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What you are describing is not about capitalism or other systems, it's way more fundamental than that. Youre describing having two conflicting need, scarce resources, and limited time: "spend a week generating resources I save for the future" vs "use saved resources while I care of a sick loved one this week" - whether the former one here is working on your own farm, building your own shack, volunteering at the community center (to "earn" social trust), doing a task for someone else, or going to a factory to get paid for hourly labor.

There's no escaping the fact that one (or a collective) must generate a surplus of energy to store if one wants to be able spend any time NOT merely generating energy 100% of their time. Either that surplus is owned by individuals and they're free to generate it and use it how they see fit, or it's owned by some collective entity. In the latter case, some system for the contribution, distribution and physical protection of the shared savings is required - and there's no way to make those systems in such a way that's fair to all and not liable to capture and prone to violence.

You're not critiquing capitalism, you're upset at the existence of the fundamental mathematics of scarce resources. I agree - it's a bummer that we don't have infinite resources. But we don't. and we have to find the best way to handle that fact in a way that doesn't result in constant conflict.

For what it's worth, technological development driven by the engine of profit-seeking capitalism - stunted though it is by State intervention - is brining about the closest thing we've ever seen to "infinite resources". Quality of life goes up while prices come down. A smartphone from 10 years ago is basically free now while it was mind-blowing when it came out. Strangers can have conversations about capitalism across the globe at light speed without censorship. A relatively "poor" kid by today's standards can start a podcast nearly for free... We should expect this to continue to the limits of physics - IF we let it and don't fuck it up with collectivism. You want your infinite resources and perfect equity? Embrace progress and private property.

miggymofongo ☆彡 1y ago

our critique of capitalism is the inefficient use of resources (including LABOR), not the lack of infinite resources, which labor isnt. capitalism, the current system of distribution of surplus, has been extremely unbalanced for a long time. hours of labor should be used for the betterment of the community, not the surplus of a single CEO. the quality of life measures you are describing (telecomm infrastructure) are a single bullet point in a long list of quality of life measures by the WHO. in the u.s. more is spent on health care per person than other countries and they have the worst health outcomes. price of health care has gone UP, health outcomes has gone DOWN. CEO profit continues to skyrocket. corporate landlords keep housing out of reach for families, leading to an increase in folk sleeping on the street. wealth has not been this concentrated in the world since the years leading up to the great depression. this is the distribution of surplus energy you defend?

housing and care for the sick and babies are unavoidable fundamental elements of people's lives that are commodified and left to the market under capitalism. if capitalism wasnt demanding that we spend more time away from our families than in the home with them? would places like the u.s. have as many single parent households as they do right now? would there be a need to institutionalize the elderly or developmentally disabled in homes if capitalism didnt demand an army of wage slaves spend the majority of their limited time in existence physically building a fortune for the CEOs? its inhumane to boil human beings down to hours of wage slave labor for the CEO's profits and disengenuous to use words like liberty to justify it as if people have a choice to participate in the labor or not.

because the image you shared doesnt touch on any of this, it wont help any critic of capitalism understand why capitalism is not the problem in society today. capitalism and its agents, pure or crony, seek to build a profit off the backs of others just like the plantation owners.

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Discussion

vinney...axkl 1y ago

You're saying "should be" a lot. What do you mean by that? Who are you seeking to enforce that upon and by what right can you enforce it? What if someone disagrees? Gulag?

miggymofongo ☆彡 1y ago

i said "should" once. I'm echo-ing what organized labor is demanding from those that exploit the fact that under capitalism they need to sell an increasing amount of hours of their livelihoods to the capitalists for wages to then be able to pay other capitalists for basic needs like housing, food, and healthcare. gulag?? please the u.s. imprisons the most humans out of any other state actor for not falling in line with the private property or capital order doctrines. u.s. prison labor for the u.s. corporations. diverting attention from the content of what I am saying so you don't have to confront the ideas.

vinney...axkl 1y ago

You keep pointing to the State as the source of the problems (and the protector of entrenched/lobbying interests, and the imprisoner). I agree with you there.

Organized labor can demand whatever they want. And if their demand aren't met, they're free to go elsewhere (or be forced to when their employer chooses to fire them rather than cave, and hire labor who doesn't make demands they don't wish to meet). Where is the problem there? When people can't agree, they must part ways. How else could a disagreement be resolved other than violence? This is good. That's a voluntary situation you're describing.

GrumpyGardener 1y ago

I envy your energy... I'm done.