Let's design an antibody to capitalism
posted by zinzan | October 21, 2011
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IcerocketOkay, first pass at this... For starters, what is the basic function of an antibody?
Wikipedia: "An antibody is a protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses."
So, following this analogy, I'd say that members of the general population (ie the '99%') can be thought of as the immune system. Many of these individuals do not recognize the threat posed by the capitalist regime (the virus) and interact with it as though it were benign.
What protein can we design that will bond with the capitalist system and allow individuals to see it for the destructive force that it is?
Ideas?
Comments
Idea
— Oct 21, 2011
Here's an idea: the most nefarious aspects of the market economy are essentially nothing more than information—ever mounting profit margins in a computer. Should the antibody then also be built out of information?
What if there were a database or app that revealed the actual cost of commonly purchased commodities? This would be calculated and described in two numbers:
1) The actual amount spent by corporations on the production and marketing of a given product ($5.25 on a pair of jeans sold for $110 for example)
2) The REAL cost of the product including costs that the corporation has managed to externalize. This would include environmental and human health costs.
My guess is that the retail price of many items would hover spaciously between the two.
Still want to buy those jeans?
Yes, information by for and
— Oct 22, 2011
Yes, information by for and to the People!
What the 99% need is to take back the narrative. The Occupy movement is a big "Wake Up! We let the moneyed interests call the tune and grudgingly danced. Now it's time to create our own music." Because they are, a new hit pop song is in the air. Even after the combined efforts of winter and authorities make the street occupation less, we can incorporate that song into our everyday. There is a large art component to the protests, and the artists are expanding outward with the creativity long held back due to the mad embrace of cash as king which had us not remembering that creativity, and labor to manifest those ideas, is the essence of true wealth.
A thought....
— Oct 23, 2011
Capitalism is inefficient because it is competitive in nature rather than cooperative. All that really needs to happen is a shift from competition to cooperation, and everything else will follow quite naturally.
I'm not necessarily against
— Oct 23, 2011
I'm not necessarily against Capitalism because I do believe it has some positive influences on people such as determination, motivation, and an appreciation for hard work, but I do believe that certain rules should be instituted in the Capitalist country we live in to protect your average American who doesn't dream of one day owning their own corporation. First, they should NOT allow our good paying jobs to be outsourced. Also, they should give AT LEAST an automatic 1 dollar raise after every year you've spent working at ANY company...it shouldn't be raises for only those few who the managers think deserve it because managers are human, and they might hold grudges of one thing or another, or they might want a raise for NOT handing out raises...it's just better that way. Also, any company that hires you should base your pay rate/salary with them based on what you were making at your previous job. It should be either the same, or more as what you were making before, and they shouldn't be allowed to discriminate against people with more work experience. In fact, they should WANT to hire people with more work experience, and they should PAY that person based on the experience they have. Another thing I think would be helpful to the success of Capitalism over the long run is that CEOs should only be allowed to be paid a certain MAXIMUM percentage of what the company makes OVER ALL. Sure, maybe it was their idea, initially, but they are not the only people who help make the company a success. A whole bunch of people are involved in the process, (including the average American who has to take crap from people in order for the company to maintain a satisfactory customer service reputaion) and they should be rewarded with a decent salary. These are just some ideas that I've had that I think might help give this economy a boost. Institute that MAXIMUM percentage of what the CEOs (and your average small business owners) make and I'm sure that will leave a LOT of money left over. Every American who has dedicated a certain number of years to one company should be given that much, PLUS whatever minimum wage was when they first got hired and each additional amount that minimum wage has accumulated over the years. That would SKYROCKET plenty of people's paychecks, but then hey, they would have more money to pay their bills on time, and extra to spend in our dying economy. It's not a distribution of wealth. It's a distribution of money based on hard work/experience.
<=LOVE AND PEACE=>
