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comment by deepflows
deepflows  ·  3175 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Post-Capitalism Has Begun

    In fact, the relative freedom enjoyed by the early United States is exactly what brought them all their prosperity.

Yeah. That and slavery. And vast, previously unexploited amounts of resources. But it is a good point. When you think about the early days of capitalism, you see growth and prosperity. When I think about those early days, I think about slavery, hellish factories burning through child labor... Pretty much people with monocles and top hats climbing to the top on ladders made out of human misery and broken existences.

It's kind of hard to really find a consensus given these slightly different perceptions of what "pure capitalism" means.





shiranaihito  ·  3175 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    When I think about those early days, I think about slavery, hellish factories burning through child labor... Pretty much people with monocles and top hats climbing to the top on ladders made out of human misery and broken existences

You're looking increasingly dishonest there. Lots and lots of people immigrated into America, by making a 1-month boat trip that could potentially kill them.

Do you think they went through that so that they could be horribly exploited by evil capitalists? Or do you think they came in looking for a better life because that's what they were told was available, because that was exactly what people who came before them had achieved in America?

deepflows  ·  3175 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I'm sorry you feel that way. I didn't intend to come over as dishonest. At this point, I get the feeling that we are just going to continue arguing back and forth about Marx, early capitalism, the role of early immigrants and so on. Since you already doubt that my points are made in good faith, I predict the conversation only going downhill from here. So I suggest we simply stop. I thought you made some interesting points and enjoyed our exchange so far.

shiranaihito  ·  3174 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Fair enough :)