#capitolism

[imkeepinit]

Capitalism isn't 'broken'. It's working all too well - and we're the worse for it Capitalism and extreme poverty: A global analysis of real wages, human height, and mortality since the long 16th century

[takunwilliams]

laughing all the way to the bank

[dabblingreturns]

You know what fastinates me about all the anti DEI rhetoric?

DEI is a capitalist idea. Diversity, equity and inclusion inititives are about including more qualified canadates for a position, canadates that may have been filtered out due to unconscious bias by hiring managers and other descion makers.

If more qualified people compete for the same role then the employer can pay those hired less because the hiree has less bargaining power when negotiating salery.

When companies say they want to end DEI they are saying they want to prioritize their prejudices over shareholder returns.

And that is a fastinating statement to me

[thatpinkobooknerd]

America: A Post-scarcity analysis.

Murray Bookchin’s vision of a "post-scarcity society" is rooted in the idea that advancements in technology and ecological awareness can lead to a society where material scarcity is eliminated, freeing individuals to focus on self-actualization, community, and participatory democracy. Bookchin emphasized decentralized, ecologically sustainable technologies and the dismantling of hierarchical systems.

Analyzing the current condition of the United States through this lens reveals significant contradictions:

1. Technological Potential vs. Misallocation of Resources

Potential: The U.S. possesses advanced technologies capable of meeting basic human needs, such as food production, renewable energy, and automated manufacturing. These tools could theoretically support a post-scarcity society.

Reality: Resources are often allocated inefficiently, prioritizing profit over public welfare. For example:

Food waste is rampant, even as millions face food insecurity.

Renewable energy technologies exist but are underutilized due to entrenched fossil fuel interests.

Automation is deployed to maximize corporate profits, often at the expense of workers, rather than reducing working hours or improving quality of life.

2. Persisting Hierarchies and Inequality

Bookchin envisioned a society free of hierarchies, where decision-making is decentralized and participatory. In the U.S., however, economic and political power remains concentrated in the hands of a few.

Wealth inequality has reached extreme levels, with billionaires controlling disproportionate resources while many struggle to afford housing, healthcare, and education.

Structural hierarchies, including systemic racism, gender inequality, and corporate dominance, continue to perpetuate scarcity for marginalized groups.

3. Environmental Degradation

Bookchin argued that ecological sustainability is foundational to a post-scarcity society. However, the U.S. remains a significant contributor to environmental degradation:

Heavy reliance on fossil fuels and resistance to fully transitioning to renewable energy exacerbate climate change.

Consumerism drives resource over-extraction, creating artificial scarcity and ecological damage.

Ecological movements, while present, often clash with corporate and governmental interests.

4. Social Alienation and Lack of Community

In a post-scarcity society, Bookchin imagined vibrant, decentralized communities where individuals participate meaningfully in decision-making. In contrast:

The U.S. faces growing social fragmentation, with individuals increasingly isolated due to economic pressures and digital overconnectivity replacing genuine human relationships.

Political discourse is often polarized and centralized, with limited opportunities for direct participatory democracy.

5. Emerging Opportunities

Despite these challenges, there are grassroots movements that align with Bookchin's vision:

Community-led renewable energy initiatives.

Cooperative economic models, such as worker-owned businesses.

Urban agriculture and permaculture movements.

Calls for universal basic income (UBI), which could decouple survival from wage labor, potentially reducing artificial scarcity.

Conclusion

The U.S. has the technological and material capacity to transition toward a post-scarcity society, but entrenched hierarchies, profit-driven systems, and ecological negligence hinder this potential. Aligning with Bookchin’s vision would require a radical reorganization of society, prioritizing decentralization, participatory democracy, ecological sustainability, and social equality. While progress is slow and uneven, movements at the margins suggest the seeds of such a transformation are present.

[artmakerproductions]

Comparison of “A Bug’s Life” and “AntZ”

I find it interesting despite how polarizing A Bug’s Life and AntZ are, theme and tone wise, with the former being about the power of the masses, and the latter about the power of the individual; yet they both reach pretty much the same conclusion: change the system and status quo for the better.

[destiel-news-channel]

[Image ID: The Destiel confession meme edited so that Dean answers 'At least two Capitol Rioters rejected Trump's pardon.' to Cas' 'I love you'. /End ID]

"Trump can shove his pardon up his ass,"

said Jason Riddle, who had been sentenced to 90 days in prison for two misdemeanor offences. Pamela Hemphill, a 71-year old woman, also refused her pardon with the words "The message is, if I took a pardon that what I did was OK. They were criminals. They broke the law. I broke the law. Pay the price." - source link

[sapphicathenas]

anyone else thinking about effie spending 24 years watching haymitch completely fall apart. effie, who met haymitch by accident, who knows exactly what kind of person he is, who sees him every year on his birthday for 24 years and each year he’s drunker, each year he’s angrier, each year he’s faster to give up. and then they get katniss and peeta. peeta, who is kind and open and understanding, who refuses to give up on haymitch. and katniss, who is so much like haymitch at 16 that it hurts. and over the few days they’re together, effie watches haymitch come back to life. watches him try. watches him have hope. and then they get to keep not one but both of those kids. they get to come home. and then, less then a year later, effie pulls haymitch’s name at the reaping.

