this post was submitted on 10 May 2025
751 points (98.1% liked)

Late Stage Capitalism

1726 readers
291 users here now

A place for for news, discussion, memes, and links criticizing capitalism and advancing viewpoints that challenge liberal capitalist ideology. That means any support for any liberal capitalist political party (like the Democrats) is strictly prohibited.

A zero-tolerance policy for bigotry of any kind. Failure to respect this will result in a ban.

RULES:

1 Understand the left starts at anti-capitalism.

2 No Trolling

3 No capitalist apologia, anti-socialism, or liberalism, liberalism is in direct conflict with the left. Support for capitalism or for the parties or ideologies that uphold it are not welcome or tolerated.

4 No imperialism, conservatism, reactionism or Zionism, lessor evil rhetoric. Dismissing 3rd party votes or 'wasted votes on 3rd party' is lessor evil rhetoric.

5 No bigotry, no racism, sexism, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or any type of prejudice.

6 Be civil in comments and no accusations of being a bot, 'paid by Putin,' Tankie, etc.

founded 8 months ago
MODERATORS
 
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago

From my experience working with people of different backgrounds, a lot of people don't give two shits about what system. As a matter of fact, they don't even realise it. I worked with Somalis and while I appreciate their excellent work ethic, they work too hard and wish to work seven days straight if they could. But given the worsening cost of living crisis and the pay rise barely budged, what is the point? And the thing is, my Somali colleagues don't even realise this because they are still new to the country. Moreover, they came from a culture that is not class conscious. And most importantly, their culture is still very traditional. When I say very traditional, I mean that they are still trapped by the expectation that an individual's worth is tied to how "useful" you are to society. In other words, how useful you are as a worker. So, they work and work and question those who don't do overtime (I do overtime but I don't do it every week).

Capital-owners know the inherent nature of humans to feel to belong as long as one is "earning their keep", and exploit this nature especially on those who came from background that are not class conscious or not well-to-do. You are shamed if you don't want to do overtime. It is taboo to say it, but this is why businesses love immigrants because A) they don't complain due to desperate economic predicament they are put into and therefore less likely to unionise. Then B) their backgrounds are traditional and hierarchical so they are less likely to question authority. And finally C) because immigrants tend to accept low pay because they benchmark their adopted country's minimum wage to that of their home country which is much lower, and thus think they are "rich" working in factories or cleaners in developed countries (but will they even return to their home countries, which are still too racked by instability to enjoy their new found wealth?). Perhaps more importantly, speaking as someone coming from a poor country myself, many immigrants are materialistic. Many workers think they are becoming rich by working 10x hard and doing overtime seven days straight. This benefits the capitalist system's self-perpetuating cycle of exploitation. But really, the workers are only enriching their bosses who earn 100x more salary for little work and pay them pittance in return, while also paying half their monthly wages to their landlords.

It sounds like I am scapegoating immigrants. I am not, because of course immigrants do the job that locals don't like to do, like in farms, nursing homes, factories and house keeping. But expecting a class conscious and socialist utopia is a nigh impossible sell because other cultures simply value things far too differently. Even in supposedly communist China, they have produced more billionaires than the USA in the past five years, and many Chinese with their new found wealth love to flaunt their newly bought status symbols.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (24 children)

most of the people who need to come to this realization don't know what stockholm syndrome is

and most of them don't care

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Wish they got some Lima syndrome.

load more comments (23 replies)
[–] [email protected] 20 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Do you own your house? or do you still pay a mortgage?

Do you own your car? or do you still pay for it through the bank?

Do you have debt you can't finish paying until the day you die?

Then you are you not a capitalist because you own nothing ... you own no capital.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 days ago

I own my house, my shitbox car, have 0 debt, and a healthy savings account. I'm still not a capitalist, because fundamentally I make my living through my own labor. That's the difference.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

Uh, then explain my hobo fight gambling ring?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 days ago (3 children)

wtf you want me to do about it honestly?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 days ago (21 children)

Organize, most obviously via unions and mutual aid networks. Lefties have a lot to say about how to fight back against capitalism; it's just that nobody listens to them.

load more comments (21 replies)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Do what's in our best interest, not theirs.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (5 children)

Thanks for the not-an-answer.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 days ago (2 children)

It's a good anawer but too vague. What he means is that you need to start discerning between the shit that they want you to believe that will make you rich for example work 3 jobs, invest in stocks, crypto. And start doing things that are really in you best interests like learn to cook linstead of buying always from takeover, learn a trade (I'm trying to learn to sew myself), get a good phone that last you years instead of a shit hyped one, install linux, stop chasing trends and fast fashion etc... Yeah it looks like that new type commie feminist hipster life but it's happening for a reason is people trying to unplug the lifewire of predatory capitalism that drives you crazy and depressed.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Just stop believing that "you are a capitalist", of course.
The rest will come from inside your mind

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

Like tinker bell!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago

Jokes on graffiti guy. I know exactly how shackled I am.

load more comments
view more: next ›