Thread by @ArashKolahi

Capitalism is inherently & systematically:
• Anti-democratic
• Environmentally destructive
• Inequitable
• Creativity & innovation stifling
• Heartlessness & callousness incentivizing

We will PROVE each & every one of these claims & EXPOSE common capitalist propaganda. 1/22

Democracy means people have a fair say in the decisions that affect their lives. 2/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1125471207086649346

In this thread, we prove that capitalism is inherently anti-democratic both *internally* within capitalist workplaces, as well as *externally* via markets.

Capitalism does NOT give people a fair say in the economic decisions that affect their lives. 3/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1217915779745628160

Engaging, participating & applying ourselves in the decisions that affect our lives is a source of fulfillment.

Capitalism's institutional anti-democratic & authoritarian structure denies this fulfillment for the working-class, leading to alienation. 4/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1212842818286211072

A large part of why capitalism is so environmentally destructive is precisely because it is anti-democratic.

Markets exclude EVERYONE affected by transactions other than the immediate buyer & seller. Thus, everyone effected by environmental damage has no say in the matter. 5/22

In this thread, we PROVE – using standard economic models – that capitalism is inherently & systematically environmentally destructive precisely because markets are inherently & systematically undemocratic. 6/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1232782537174347776

Capitalist propaganda claims that markets are inherently efficient when the truth is the exact opposite.

In this thread, we debunk the 5 biggest lies regarding economic efficiency & present models that prove exactly why capitalism in so destructive. 7/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1164321010964815872

Not only do markets *incentivize* the destruction of the environment, but their inherent incentivization of externalities means that they *incentivize* the destruction of EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS at the expense of profit maximization, proven here: 8/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1222960371171872769

We should demand of our economy to be fair & equitable; that EVERYONE should be fairly & equitably remunerated for their effort, sacrifice & time working towards societally valued work. 9/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1146165768356270086

But capitalism is incapable of fair & equitable wages because in capitalism, labor is bought & sold on a market system & market prices are reflective of the relative bargaining power between the buyer & seller.

Capitalism is inherently inequitable: 10/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1210332075787608065

In this thread, we show just how incredibly inequitable wages are here in the US.

Rewarding bargaining power means rewarding the already rich & powerful - basically, what people have known all along: the rich get richer, while the poor get poorer. 11/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1230953222375763969

Here we show that if wages were remotely equitable, the average worker, working the average duration, expending the average effort at an average job would receive the average income of roughly $130,000 per year! 12/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1197630151544016897

Besides robbing workers of equitable wages, the extreme discrepancies of wealth systematically perpetuated by capitalism (because if it’s inherent rewarding of bargaining power) causes other problems, explored in this thread: 13/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1207713334285352960

But it’s not just equitable wages that are robbed from the working-class.

Alienating & undemocratic workplaces that relegate 80% of the workforce to have no say in any decisions also systematically robs the working-class of their creative & innovative potentials. 14/22

In this thread, we prove that capitalism stifles creativity & innovation in MANY different ways, including by creating an environment that *incentivizes* hoarding & keeping-secret information, knowledge & discoveries - impeding progress. 15/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1225940422855290880

Capitalism rewards & incentivizes the worst of humanity.

It literally rewards psychopathic & sociopathic behavior while punishing empathy & callousness. 16/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1296575301711929344

Capitalist propaganda assumes a fantasy that capitalism tends towards a magical equilibrium that not only is compatible with human nature, but that brings about our best.

It’s all a lie. As shown in this thread (& sub-threads): 17/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1223375405295386624

Capitalist commodification creeps into EVERY aspect of our lives, and everything it touches is distorted at the altar of profit-maximization.

In this thread, for example, we explore how capitalism even distorts our sexuality from a young age: 18/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1305904148307566593

Capitalist atomization has broken much of our natural bonds of kinship, community & culture. And even the bonds that remain, like social media, are commodified & distort our natural tendencies. 19/22

Capitalism not only perpetuates but also EXACERBATES authoritarianism, racism & sexism, as explored in this thread: 20/22

https://twitter.com/ArashKolahi/status/1291852504112586752

Okay, so capitalism sucks. It’s undemocratic, inequitable, & environmentally destructive. It rewards the worst of humanity while punishing the best. It stifles creativity & innovation & distorts, oppresses & alienates the vast majority. So what is the alternative? 21/22

We should demand better from our economy. We should want an economy that reflects our shared values – not one that inherently & systematically destroys them.

What might a participatory democratic, equitable, sustainable, socialist economy look like? 22/22
participatoryeconomics.info

Yikes typo in #16/22!: It should say 'punishing empathy & compassion'. 16/22