Thread by @smc90

people sometimes wonder how someone like me (on many fronts - brown, feminist, creative and supporter of creatives, and someone who I think most people would affirm is genuinely kind;) is SO pro-capitalism

the reason is, I saw first-hand, through visiting India (long not short trips, immersed in parents' village w no amenities - oh god I have stories and honestly a bit of ptsd too;)

the power of capitalism vs a more socialistic democracy: deregulation, growth of middle class, etc

it's the only system that advances humanity (rule of law & property, non-extractive institutions, etc.)

to be clear: this is capitalism, not *perversions* of capitalism (crony capitalism & regulatory capture, info asymmetry etc.)

there is also a huge difference between *capital* (which I think of something that grows other things) and *wealth* (more stagnant)

and there are many impt things for capitalalism to be better + address issues -- such as figuring out safety net; ensuring *equal opportunity*

(bc despite my family's & my own meritocratic advancement I don't believe there is a meritocracy -- any woman or minority who gets ahead knows well that you have to work harder and be 10x better than everyone else, whereas others have more room to be mediocre - sorry but is true)

but here's the thing: look at every failed system in the world and look at the ones where people CAN have a chance, and capitalism is the only system we have for advancing human progress & prosperity

(again, it can do things better for sure! but let's improve that system instead of trying to blindly embrace the gateway drugs to Venezuela?

most gutting thing in my most recent travels to South America was meeting number of people living alone to support families back there)

I believe in humanity and human ingenuity. We can always do better and get more for MORE people, everywhere. Tech change is coming faster and certainly displacing some things, but it's also providing many of the tools for change and advancement too.

This is why I love this series of pods that Ben and Shaka co-hosted:
a16z.com/2019/09/06/hus…

And why I'm really glad Marc and I did this pod with @amcafee on his new book, which brings really important perspective and evidence to the (important!) discussions going on right now around the environment, plus role of capitalism and technology:
a16z.com/2019/10/03/the…