The thing is revolution hardly ever works. Step one, make capitalism better. It used to be better, it has gotten worse. You can thank Jack Welsh for that.
Once we’re no longer playing find the glitch to improve the stock price and we start building value things will improve. Then we can keep on fucking improving until shit is good.
I agree it wasn’t singlehanded, but he does seem to have opened the floodgates somewhat. I’m not super pro capitalist either fwiw. I’m down with a system that is functionally successful. With appropriate controls capitalism does seem to be a functional and successful system. However the controls are not being used, they’re not being updated to reflect modernity and benefitting workers is not incentivised.
Tearing everything down isn’t necessarily the solution to that. First off we need a system that works and then we need a pathway to that system. We also need it to be implemented and in a way that doesn’t result in millions worse off or suffering worse than they are.
I’m all up for AI replacing makework jobs (or just getting rid of them). What do we do with the people who are out of work? UBI is probably a start, but who or what in any major country is pushing for this and is in a position to implement it?
As an example raising the employers national insurance contribution in the UK brings out cries of “oh this is unfair on companies” for companies that are making billions in profit, giving money away will have some people in fits (people this would directly benefit).
Quality of life focused improvements would be nice. I don’t think I’ve any solutions, maybe salary sacrifice socialism - government competition for some things where they can offer efficiencies or benefits. Government offer me a package, I can pay xyz extra out of my wages and there’s a government run hello fresh or mobile network or broadband supplier or mortgage scheme or house repair scheme. I’m free to source my own or to use the government one. It sets a baseline and ot can run on very fine margins. It’s probably full of flaws but it’s the best I’ve got.
Not that I’m advocating for revolution, or that I’m even wholly anti-capitalist, but revolutions are how every successful nation came to be.
It’s not that I don’t disagree, but taking a capitalist first approach has led us to neo-liberalism, the current status quo. We’ve capitulated too much to the rich and that has cost us dearly. There isn’t any easy way to balance the scales and that’s why capitalism is under fire imo.
In terms of successful economic systems I feel they’ve gotten there by evolution rather than revolution - but I’ll also happily admit I’m no economist.
On the other points I think we’re there or thereabouts on the same page. There’s a great behind the bastards series on Jack Welch Part 1 and part 2
It was pretty revelatory for me as to why everything feels like it’s going down the pan. I’m not a “the past was better” type in general - but in this specific instance I definitely am. Feels like the social contract isn’t being held up by both sides. The reason the US got so good at stuff was investment in people, now it’s mostly a quick grift and memories are short. People are genuinely convinced this is the way it’s always been - I was the same until I listened to those episodes.
Hard to see a way back, CEOs are judged on stock price and will get turfed if they try and do the things they need to be doing to make this better (not defending CEOs here - pointing out there’s no incentive for change).
I could rant and it’s getting late, but what’s the real tangible feasible pathway we start working towards?
We’ve done capitalism my whole life and capitalism has shafted me my whole life. It’s time to try something else.
The thing is revolution hardly ever works. Step one, make capitalism better. It used to be better, it has gotten worse. You can thank Jack Welsh for that.
Once we’re no longer playing find the glitch to improve the stock price and we start building value things will improve. Then we can keep on fucking improving until shit is good.
Jack Welch did not singlehandedly ruin capitalism. He was a symptom of the problems capitalism is designed to create.
I agree it wasn’t singlehanded, but he does seem to have opened the floodgates somewhat. I’m not super pro capitalist either fwiw. I’m down with a system that is functionally successful. With appropriate controls capitalism does seem to be a functional and successful system. However the controls are not being used, they’re not being updated to reflect modernity and benefitting workers is not incentivised.
Tearing everything down isn’t necessarily the solution to that. First off we need a system that works and then we need a pathway to that system. We also need it to be implemented and in a way that doesn’t result in millions worse off or suffering worse than they are.
I’m all up for AI replacing makework jobs (or just getting rid of them). What do we do with the people who are out of work? UBI is probably a start, but who or what in any major country is pushing for this and is in a position to implement it?
As an example raising the employers national insurance contribution in the UK brings out cries of “oh this is unfair on companies” for companies that are making billions in profit, giving money away will have some people in fits (people this would directly benefit).
Quality of life focused improvements would be nice. I don’t think I’ve any solutions, maybe salary sacrifice socialism - government competition for some things where they can offer efficiencies or benefits. Government offer me a package, I can pay xyz extra out of my wages and there’s a government run hello fresh or mobile network or broadband supplier or mortgage scheme or house repair scheme. I’m free to source my own or to use the government one. It sets a baseline and ot can run on very fine margins. It’s probably full of flaws but it’s the best I’ve got.
Not that I’m advocating for revolution, or that I’m even wholly anti-capitalist, but revolutions are how every successful nation came to be.
It’s not that I don’t disagree, but taking a capitalist first approach has led us to neo-liberalism, the current status quo. We’ve capitulated too much to the rich and that has cost us dearly. There isn’t any easy way to balance the scales and that’s why capitalism is under fire imo.
In terms of successful economic systems I feel they’ve gotten there by evolution rather than revolution - but I’ll also happily admit I’m no economist.
On the other points I think we’re there or thereabouts on the same page. There’s a great behind the bastards series on Jack Welch Part 1 and part 2
It was pretty revelatory for me as to why everything feels like it’s going down the pan. I’m not a “the past was better” type in general - but in this specific instance I definitely am. Feels like the social contract isn’t being held up by both sides. The reason the US got so good at stuff was investment in people, now it’s mostly a quick grift and memories are short. People are genuinely convinced this is the way it’s always been - I was the same until I listened to those episodes.
Hard to see a way back, CEOs are judged on stock price and will get turfed if they try and do the things they need to be doing to make this better (not defending CEOs here - pointing out there’s no incentive for change).
I could rant and it’s getting late, but what’s the real tangible feasible pathway we start working towards?