The systems that are in place were designed to benefit the few.

[Darkover]

I feel like a slave? To give the rich a better lifestyle and their generations of children? I don't get it, and I don't understand why not many people dare to even question this system. I know the alternatives could be anarchy and chaos, survival of the fittest, the purge type of thing, but I can't help but have these thoughts about just being a slave for the rich and not even them will be eternal, but die off as well. And then I think how money is not even real and it's just paper that it is given random value and can't help but think there may be some elites cheating the system to get more of this fake play money. I don't get any of it. And then we live in a consumerist society but many centuries ago they didn't even have most of the stuff we think we need.

 

[Pluto]

 

[Praestat_Mori]

It's not that easy! The "systems" have mathematical foundations. The few companies that rule the internet ... if a billion people worldwide just pay 1$ (and 1$ doesn't hurt 1 billion of people world wide) every month then where does the money gather long-term?

We can see an even smaller example: A village with 1000 inhabitants and 1 of them produces bred (baker). Where does the money gather long-term? The baker will be the richest one in the village sooner or later.

The baker - at the same time cannot "employ" 999 villagers to help him and pay them a salary.

The whole thing is far more complex but it's also not a solution to tax the ruling companies (or the baker) with 95% taxes - then governments steal the money and in most cases it doesn't really benefit the majority of citizens.

And then we live in a consumerist society but many centuries ago they didn't even have most of the stuff we think we need.

The "luxury" even the poor people have nowadays is a result of the amount of money in circulation. The "luxury" we all experience in general is all based on debt. That seems to be a principle of "money" and there seems to be an interesting fact I heard abut many years ago: If all debt disappeared money itself would disappear.

 

[BlackEyedDog]

I feel like a slave? To give the rich a better lifestyle and their generations of children? I don't get it, and I don't understand why not many people dare to even question this system. I know the alternatives could be anarchy and chaos, survival of the fittest, the purge type of thing, but I can't help but have these thoughts about just being a slave for the rich and not even them will be eternal, but die off as well. And then I think how money is not even real and it's just paper that it is given random value and can't help but think there may be some elites cheating the system to get more of this fake play money. I don't get any of it. And then we live in a consumerist society but many centuries ago they didn't even have most of the stuff we think we need.

you speak truth my friend. it's truly absurd when u look at the numbers. zero-sum capitalism has enriched the few at the cost of most of humanity. and it has destroyed the planet. no one 'earns' a billion dollars, exploiting labor is fundamental to that equation. it's an immoral system. the up and coming generations see these systems more clearly because they're left with the aftermath.

It's not that easy! The "systems" have mathematical foundations. The few companies that rule the internet ... if a billion people worldwide just pay 1$ (and 1$ doesn't hurt 1 billion of people world wide) every month then where does the money gather long-term?

We can see an even smaller example: A village with 1000 inhabitants and 1 of them produces bred (baker). Where does the money gather long-term? The baker will be the richest one in the village sooner or later.

The baker - at the same time cannot "employ" 999 villagers to help him and pay them a salary.

The whole thing is far more complex but it's also not a solution to tax the ruling companies (or the baker) with 95% taxes - then governments steal the money and in most cases it doesn't really benefit the majority of citizens.


The "luxury" even the poor people have nowadays is a result of the amount of money in circulation. The "luxury" we all experience in general is all based on debt. That seems to be a principle of "money" and there seems to be an interesting fact I heard abut many years ago: If all debt disappeared money itself would disappear.

"Debt: The First 5,000 Years" is a book by anthropologist David Graeber that's damningly good. *Available* on the internets.

If you owe the bank a hundred thousand dollars, the bank owns you. If
you owe the bank a hundred million dollars, you own the bank.
-American Proverb

 

[Pluto]

This is my take:

To a poor man, money buys food and rent.

To the middle class, money buys holidays and jewelry.

To the elite class, money buys unlimited money. How?

They can buy top financial advisors to maximise return on investments. They can buy top lawyers to ensure they are virtually above the law. They can buy lobbyists to ensure government policy benefits themselves. They can buy media outlets to influence public opinion for their own benefit. They can purchase essential services (e.g. power plants) to ensure a constant flow of money from the poor to the rich at every level.

They benefit from every tax cut, and they benefit from all stimulus spending. They win no matter which party is in power. When the people are angry and huddled, all media outlets instruct them to blame each other and fight over petty differences. The result is a lot of misery for the masses, and runaway wealth disparity.

 

[Ironborn]

 

[BlackEyedDog]