Greed and Consumption: Why the World is Burning
Global warming is, in large part, the outcome of a destructive pattern instigated and sustained by capitalism. The latter can only survive through unhindered consumption, inequality, greed and, when necessary, war.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.A simple search proves this theory incorrect. The author misplaced blame on capitalistic consumers instead of simply consumers. By looking at total carbon emissions and carbon emissions per capita, you see non-capitalistic nations at or near the top of both lists. If it were capitalism, specifically, that was the root cause, this would not be the case. The fact is, humans are selfish, awful creatures, and the only time they don't show that is when they're not presented with the right opportunity.
ChestRockfield
Level 8
Aug 15, 2021
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Do you have charts that correlate with your opinion? Those you've provided back up the articles claims.
@William_Mary How so?
@JeffMurray there isn't a country on those 2 charts that doesn't behold capitalism as part of their social and business structures as a means to benefit.
@William_Mary If the author is using that generic of a definition of capitalism then the word is essentially meaningless in this context and my original point still stands. They didn't need to say capitalistic consumers when they could have just said consumers.
@JeffMurray generic? Why are you so intent on separating consumerism from capitalism? You can't possibly suggest to us that one doesn't feed the other? Consumerism is part of the plan that comes with capitalism which was highly propagandized in early 1900. The type of consumerism poisoning the planet today was due to a well prepared agenda that took off in the industrial age to feed capitalism.
Unless you go and find us an indigenous tribe that lives off grid, basically every society operates with some variation of a mix between socialism and capitalism. There's nothing generic about it. You can't go out and buy a cheaper or better type, it is what it is. It is capitalism plain and simple.
@William_Mary I don't think you get what I'm saying. I absolutely agree with the premise, I'm just saying the very existence of selfish, greedy humans is the reason we're in the situation we're in and any modifiers you place on those humans only detracts from the root cause. It would be like saying brown cows produce methane. While that is true, it is misleading because all cows produce methane.
@JeffMurray if capitalism is the force that's indoctrinated on you, it's your only way to survive within the system. That system dictates your life and how the means of production are acquired. Within Marx's theory, environmental issues are heavily considered in attempting to balance what we take from our resources to replenish. We would have long ago went to wind and solar power to reverse our footprint in carbon.
I have on occasion spoke of being part of the problem because I am forced to live within a structure I don't approve of. I'm forced to be a hypocritic of my own beliefs. Although I attempt to do as little damage as possible. I'm not a materialistic type of person, but I like my life style as I'm sure you do.
Are you living off the grid or buying products that come from the means of production of the capitalist way? Unless your building your own products from scratch and supplying your own energy sources you play a part in your own negative judgment of others. You're being hypocritical while also attempting to avoid the structure you're forced to live within. Yes, I guess you could attempt to place more blame on the more wealthy, but then again we're back to the propaganda that feeds the structure of capitalism. You can't reasonably separate the two.
You only have the choice to play the cards you're dealt in poker. Your only chance to change your hand is to take a draw. Change the system. A straight is a straight no matter what color the cards are. The winning system only changes when one is higher than the other or all of a same suit.
I'll argue that capitalism has no directly correlated path to unity and balance, of different colors. While Marxism is based on unity and balance, all of the same suit.
Make no mistake about it. Capitalism is the problem as it is presently designed as long as we're forced to live within its agenda. We aren't genuinely given the chance to take a draw. Constantly forced to play a losing hand. Until people recognize this we're stuck in a losing system where more people are periodically force out of the game. Change the system.