Thread by @MongoSlade8

I skimmed the first chapter of The Conquest of Bread
Its typical communist tripe. I'll give a quick summary (THREAD)

1. Mankind is now wealthy and has the technology to produce goods for the "well-being of all."
2. Capitalists force us to waste our labor producing "profitable" goods, rather than producing goods for the "well-being of all."
(1)

3. Capitalists are barons who take resources which aren't theirs. And use Gov't to protect it.
4. All inventions and ideas are merely the product of generations of what came before ("You didn't build that").
5. The worker is forced to decide b/w slavery and starvation
(2)

Those are the main ideas of the book apparently. Let's take some of these arguments and attack them, shall we? (3)

Let's start with point 5.
If one chooses not to work, then what right does he have to anything produced? Labor is going to be required because even a lion or a gorilla has to labor for his food. Antelopes don't fall from the sky into their mouths. (4)

Point 4 is an argument I saw in Guns, Germs and Steel. It assumes an inventor has knowledge of what came before and simply tweaked another's invention. While this happens, there are many times when it doesn't. Two people can invent similar items independent of one another. (5)

Here's the kicker: an inventor is allowed the fruit of HIS labor. Even if he copied and corrected another person's product, its still HIS labor. Does he not deserve credit for that labor? Obviously, he is benefitting from having a stable place to build. That's a privilege (6)

Inventing requires hours of trial and error. You have to live in a society which provides for you to have time to invent. When your invention is complete and then sold, you give back all the time you took inventing the product. (7)

For example: you spend hours building and sourcing code. Others are producing your food and clothes while your dawdle on a "pointless" task. Once complete, the world is introduced to Facebook and now can reconnect with their family on the other side of the country. (8)

Sure, an inventor relies on society but he also gives back more than he took in and solves society's problem (thank heavens for the creator of the air conditioner, btw). The society at large invests in everyone to some degree, most never offer a return on that investment. (9)

Point 3.
Capitalism benefits from an official sanctioning of ownership, sure. Can't deny that.
But people claim things UNOFFICIALLY all the time.
Nomadic societies protected their hunting grounds and watering holes, though they didn't own those grounds. (10)

If my clan fishes in a specific stream and your clan approaches, there's two responses:
1) There's enough fish for all.
2) "Oh shit, those people are gonna get all the fish!"

A human being is more likely to response in the latter way. We err on the side of scarcity. (11)

And because of scarcity, we privatize land and other resources to keep others from gobbling it all up (this is called the "tragedy of the commons"). Holding back excessive consumption is for the "well-being of all."
(12)

Next level thinking: Captialists don't purchase land to waste it (not until recently), they purchase land to increase its value and make it productive.
So they WANT you to come work on their land, in their buildings etc because they need help making a valuable good (13)

You get paid for laboring in that field or in that building for the capitalist (this is your wage). Wages are typically paid BEFORE any profits are seen and regardless of whether there are profits to be had.
People continue to be paid even while the company is bankrupt (14)

Point 2
Just because YOU don't see a value of a thing, that doesn't mean its not valuable.
"Worthless" items to some, add value to the lives of others.
Books are worthless to the illiterate, why write? Because you might be able to add some value to people who can read (15)

The market finds a use for many "useless" inventions and capitalist products. The value of the item isn't always understood and that's okay, maybe its not for you to understand. This is why captialists tend to he visionaries, they see opportunity when others don't. (16)

Furthermore, it's incredibly arrogant to think you know what the "well-being of all" is or to think this is the most important value at all times.
People find ways to provide for themselves. They may not need your help, may not want it. (17)

There's plenty of evidence which shows that supplying countries with foreign aid and free food actually cripples their local economies. People would grow their own rice but if you're giving it away, then why should they? And the society stays poor because of it. (18)

Point 1.
This is mostly true. We have the tech to avoid starvation, build grand homes and live in luxury compared to kings of the past.
This came from harnessing the power of self-interest and using it to help others, not by focusing on strangers. (19)

Everyone looks to feed themselves and their family first, then they share the excess gains. Its so natural you see many animals do it, too.
Giving people the freedom and power to pursue their own self-interest is WHY our society is doing so well. (20)

In societies were self-interest is tamed by rules, regulations and laws you have poverty. In some instances its backbreaking poverty. Avoiding the tragedy of the commons, allowing private ownership of land and free enterprise has changed the world. (21)

Does this lead to utopia?
No.
But it does lead to a society where the POOR are actually FAT and decadent in their lifestyles which likely has never happened anywhere in the world.
Its a miracle what has taken place in the West (mostly).

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