35 Times People Realized That Modern Capitalism Is Starting To Look Ridiculous
If you’re a human being who appreciates the finer things in life, like food and shelter, you might have noticed that things have been getting pretty dystopian. No, it’s no recent development, but it seems like upcoming elections and opportunities for reform in several countries are contributing to a wave of vocal anti-capitalism. Because when technology and productivity just keep improving, but corporations and their owners aren’t letting it translate to benefits for the people who are putting in most of their waking hours to keep business running, people are right to start questioning things. Some say that young people are just entitled and want to have it better than previous generations, while others say… well, why wouldn’t we want today’s workers to have it better than previous generations? Isn’t that how human progress works?
Here’s a collection of anti-capitalist tweets to get you fired up, make you laugh (because sometimes we have to laugh, or else we’ll cry) and give you some ideas to mull over with your coworkers (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).
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You should see the bankruptcy plan for the refinery in Philadelphia that exploded *twice* recently. Workers let go with no notice, no severance. Senior execs got 4.5 mil bonuses each for, you know, their crappy management that led to the explosions and shutting of the facility, plus they will get 2.5 mil bonuses each (in addition to current compensation) to "navigate the business through bankruptcy" plus percentage incentives above that if they sell off the parts of the business above a particular target. And even more if they successfully settle a lawsuit they brought against the Feds for shuttering the facility because it kept exploding, killing people and poisoning the environment. Fork taxing the rich - put them in jail for crimes against humanity.
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Another tip: adding a charity donation to your total at the grocery store checkout counter may just be paying for the corporation’s donation that they can use to receive tax deductions. If you’re willing and able to donate to charity, research a cause you’d like to contribute to at home and tell the cashier you prefer to donate directly.
I love Bored Panda but SO MANY people here seem not to get sarcasm.
One of the most prominent targets of vitriol is the world’s richest person, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, whose $100 billion in wealth and hourly income of over 8 million dollars are more than many say one could even reasonably find a use for.
Critics say it's unlikely he’s working 500,000 times harder than the employees rushing to meet digitally-tracked speed requirements and accumulating chronic injuries in Amazon packing centers for $15 an hour (and that’s considered a good minimum salary in the US).
Meanwhile, over in the UK, statistics show the average CEO getting 90 times as much income as their lowest-paid workers, and the richest 10% of society owning two-thirds of all wealth.
A recurring hashtag reads #TaxTheRich, which is probably a more politically sound approach, if not less catchy or satisfying, than old classics like #EatTheRich or #BeheadTheRich.
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"Dear Billionaire, please give up 1/100th of your income (say, $10million) for the good of the healtha nd education and ECONOMY of the nation. You'll still be a billionaire! And we might be able to fix some sh*t." ---- signed, Common Sense. "Dear Common Sense: HOW DARE YOU! " --- signed (any given billionaire)
Which experts, exactly, say socialist economics don't work? Scandinavian countries and Germany would beg to differ
And where Bob Cratchit, the epitome of poverty, makes $10,000 a year more in today's money than a full-time worker on US minimum wage.
Solar, wind, tidal power etc is ready to go anytime society wants to switch over. The fossil fuel industry lobbies hard to stay in power.
I thought the military-industrial complex gave us the internet - DARPA and whatnot.
This is a basic fact: PEople without money can't BUY. Ergo, businesses cna't make money. So, pay people enough to BUY things, and the companies will MAKE things, thus employing people who will then be able tO BUY thing... IF this was actually capitalism and not oligarchy.
Yep. That's how they work. "Oh, union dues are useless. Unions are corrupt." This coming from... Wall Street.
I don't know about the word wealthphobic but the word afluenza is being used in the UK. As far as I can tell it means that the young adult children of rich people are not to blame for their lack of empathy, selfishness and general shitty behaviour because they are just too privileged to be expected to understand or care about others around them. Don't quote me on this but I believe that the first time it was used was by a lawyer representing a rich young man who was riding his expensive sports bike very fast on a pavement. It didn't have brakes. He shouted to the young mother to get out of his way but when she didn't react fast enough he ran her over and killed her. He showed no remorse during the trial but it's not his fault, he doesn't understand that killing is wrong because his daddy's rich. Afluenza! Rant over!
I call my love "Queen" because "the most powerful chess piece that each player has, able to move any number of unobstructed squares in any direction along a rank, file, or diagonal on which it stands."
![I Explored An Incredible Abandoned Italian Monastery (27 Photos)](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="219" height="48"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg> "I Explored An Incredible Abandoned Italian Monastery (27 Photos)")
![Man Explains Why Cheesecake Factory Is Probably The Weirdest Restaurant On Earth And It's Pretty Spot On](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="219" height="80"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg> "Man Explains Why Cheesecake Factory Is Probably The Weirdest Restaurant On Earth And It's Pretty Spot On")
![Apparently, There's A Company That Makes Leggings For Dogs And People Are Not Sure What To Think](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="300" height="185"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg> "Apparently, There's A Company That Makes Leggings For Dogs And People Are Not Sure What To Think")
The thing is - I get what they mean. But as someone from a former communist country, I can tell you - that path doesn't lead to anything better. The issue is - people are greedy, people want to be comfortable and people will always shut their eyes to not have to think about someone else's suffering. I am definitely guilty as well in this (as in not buying only fully ethical clothing, etc. - these types of things). So I guess my point is that I feel like the way we humans are, there weren't really any realistic paths that could have led us to something different. Sorry...I'm not having a great day.
There will always be those who try to take power, no matter what system of government or economy. The key is to set up laws that will mitigate those trying to take power. That's why capitalists don't want regulation. It restrains their power. Any organization (government, corporation, union, political party) is dangerous if it becomes too powerful (TO BIG TO FAIL).
This post just made me angrier. People working full time are in poverty due to the housing prices and unaffordable health care in some countries. And yet some people say unions don't work
Some unions are as corrupt as the government. They are only there to appease the employees and keep the company happy. Those are the ones who need to be regulated. We need unions who keep both sides on the up and up.
Erm, we do know that that these are Twitter (net worth $4.4 billion) posts being reposted on a commercial driven for profit site? "I hate capitalism, please let others profit off my creativity without any recompense"