[alrightsnaps]

the way suzanne saw people romantically shipping haymitch and maysilee for years and said i’ll give you something even better. that’s actually his mean girl sister that he loathed for years and then grew to love like family! easily one of the best dynamics in the series

[queerstudiesnatural]

funny how celebrities will raise $26M for a fashion institute but can't be bothered to mobilise even a fraction of that energy and money to help the people being tortured and killed in an unapologetic genocide as we speak. love that for society. what a moment for The Culture.

[findmewheretheseameetsthesky]

What do you mean wiress came out of the arena without a scratch on her? What do you mean she didn't get into a single fight? What do you mean she sat in that blindspot for an hour letting the hovercraft try to find her? My girl single handedly dealt out one of the biggest 'fuck you's to the games and the Capitol and im too scared to imagine how she was punished for it.

[petitworld]

Capitol Hill, Washington D.C., USA by Gina

[bogslob]

I love haiku bot. This is a haiku I think please recognise it.

[texaschainsawmascara]

Chappell Roan’s 2024 festival looks

[shinisenko]

[touchlikethesun]

the naming of hunger games characters is absolutely masterful. each one could have a whole page written about it, and tho i can't say anything that hasn't already been pointed out a million times, i do want to highlight one generality. most of the names in the districts are one of two things: common words (altered or not) to become names, often in line with their district's culture (Gloss, Thresh), or phonetic shifts of contemporary common names (peeta being derived from peter). this suggests, without changing how the characters speak, the idea of linguistic evolution, which in turn is representative of change and of local cultural. the districts are a people in dialogue and evolution with one another. and now compare this with the names of those in the capitol. off the top of my head i think of Plutarch, Coriolanus, Flavius, fucking Caesar. these are, one, roman names, which further serves to reinforce the comparison between the capitol and rome and all that entails, but these roman names, names that have been etched in stone and unchanged for millennia, are a stark contrast with the alive and dynamic names of the districts. it's just another (not so) subtle way that collins reminds us of the differences and the values of the capitol versus the districts.

[bakedgoodsforbucky]

Thinking about tbosas from the other perspective is so funny to me because imagine you’re Lucy Gray and the way you make a living is by singing and being a charming, charismatic performer. The people in your district love you, you have a nice family, sure your parents are dead but things aren’t so bad.

Then you get Reaped because your boyfriend cheated on you - so now you have to fight for your life in an arena.

When you get to the Capitol you’re met by a guy around your age who says his job is to take care of you in the arena, so you figure you should probably use some of those charms you live by on him so you have a better chance at survival. So you flirt with him a little, save his life etc. It works! He helps you! Now you’ve won the Hunger Games! You get to go home and see your family! Thank you random Capitol guy for your help, bye bye now.

And then you’re singing on stage, with your family who you literally killed people to see again, thrilled to be alive and this fuckin Capitol guy has followed you home.

Oh and also he’s a peacekeeper now so is legally allowed a gun.

And now he kind of won’t leave you alone - the charm worked too well and he’s obsessed with you. Brilliant. But you’re a survivor. So you let him get closer, just enough to feel safe. And as you get to know him better, maybe you’re thinking, hey this guy isn’t so bad, he’s kind of cute with his buzzcut and he seems to really like you, maybe this could be something. Also it might be useful to have a peacekeeper on side - everything in your district is about survival.

Things are going well, you write a song about him, he cries, your little cousin loves him.

And then he murders someone in front of you and you’re like oh shit he crazy. And THEN you realise that because of the person he murdered, the mayor is now out for your blood and you’re probably gonna die so you have to get out of there ASAP so you say bye to this guy and he INVITES HIMSELF TO YOUR ESCAPE PLAN and you have to be like “oh sure, that’s super news, would absolutely love to have you along with me, I’m so glad you asked.” So now you’re stuck with him again.

And THEN you’re in the middle of escaping and he fuckin tells you he’s murdered an extra person you didn’t know about and when you ask him who, he says his old self and now you’re thinking oh shit he CRAZY crazy. And THEN he finds the gun he used and you realise that if he destroys that evidence then you’re the only loose end and he has a kind of crazy look in his eye so you’re like, okay time to nip this in the bud, I’m outta here gotta go pick some katniss. So you run away from him and THEN he follows you again and fuckin shoots at you so you run FASTER and now you’ve disappeared and no one will ever find out what happened to you which drives him absolutely crazy for 60+ years.

Oh and also they’re going to erase all footage of your Games so no one will remember you and he’s going to become a tyrannical dictator who has personal beef with three different sixteen year olds from your district over the years, all because you hurt his feelings one time.