this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2025
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Explain Like I'm Five
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The issue is in the comparison:
Socialists will compare socialism at its best against capitalism at its worst- and vice-versa.
Where no one on any side of anny argument is willing to admit that any form of government that is left to run unchecked, will always exploit the people.
Different shape, same solid.
The issue is also that people seem to be quite polarised in their groupthink. Socialism and capitalism aren't mutually exclusive, and they are only destructive if they are adopted as a pure ideology which disallows any discussion of the possibilities of the other system. In my opinion, an ideal system has protected elements of both. Healthcare, education, prisons, public services: socialised. Supermarkets, car sales, beauty products: a free market.
At the moment our society is far too capitalist, and socialism is seen as suspicious at best. This is causing harm and suffering.
What happens if capitalism works perfectly? A few people have great lives (the capitalists) and everyone else is screwed (the workers). That's the entire point of capitalism.
What happens if socialism works perfectly? Everyone has decent lives.
(What you wrote about corruption is true, of course, but your first claim was simply false.)
Thank you for proving another point. That no matter what- socialism will always win from a socialist’s perspective- even if they need to redefine the subject.
If capitalism works perfectly, by design- anyone has a fair shot. This is the absolute truth of it even if you don’t like it.
The problem is, it’s not working perfectly. And if socialism was adapted, I’d all but guarantee it would be bastardized just as bad if not worse.
I don't believe "fairness" is a defining characteristic of Capitalism. Can you please provide a definition of Captialism so that I can be sure we are talking about the same thing?
I didn’t say it was a defining characteristic of it. Just that if it works as it should, anyone has a chance at success.
Try talking to a person who grew up in a primarily black neighbourhood in America. Or a poor person who had to skip school so they could work to afford food.
Almost every rich person now had rich parents and rich grandparents. Even the "self-made" rich people had access to opportunities not available to poor people.
It's easy to risk everything to try starting your own business when failure means going back to your parents for food and housing. It's so much harder to justify trying when failure means starving on the street, and not trying means continuing to live in a house.
Capitalism does not give people a fair shot. It takes wealth from people with capital to give to people with capital, and by necessity, oppresses people to stop them from gaining capital.
The vast majority of people simply do not have a fair shot.
Yeah I agree, that was a ridiculous thing to say.
You honestly think racism doesn’t exist in other forms of government?
That is a strawman argument. I did not say that, and it is not relevant to what I did say.
Fucking hilarious!
Dude… it’s absolutely what you’re taking about. You framed capitalism as a form of govern that allowed racial discrimination.
ALL forms of government do this.
Now I’m done discussing this as you’re clearly working in bad faith to come out on top here.