Debate: Socialism vs Capitalism
Side: Socialism

Wow, really? 1st: "I like Capitalism more mainly because it's a system where the beneficiaries are determined by the people and not the government." First of all, you are making a treacherous mistake, failing to distinguish between Capitalism and Democracy. So, in a nut-shell (and please, do some research on your own as well, don't just take my word for it) Democracy is what allows a nation to be "by the people and for the people," (since Democracy is not the topic of debate, I shall assume that you now understand the difference the fact that Capitalism is different). Capitalism is the ideological economic system by which the means of production and distribution (capital) are privately owned, and operated. Unlike Democracy, Capitalism directly influences privatized control over goods in a market economy. What this means is that the corporations involved in their given industry regulate themselves by means of adjusting the prices of their products, along with the wages and benefits (compensation) for their employees. Now, to remove any confusion I clarify that I see nothing inherently wrong with this ideology. On paper, Capitalism works great (as do most, if not all forms of social systems) but the problem lies not in Capitalism, but in people. Do you see where I'm leading to? If you are the President of a Major Corporation and you control the prices of your goods, what incentive do you have to not drive those prices out the window? Well, if you set them too high, people won't buy them, but you set them too low, and you might be missing an opportunity to make more money (capital). And after all that is the goal of a Capitalist business, to generate the most possible capital in the shortest amount of time. How about wages for your employees? How should they be compensated? Well, as cheaply as possible of course! If the goal is to generate as much capital as possible, then you will want to find a balance where your employee's maintain the highest productivity-to-wage ratio. In other words, enough so that they aren't on strike all the time. Corporations know that their employees should be compensated, but why not just compensate them with the federal minimum wage, feed them anti-Union propaganda and let the extra incentive fall on your higher paid employees. One effective method found often in the corporate world is to apply pressure on your mid-level managers to hassle their immediate underlings. This is especially effective during times of economic distress, much like the American recession today, where your employees are more desperate for compensation and the corporations are aware that they can get away with the bare minimum because everyone in a corporation is replaceable and will in fact be replaced. 2nd: I can't wrap my head around this one. You said "[Capitalism]...does create disadvantages in some ways such as stupid people have shit jobs and shit wages, but that is their problem. Everyone's problems belong to themselves. No one is burdened by another person's mistakes." It is precisely this same arrogant and ignorant attitudes characterized by the American people that have helped to ruin this country's reputation. Everywhere I look, I see the same fatal flaw in any pro-Capitalists. It must be nice to believe that everyone is created equal and has the same equal rights and opportunities as the next guy, but as I have learned, one can only grow accustomed to such a flawed-perception by turning a blind-eye on corruption, racism, police brutality, etc...and keeping one eagle-eye on the conveniently placed distraction that we fail to identify as propaganda. It is everywhere, Internet, Radio, TV, Advertisements, retail stores. It is the Media, something we refer to as the "fourth branch of the government." Do you know why we call it this? Because it is a fact that the Media has a dominating control over the 'stuff' of thought i.e. things we value, our pleasures, our desires, our secrets, our motives. Honestly, why do you think corporations pump so much money into advertising? For Funzies? You have to understand that we are nothing more than beings reacting to stimuli. The media is a direct gateway into the minds of the masses, in which private businesses take advantage of our astounding willingness to conform to whatever they tell us! Have you watched a television show lately? They are full of the characters we wish we could be, the characters that lead more exciting lives we wish we had. It is a distraction that exists because we want it to. Now sure, by recognizing this, I can get off the computer whenever I wish, and you can stop listening to the radio, but it doesn't matter because it has been brain-washing the masses for generations. But the worst part of it all, is that it also teaches close-mindedness and a great unwillingness to partake in any other informative outlet. No one reads anymore, no one philosophizes anymore, does anyone know the meaning of critical analysis? So now generations are raising their young to be just like them further embedding ignorance in citizens that partake in a Capitalist System. I digress and I apologize. Back to my second point, if you honestly believe that all people under a capitalist system have equal opportunities to be successful, then I feel compelled to shed some light on the subject, so here are some facts for you to ponder and make your own judgment:"About 10.4% of the entire African-American male population in the United States aged 25 to 29 was incarcerated, by far the largest racial or ethnic group—by comparison, 2.4% of Hispanic men and 1.2% of white men in that same age group were incarcerated. According to a report by the Justice Policy Institute in 2002, the number of black men in prison has grown to five times the rate it was twenty years ago. Today, more African-American men are in jail than in college. In 2000 there were 791,600 black men in prison and 603,032 enrolled in college. In 1980, there were 143,000 black men in prison and 463,700 enrolled in college."Read more: Prison Population Exceeds Two Million — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0881455.html#ixzz10yG5kFW1 "- More than 60 percent of the people behind bars in America are people of color.- In 1999, African-Americans constituted 13 percent of drug users, Hispanics, 11percent, and whites, 72 percent. In that same year, African-Americans constituted 35percent of drug arrests, 53 percent of drug convictions, and 58 percent of those inprison for drug offenses."-The Aba Justice Kennedy Commissionhttp://www.abanet.org/media/kencomm/factsheet.pdf So, what is up with the our Judicial System? I mean, if everyone has equal opportunities, and everyone is created equal then there should be a steady consistency in the ratio of inmates of a certain race over the total population of that race. For instance, say there are 500 White people, 100 African-Americans, and 200 Hispanics, living in a Equal Town, where African-Americans and hispanics are the minority (which is the case of the American Population, just in case you don't believe in minorities.) Now if approximately 10% of each demographic is in jail, then there are 50 White people in jail, 10 African-Americans in jail, and 20 Hispanics in jail, then I don't have a problem. But when African-Americans constitute 13% of drug users in America, and those 13% constitute the 58% of drug users that are actually in prison, I HAVE A FUCKING PROBLEM. Racism is still here, profiling happens everyday especially by racist police officers. Every night, 13 Million children go to bed hungry in America alone, but serves them right, right? I mean it is their fault they are starving. In case you haven't figured it out yet, NO ONE HAS THE SAME OPPORTUNITY, because the people we trust to protect us, are not impartial, disinterested or benevolent in any way. In fact they are quite partial(to white people), and are just as interested because of the incentive to compete for capital, and are of course non-sympathetic towards unjust treatment, especially to the minorities.So what is there that makes you so proud of Capitalism now? The bottom line is, life is not a competition. Each one of us are born into our situation, and are at the mercy of luck, no one is safe and instead of fighting each other for capital, why don't we help each other? Life's a bitch and then you die. Why don't you act like your self-less idols?