• AlDente@sh.itjust.works
    1·
    2 years ago

    For the anti-capitalists, I have a genuine question (sorry, I couldn’t find an “ask a commie” community):

    In the capitalist system there is a movement called Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) where people commit to living frugally in an effort to maximize savings and investments. The goal is to achieve a balance that allows you live off a safe withdrawal rate (around 3.5-4%) and then leave the workforce at an earlier than normal age. Some people commit to a life of minimalism and lean-FIRE with under $20k in investment income per year. I believe there is significant overlap with the van-life crowd and other nomadic lifestyles.

    Is this lifestyle compatible with, or is there a similar lifestyle within a communist system? To expand, can those with a different set of priorities trade away their later working days in exchange for less material things?

  • LemmyIsFantastic@lemmy.world
    0·
    2 years ago

    The delusional thought process is fantastic.

    You have, maybe 2k users here, defederate a new insurance a day, and users are constantly finding lack of content; but yeah it’s the normal user who is quite in the corner 🤣

    • gayhitler420@lemm.ee
      0·
      2 years ago

      Are you though?

      Do you own the means of production and employ people to operate it, paying them a fraction of the value their labor produces?

      Are you able to live comfortably without working for the foreseeable future? Do you exert outsized control over municipal, regional and state government far beyond your “vote” if you live in a place that claims to be a democracy? Does that control come from your power over the means of production that you control?

      Supporting a society controlled by the people described above does not make you a capitalist, being one of the people described above does.

      • pingveno@lemmy.mlEnglish
        0·
        2 years ago

        Are you able to live comfortably without working for the foreseeable future?

        I’m pretty sure that’s just a strawman version of capitalism. Plenty of capitalists who had their life’s work taken during a communist revolution and were at best told they could come back as a manager worked plenty hard. Didn’t save them.

  • bobble@lemmy.world
    0·
    2 years ago

    Wealth redistribution is good. Socialism definitely could end up being better than capitalism with the right implementation and regulations. A socialist revolution is a bad idea; wealth redistribution can be implemented in capitalism. Lobbying is real, but voting still makes a difference. Vote in more than just the presidential election and canvas for issues or politicians you support. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

      • bobble@lemmy.world
        0·
        2 years ago

        progress isnt a continous upward climb in the short term. In the 90s crime shot up and no gay marriage soooo. We can definitely go farther with capitalism like with higher taxes on the rich, minimum base income, etc. Voting does matter, if you dont vote you have no leverage over those who speak for you.

    • Gabu@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 years ago

      Capitalism can never work, because it’s self defeating. The point of capitalism is to maximize immediate profits, nothing else - as a result, it will gladly destroy its own means of growth if as a result instant profits increase.

  • trailing9@lemmy.ml
    0·
    2 years ago

    It’s the other way round. The fear of being left out makes the lemmies dance off a cliff.

    (I know, the movie was fake.)

    The capitalist sees that the lemmies keep dancing without wondering why the music is playing.

      • trailing9@lemmy.ml
        0·
        2 years ago

        Let’s call the capitalists on the yachts billionaires.

        I am defending the capitalistic view that markets are key to wealth distribution. Socialists and communists agree. That’s why they want to replace them.

        My point is that there needs to be competition on all markets. There must be enough housing that rent becomes cheap.

        For that to happen, lemmies have to vote for politicians who change zoning laws to allow cheap housing.

        Instead I see lemmies having fun with revolutions, new technologies and debates about the inclusion of anarchists. Those are all beautiful dancing partners but they won’t reduce rent because there won’t be a revolution.