I’m not necessarily arguing for or against capitalism. This cartoon is something I would’ve up-voted not too long ago. I understand the sentiment. But I don’t think a lot of the people who up-vote this kind of stuff really think it through. Some do. Some people have thoroughly thought out theories about revolutions overthrowing capitalism and establishing some kind of post capitalist society. I know I did. But I am as certain as I can be about anything that the vast majority of people making $19/hr, and the vast majority of people making $50/hr, don’t necessarily want to all join together, violently overthrow capitalism and create a post capitalist, moneyless society.
The thing is, I don’t think the majority of people who up-vote a cartoon like this know what they want. They’re mad, they’re frustrated, they think it’s unfair, but they don’t necessarily know what they want to do about it. More than anything I just want people to think about it. What’s the problem? Is there a problem? If so, what is it exactly? What do you want to do about it? Revolution? Socialism? Something else? If so, what?
I think people want to not be hungry, I think they want to have time for leisure, I think they want to not worry about whether they will pay the rent or put groceries in their fridge (forget about a vacation).
I think people want a guarantee that after working for 40 years they can retire and spend some of their life freely.
I think people want to know that they won’t go bankrupt because they get cancer.
I think you’re making it way more complicated than it is.
If the top 1% wasn’t collecting an equal share of wealth to the bottom 40% people these things could be possible.
I think that’s a fair assessment. That being said, you think I’m overcomplicating, but I think you’re oversimplifying. I don’t think all of what you just said encompasses all human needs, wants and desires.
But, for the sake of argument, let’s say you’re right. That’s what people want, and they can’t have what they want because the 1% have too much of the wealth. What should we do about it?
I never intended to posit my comment as encompassing all human wants and desires, but I do believe I have touched on the “basic bill of rights” that most people would agree on.
Tax the excessively wealthy.
I’m not an economist, so I won’t sit here and give a number of what level of wealth should be taxed, but I think it fits under “I know it when I see it”
If you’re buying multiple vacation properties, if you own a yacht or a private jet, you’re probably it.
This comic shows that when people who can barely make it complain, the average middle/upper middle class person get upset and fights them. It also shows that this dynamic greatly benefits the very people who benefit unfairly from underpaying the work of the poor (and the middle class).
Upvoting it is just a recognition that this dynamic hurts us all. Maybe someone who sees this will think twice when they hear a poor person complain about their living conditions. Think past their reactionary reflex. If the middle class doesn’t fight the poor, the poor can move past that obstacle at least. Maybe if they REALLY think about it they’ll join in solidarity, make it easier for the poor to fight for better working conditions. Maybe they won’t, it’s just a meme.
You’re right, the current revolutionary meta isn’t worked out enough or universally agreed upon enough to be plausible yet… But this comic isn’t about that. It’s just about the fact that this fight helps the exploiters and we shouldn’t fight people who want better working and living conditions. This comic can be fixed a minimum wage hike and a tax on the wealthy to mitigate the inflationary pressure this can create.
You’re getting down voted because you’re protecting a complex set of ideas over a simple cartoon and stating that your interpretation is the only logical conclusion/solution proposal of this cartoon. I don’t see any solution proposal here. It feels like a bad faith argumentation on your part against something no one really said. People don’t generally support arguments they see as bad faith.
I’m not necessarily arguing for or against capitalism. This cartoon is something I would’ve up-voted not too long ago. I understand the sentiment. But I don’t think a lot of the people who up-vote this kind of stuff really think it through. Some do. Some people have thoroughly thought out theories about revolutions overthrowing capitalism and establishing some kind of post capitalist society. I know I did. But I am as certain as I can be about anything that the vast majority of people making $19/hr, and the vast majority of people making $50/hr, don’t necessarily want to all join together, violently overthrow capitalism and create a post capitalist, moneyless society.
The thing is, I don’t think the majority of people who up-vote a cartoon like this know what they want. They’re mad, they’re frustrated, they think it’s unfair, but they don’t necessarily know what they want to do about it. More than anything I just want people to think about it. What’s the problem? Is there a problem? If so, what is it exactly? What do you want to do about it? Revolution? Socialism? Something else? If so, what?
I think people want to not be hungry, I think they want to have time for leisure, I think they want to not worry about whether they will pay the rent or put groceries in their fridge (forget about a vacation).
I think people want a guarantee that after working for 40 years they can retire and spend some of their life freely.
I think people want to know that they won’t go bankrupt because they get cancer.
I think you’re making it way more complicated than it is.
If the top 1% wasn’t collecting an equal share of wealth to the bottom 40% people these things could be possible.
I think that’s a fair assessment. That being said, you think I’m overcomplicating, but I think you’re oversimplifying. I don’t think all of what you just said encompasses all human needs, wants and desires.
But, for the sake of argument, let’s say you’re right. That’s what people want, and they can’t have what they want because the 1% have too much of the wealth. What should we do about it?
I never intended to posit my comment as encompassing all human wants and desires, but I do believe I have touched on the “basic bill of rights” that most people would agree on.
Tax the excessively wealthy.
I’m not an economist, so I won’t sit here and give a number of what level of wealth should be taxed, but I think it fits under “I know it when I see it”
If you’re buying multiple vacation properties, if you own a yacht or a private jet, you’re probably it.
This comic isn’t about any of that stuff.
This comic shows that when people who can barely make it complain, the average middle/upper middle class person get upset and fights them. It also shows that this dynamic greatly benefits the very people who benefit unfairly from underpaying the work of the poor (and the middle class).
Upvoting it is just a recognition that this dynamic hurts us all. Maybe someone who sees this will think twice when they hear a poor person complain about their living conditions. Think past their reactionary reflex. If the middle class doesn’t fight the poor, the poor can move past that obstacle at least. Maybe if they REALLY think about it they’ll join in solidarity, make it easier for the poor to fight for better working conditions. Maybe they won’t, it’s just a meme.
You’re right, the current revolutionary meta isn’t worked out enough or universally agreed upon enough to be plausible yet… But this comic isn’t about that. It’s just about the fact that this fight helps the exploiters and we shouldn’t fight people who want better working and living conditions. This comic can be fixed a minimum wage hike and a tax on the wealthy to mitigate the inflationary pressure this can create.
You’re getting down voted because you’re protecting a complex set of ideas over a simple cartoon and stating that your interpretation is the only logical conclusion/solution proposal of this cartoon. I don’t see any solution proposal here. It feels like a bad faith argumentation on your part against something no one really said. People don’t generally support arguments they see as bad faith.