The Costs and Consequences of Capitalism

solarsupermama (61)in #ecotrain • 6 years ago

So, these topics of capitalism, socialism, anarchy, democracy, racism, and intersectionality are really up for me right now, and I'm planning to post more about them. I look forward to your comments.

I have mentioned recently the death of a filmmaker here in Belize. Richard and his wife Carol made wildlife films for National Geographic, the BBC, and others. He's originally British, and she is originally from the US, but they have lived here for 40 years. They've given a lot to this country, both in terms of conservation efforts and also to the people. They are genuinely kind, helpful, happy people. Richard was murdered, and everyone is left wondering why.

In a world of haves and have nots, this will never stop. The larger the disparity between the two, the worse it will be. They will not discern between the good guys and the bad guys. When people are hungry, when their children are hungry, they will go after people with money and won't stop to ask if they're nice people. I'm not saying it's right. I'm not saying it's justified. The entire country of Belize, myself included, is heartsick over this. To make matters worse, his wife has MS, and he was her full time caregiver. She's lost her husband, business partner, and primary caregiver. It's really a soul crushing situation.

This shit happens all the time here. Nothing ever gets done about it. Of course that's a part of the problem. I was thinking this morning that it would be so much better under a system of anarchy where everyone was invested in coming together to make rules instead of having them handed down from some kind of central government that everyone is happy to ignore. Of course a rule or law should not be what stops us from murder, but I feel sure it would be less if everyone was invested. Representative governments are a recipe for corruption and inequality.

It can't be anarchocapitalism, though. I know there's a lot of y'all on here, but the capitalist system, the capitalist ethic is such a huge part of the problem. If we don't do something to address the inequities, these problems will simply get worse. A system that functions on competition, biting and clawing your way to the top simply cannot be left unchecked. In fact it cannot be allowed to continue at all. A system that encourages maximizing profit at the expense of the planet and other human beings has to be ground to a halt.

We must address the inequities. We must level the playing field. We must end systems of oppression. We must begin to value the things that are important, like our children and our planet. We must provide for those involved in that work and also for those who cannot provide for themselves. Doing this would end so many of our problems, crime included.

In the end I don't know why those people killed Richard, but I can't help but think that a world where people had sufficient food and opportunity would be a world where this happened less. Richard was a nice guy, and it's horribly sad. It's also terrifying that being nice is not enough to protect you.

Much love, y’all!

As always, all pics are mine or pixabay unless otherwise noted.