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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: August 11th, 2023

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  • Webadict’s statement:

    you have to admit that the bottom line is the chief concern here, and not the safety of the workers of consumers.

    Clinicallydepressedpoochie’s response:

    We are far beyond seamstresses burning up in a building with no escape route. The cost of an incident has tangible costs. How will production continue if your sugar mills keep blowing up? Who will make your product if your workers keep breaking their backs? How will tribal knowledge of your process be preserved if your workers keep dying from inhaling toxic fumes? How will you meet deadlines if you’re equipment keeps igniting?

    As an aside: what profit do workers make when they’re employees? They didn’t invest in the business. They are selling their time/energy (or labour) to the company at a certain rate. You’d have to compare that rate to the value of any other potential salary, as well as minus health and stress costs, plus take into account the value of non-economic activity that could also use those resources.


  • I agree, but add the proviso that since under capitalism capital is power, those with the most capital will slowly find ways to use their capital to deregulate their income streams again.

    Supporting friendly politicians, editorial control of the media, or even just the good old Starbucks/Wallmart practice of squashing independent competitors by leveraging economies of scale to outcompete on price - which at the end of the day, the poor customer has to pay attention to. These are all examples of how capital will find ways to get ahead.

    Even if companies can’t donate, the CEO or every member of the board still can.


  • That’s the thing, merit can be defined however we want be any value system.

    One could define it as any of the things you said. I can define it as bringing happiness or health as easily as boosting profit, and if I wanted to facetiously make a point I could define it as strength or even “being closely related to previous leaders”.

    What is deemed as merit is itself a statement of what has highest value under that system.

    Under Capitalism the merit that’s rewarded, in my eyes, is the ability to make money.

    I personally, would rather a system that places ability to support peace and raise quality of life as the merit that is rewarded.