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Barrel

TorgoX on 2002-06-24T22:02:08

Dear Log,

«These companies and individuals, Paulson argued, are letting down the system. They are giving capitalism a bad name. If only individual capitalists didn't lie, cheat, perjure themselves in libel actions, stuff their pockets with grossly excessive or ill-gotten gains, deceive the taxman by buying expensive paintings with other people's money and then hanging them on their own walls, if only their accountants didn't spend their extremely valuable time thinking up complicated schemes to avoid tax and then shredding the documentary evidence, then the beautiful symmetry of the capitalist system would shine forth. If only the rotten apples could be rooted out of the capitalist barrels, the full glory of the fruit could be properly appreciated.
[...]
Under capitalism the gulf between rich and poor grows wider and wider. The whole point of the system is that it works against equality, against co-operation. It stunts, insults and criminalises the poor; glorifies, cossets and pardons the rich. All human life is corrupted in the process. So even if you could discipline all the offenders, lock up all financial advisers to the US president, ban from public life all former Tory vice-chairmen, even if company directors spent a year in jail for every bonus they steal, there would still be no hiding place from capitalism. The rotten apples are the barrel.»

--"Cash for chaos"

My new profit venture will be grinding executives up into catfood!

Yow! Am I an industry mover and/or shaker yet?

bad proportions

lachoy on 2002-06-25T03:24:43

The problem with your idea is that all the ash resulting from baking their black souls would make the food inedible, even for alley cats. Back to the drawing board for you!

Wooooo

pudge on 2002-06-26T11:53:26

Be still my beasting heart, another "Capitalism is bad because I say so" article. Did I remember to pack my Made By Marx(tm) lunchpail?

The article is flatly wrong when it says that capitalism works against cooperation etc. blah blah unf. Capitalism has nothing inherently to do with being for or against cooperation. It's like saying that baseball is against USB printing.

The problem with capitalism is capitalists. Or, in the words of WFB, "To believe that capitalists will behave honorably just because they are engaged in capitalism is akin to believing that no priest will engage in pedophilia simply because he is a priest."

Capitalism as a system cannot ever be taken in a vacuum. It requires a political system to exist in. And like any other economic system, the political system will be the determining factor for how well that economic system plays with others. And our political system of granting exceptional favors and privileges to corporations sucks ass (is that a technical term?).

Re:Wooooo

TorgoX on 2002-06-26T16:35:27

Be still my beating liver! Another "Analysis of capitalism's effects is Marxist because I say so" article by Pudge! Yow, did I forget my Ayn Rand pencil box? To forget it would be FLATLY WRONG!

Re:Wooooo

pudge on 2002-06-26T16:46:58

Well, it *is* flatly wrong. Capitalist theory has nothing to do with what he said. Excuse me, should I be apologetic for pointing at actual facts?

And if I were to take your little side-yows seriously, then I'd think you were a lot more insane than you are. I didn't think it was Marxist any more than I think you actually think all the things you say. But maybe I give you too much credit ... ?

Re:Wooooo

TorgoX on 2002-06-26T17:18:00

Actually, I was just making fun of your hectoring ability to misrepresent things and then declare them to be facts, as I assumed you could tell. But maybe I give you too much credit ... ?

PEACE OUT, PEEPS.

Re:Wooooo

pudge on 2002-06-26T19:02:41

I didn't misrepresent anything. But you know that.

Re:Wooooo

TorgoX on 2002-06-28T00:28:24

You're misrepresenting analysis as "fact". But you know that.

Re:Wooooo

pudge on 2002-06-28T21:03:55

No, I was stating the fact that his analysis was incorrect. He was saying that 2 + 2 = 5. It doesn't.

Maybe you don't know that. Oh well, 'tis a pity.