Capitalism is the only system that lets you chase your dreams, if those dreams are stomping on the dreams of others through a position of privilege.
Sometimes I think about how much art was never created because of capitalism. It either never got funded, or a potential artist never got the chance to make it, because just to scrape by, they had to spend too much time toiling to make some business owners money. It’s depressing.
And, just to cut off one potential counterargument: I don’t give half of a shit how “good” that art would be. I’m confident there are spectacular works of art that never came to be, but even putting it aside, it’s all subjective. Some folks would have loved it, and the artists would have found value in making it. That’s more than enough, and a hell of a lot more meaningful than breaking your back working for a living so that other people can own stuff for a living.
And how much crappy art was pushed to popularity just because it was more easily marketable. To be popular you have to somewhat sell out and there are probably thousands of marginalized artists no one ever discovered because of that :/
Thomas Kinkade, vomiter of light
I was just talking about this yesterday with a friend. They’re a writer with a few small published things, but they can’t do it full time because they’re barely scraping by with work.
Andrei Tarkovsky is one of cinema’s greatest contributors, and published his works purely during the mid-late Soviet Era. George Lucas once expressed that he felt less free in Capitalist America to make art that he wanted to than Soviet filmmakers, even with government censorship.
While I am not a fan of capitalism, there is something to say about everyone does what they do best. I am not an artist, but there is a lot of artists for me to enjoy and support on the internet, and for them it’s easier than ever to live the life off an artist.
While I am not a fan of capitalism, there is something to say about everyone does what they do best.
And you think capitalism uniquely allows people to “do what they do best”?
I’ll make sure my virtuousic drummer friend who was forced to become an electrician’s apprentice in order to survive knows about this.
and for them it’s easier than ever to live the life off an artist.
I am not an artist,
Very obviously
Reminds me of George Lucas talking about how Soviet filmmakers had more creative freedom than American ones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWqvaMEFIdI
While there is absolutely truth to what he’s saying there, I do think it is sort of a “grass is always greener” thing.
For example, Tarkovsky famously butted heads constantly with Soviet censors/authorities about the content of his films (though to be fair, he was making some out there shit). I believe it’s ultimately why he left the USSR.
Thus political economy – despite its worldly and voluptuous appearance – is a true moral science, the most moral of all the sciences. Self-renunciation, the renunciation of life and of all human needs, is its principal thesis. The less you eat, drink and buy books; the less you go to the theatre, the dance hall, the public house; the less you think, love, theorise, sing, paint, fence, etc., the more you save – the greater becomes your treasure which neither moths nor rust will devour – your capital. The less you are, the less you express your own life, the more you have, i.e., the greater is your alienated life, the greater is the store of your estranged being. Everything which the political economist takes from you in life and in humanity, he replaces for you in money and in wealth; and all the things which you cannot do, your money can do. It can eat and, drink, go to the dance hall and the theatre; it can travel, it can appropriate art, learning, the treasures of the past, political power – all this it can appropriate for you – it can buy all this: it is true endowment. Yet being all this, it wants to do nothing but create itself, buy itself; for everything else is after all its servant, and when I have the master I have the servant and do not need his servant. All passions and all activity must therefore be submerged in avarice.
This goes hard.
Where’s the quote from?
Cheers. Sounded like Marx, but wasn’t sure if it was in Kapital and wasn’t about to wade through that beast to try to find it lol.
Capitalism is the only system that lets you chase your dreams as long as you can sell them
The difference is you can still get those degrees if you want to. In communism, you cant.
Colleges didn’t exist in communism?
They did, but you got training in whatever the state wanted, not the individual.
How is it different in capitalism? You are forced to get a degree in something you can get a job.
Capitalism doesn’t work unless you are rich.
Do you know that political systems are a spectrum and hard socialism or communism are not eh only alternatives to rampant capitalism? Have you heard of Scandinavian countries like Sweden or Norway? If not, I strongly recommend reading about their political systems.
Too bad the scandinavian model still has the inherent unsustainability of Capitalism, rampant exploitation, and hyper-exploitation of the Global South.
Why not?
Gulag
For what?
What are you genuinely talking about?
Go on
Communists: communism is the only system that creates equality.
Also Communists: Fuck art degrees, …work the factory cogs comrade & think of the collective!
Don’t forget the few artists that do exist are forced to make state propaganda
It assumes one only dreams of making money.
Dude, capitalism has been taking advantages of those degree, or rather, the whole education system!
Must be so awesome for those people living in non-capitalist countries that are able to do all those.
Remind me what countries those are please?
Do you think Socialist countries don’t have colleges? Lmao
I do think that doesn’t answer my question.
I think it does. Do you think that art and humanities aren’t appreciated under Socialism?
No it doesn’t. I asked what non-capitalist countries allow you to chase the OP’s dreams and you’re just asking me a bunch of questions about my opinion of the existence of colleges, and art appreciation.
But OK let’s suppose I have to answer your questions before I can get an answer to mine. Same answer for both: actually it’s not something I’ve ever thought about. But I could find out fairly easily, the first anyway, given a list of socialist countries I could do a quick web search to find out if they have colleges. They probably do, but I couldn’t name any at the moment. I think it would be tricky to find out whether or not A&H are appreciated under socialism; I don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t be but I couldn’t point to anything that gives an indication one way or another.
Your answer now please: a list of countries where I could, if I lived and so desired, chase those dreams without the limitations of capitalism.
Pretty much all of them to different degrees. What’s your point?
I don’t think I’m trying to make any point. I’m just trying to understand where this stuff successfully plays out.
If you don’t want to give a full list that’s fine. What would be your top three? Or any three if you prefer.
Remind me which countries failed due to socialism and not the full force of the western military complex whether by coup or invasion?
