Who Pays for Capitalism?
Channel: LuckyBlackCat
Date: 2021-08-17

People who are against socialism, or even just skeptical, often ask the question: Who pays for socialism? Many believe that it’s those with higher levels of income or wealth who pay for socialism. Not only is this a false conclusion, it’s based on a false understanding of socialism.

It’s rare for people to interrogate capitalism with this same question. Though if we did, the answer from bourgeois economists would be that capitalists pay for capitalism, by funding economic production. It’s an answer, however, that leaves out a lot more than it tells.

So who really pays for socialism? And who pays for capitalism? This video essay sets out to answer both these questions.

The answers may surprise you! 

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►►Check out some of my other videos◄◄

► OK Boomer: Class War Not Generation War https://youtu.be/CY4pNGK7ccI

► Tax the Rich? New questions: A Socialist Perspective https://youtu.be/5q6j4Kh8LEA

► Game of Thrones & Alternatives to Capitalism https://youtu.be/FCW7EzlIZk0

► Satisfying Answers on Socialism: An Open Letter to Destiny https://youtu.be/lyepf912aIg

► Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpgXZBN8fmc0t-rRGgKwDYfkBNSd8jYDS 

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       ACTIVISM & ORGANIZING
       Learning resources on workplace organizing (can be applied to other types of 
       organizing and activism)
       https://www.reddit.com/r/IWW/comments/h89e4n/a_list_of_learning_resources_on_workplace 
       ========================================================

0:00 Introduction
2:49 Part 1: Who paid to industrialize the world?
7:22 Part 2: Don’t capitalists pay for capitalism? 
13:17 Part 3: Who pays for socialism? (And capitalism?) 
16:36 Call to action: Organize!
16:59 Outro  

SOURCES

Estimated 2.78 million workers die in a year from workplace related accident or illness
Page 7 of “Improving the Safety and Health of Young Workers,” https://ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---safework/documents/publication/wcms_625223.pdf

Pyotr Kropotkin, The Conquest of Bread. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1906 (original: 1892)
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/petr-kropotkin-the-conquest-of-bread

Karl Marx, Capital: Volume 1, p. 135 (chapter 7) and p. 146 (chapter 8). 1887 edition (originally published: 1867)
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Capital-Volume-I.pdf

Karl Marx, Critique of the Gotha Programme, part 1. Published 1890-1.
https://marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1875/gotha

MUSIC CREDITS

Piano Sonata No. 11 in A, 3rd movement (Mozart)

Carnival of the Animals Aquarium (Camille Saint-Saëns)

Drums long fill buildup hard drums 128bpm G minor (Richie Ochuschayoo) samplefocus.com

Live perc 128-04 128bpm (wladymeer) samplefocus.com

In The Hall Of The Mountain King (Grieg) 

Smoove Weekend (TW$) – I have the license 

VISUAL CREDITS

Håkan Dahlström @ Wikimedia Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en 

www.freepik.com picture by Freepik


"At least that's what I think.... What about you?" inspired by T1J


KEYWORD SEARCH TERMS

capitalism, socialism, surplus value extraction, labor, exploitation, working class, capitalist class, proletariat, bourgeoisie, “who pays for socialism”


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