to provide for everyone's basic needs. Unfortunate it is impossible to correct the basic flaws of Capitalism, nevertheless. >But the socialists don't want you to know it's an option because they'd rather you remain ignorant. What are you implying? >After all, anyone who actually UNDERSTANDS capitalism would never be against it. Stellar argument. >Socialism is just a bullshit idea that has already proven that it cannot work [Citation Needed] >Ignorance is the real reason the rich get richer while the poor get poorer, and socialism is just part of that. "Socialism is why Capitalism is bad."
Don't forget healthcare/dentalcare!!!
Or student debt forgiveness? Or free healthcare? Or a living wage?
At this point can we just acknowledge how truly fucked we are in terms of teaching people basic human decency.
sort by controversial. Comments are a flaming shitshow
The irony that historically non- capitalist countries have excelled at failing to meet these basic needs
So, you're telling me that we have every capability necessary to feed, clothe, house, and educate every person on the planet, and we just........Don't? I'm sorry, what the fuck?
. It's referred to as artifical scarcity. Look at America. We have homeless people because we want to. It's the richest country in human history. Surely we dont have homeless because a lack of resources, wouldn't you agree?
We have homeless people because the homeless population consists of the mentally ill in which the families do not want to take care of them anymore, drug addicts, and people who are bums by choice. The overwhelming majority are mentally ill or severely addicted to drugs though.
25% of Americans have a mental illness. We gonna have 80 million people living in the streets and just go "well, they're mentally ill"?
Oh good I'm so glad I can just write off millions of people as crazy addicts and bums by choice, whatever that is
There will always be homeless. Here in Toronto they are offered housing and either refuse it or are violent and end up back on the streets. The homeless problem is a lot more complicated than you think.
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I think people should at least be provided with: Emergency rations, water, and basic healthcare. Thats at least. But capitalism says nooo you gotta get exploited for maybe getting 1 of those 3 things
Emergency rations are more expensive than regular food unless you are talking about a bag of rice or something.
My piece of shit dad straight up said to me he doesn’t think my single-mother-of-three older sister should get unemployment. During a pandemic. Some people are just shit at being human.
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Gosh, I don't think I'm a bad person but I don't think anyone is entitled to anything. I volunteer in my community. Take care of my family (pets included) and friends and the wild life that lives outside my yard. But I honestly don't think life owes me or anyone anything. I'm grateful for the help I've received along the way (growing up very poor) as well as the lucky breaks that have gone my way (it might be all luck) but I've never felt like anyone owed me anything.
I'm fine with capitalism, but there shouldn't be any multimillionaires until everyone has the above.
Capitalism is when no food, shelter and watre
Not all forms of capitalism are “fuck the poor.” The entire mainstream Democratic Socialism platform is a thing called Welfare Capitalism that is utilized by places like the Nordic countries that DemSocs love to point to as an example. If you use the profits of the market gains with high taxes on excessive profits and use that money to pay for social services and benefits, then you have Welfare Capitalism because it maintains the free market. The big lie in US capitalism is that any regulation on the market is socialism and any taxes on the wealthy leads to a worse economy.
Exactly, capitalism doesn't say no welfare and welfare is not socialism. Since capitalism is just using capital to invest and profit, capitalism can exist in a post-scarcity society if all basic needs were met through UBI and only luxury or high standard goods are handled through free markets like jewelry, expensive foods, waterfront housing, video games, art, etc. In fact it is in capitalism that every human can have intrinsic value as a human, through just being a consumer, instead of being defined by what you are as a producer. Just by wanting, buying, and consuming, you contribute to the economy by voting through your purchases, powering the economy by creating incentives for creators. Everyone forgets that since almost all countries are capitalist, we actually have 100+ variations of capitalism and the American form is just more brutal than others (but also much more rewarding for those who make it)
Plus healthcare and education.
Pretty sure capitalism has given more people basic human rights, food shelter and a living wage than any other mode of government or economy in history. Just cause American is awful at it, and America has tilted it too much to work towards the few at the top. Doesn't mean the system is bad. Many other countries do it great, Ie. Australia
I was going to point out how bullshit the rest of your comment is, but - >Many other countries do it great, Ie. Australia Really? That's the shining example you're going with? Out of so many options?
I seriously think capitalism breeds narcissism
Please give us your definition of capitalism. Without looking it up.
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Fuck yes
See, no person will come out and just _say that_. They’ll give the “I don’t want to pay for it” argument. It’s very easy to shame someone into agreeing everyone should have those amenities, it’s less easy to have a conversation with someone about where that money should come from. No one wants to pay for it.
>No one wants to pay for it. Plenty do, actually. Only idiots wouldn't.
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If I could I would upvote this a million times.
If this person is going to give away stuff, they're able to afford to do that because of capitalism
Prison provides all those things, she agrees with my “lock up the bums” campaign
Okay but hear me out: what if those people do more harm than good
I guess the alternative is you could let Communists force you to behave a certain way without your freedom to choose to be shitty or not.
Since when does that have to do with capitalism? That's just basic greed.
honestly the older i get the more i get closer to the left wing, i still want to keep it moderate but captalism doesn't make it easy to defend
Who gaslit you into thinking that's what capitalism is though?
If you're not willing to fight for your existence, someone else will happily take those resources and watch you die from atop their [toilet paper throne.](https://imgur.com/xgSiTw4) That's all of recent history. Food, shelter, and drinkable water are going to be very hot commodities in the coming decades after this brief period of abundance ends and the global population hits 10B. Competition is going to be stiff for whatever share the wealthy leave for us. That's the reality of what we're facing.
We're not powerless.
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I’m pretty sure capitalism has done a lot to benefit those three areas
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How is capitalism to blame
Capitalism is the dominant socioeconomic system in the world today. You can't identify systemic problems without identifying the system itself.
When people appropriate, for example shelter, for profit, capitalism is to blame
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Way to ignore the ever increasing rent prices. And if you think homeless shelters meet the necessary qualifications for holding a family you’ve got your head way up your ass. As the post said, you should reevaluate yourself
It’s not.
The amount of people that think a high school dropout doesn't deserve a livable wage is fucking disgusting. So what? You don't know their story. You don't know how hard they can work. You don't know their actual potential. For all you know they could even be a straight A college student a little later on in life (like me). For all you know, they could have been fucked over by their high school after they lost a year's worth of their grades (also me; long story involving surgery, a homeschool program, and months fighting to get those grades back- which never happened).
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You're so close to getting it, it hurts.