Coping with capitalist economy

[Philipp]

Hey others, (or me's)

I really struggle with coping to work in the current economic system (I live in austria. should be similar in other western countries). I need to let off some of my frustration. Please let me know how you feel and how you cope with it. 

First, since corporation rule most industries, working for them is almost inevitable (at least temporarily). Working for some capitalist owners already bothers me quite a lot. I hate the idea of taking part in this unethical system which continously creates lies, CO2, inequality. Every industry has it own shadow, but even taking part in the giant structure which is capitalism, serving an elite, just makes me sick. 

Second, all the shady tactics used in this system. Lying, manipulating, spinning, lobbying, creating appearances. All of that crap, which makes products unhealthy, addictive, short lived and so much more. It seems that everyday I could find a way how capitalism is making products crappier. 

Third, corporations have increasingly normalized stress and fast paced environment. This kind of sucks if you are a sensitive person and will make you at risk of suffering from burnouts. My mother suffered herself from this and it sickens me how workers are allowing this, by competing against each other. 

Fourth, the economic meta is one the worst aspects probably. Since corporations rule the game , they also established what is an adequate price for products and so on. Even if you start your green business, people still want the low prices. 

Fith, the fight for attention. This one is big and it seems to get only worse. With individuals being able to capture more and more attention in the digital space, it is becoming undeniably harder to get the attention that is needed for your Business and for your content. People I think underestimate this problem, that digital technologies have enable a few and the power of capital to really monopolize attention. And without attention nothing goes.

I am not sure what I hate the most about the economy. Is it the lying and manipulating. Or is it the inequality. This lack of voice you have as a worker. 

[Alex_R]

So build some business, do something

[Yarco]

It sounds like you've been listening too much to leftist Youtubers and it's made you into a victim tbh.

Make a list of countries in the world and see what economic system they use (capitalism, socialism, some mix in between). Then look how they are doing. See if there are any socialist countries that are doing well. If you think you'd be happier there, then move there instead.

I'm guessing if Austria is like much of Europe, you're already way less capitalistic than America and other places. You have a public healthcare system? Transit system like busses and trains and stuff are nationalized? I thought Austria had a cap on how much CEOs were allowed to earn per year even, but maybe that's a different country.

Also maybe every system sucks and as bad as capitalism is, it's still the best of the options available.

If you don't like any of the options, then you can opt out of the system and go live on a commune.

2 hours ago, Philipp said:

First, since corporation rule most industries, working for them is almost inevitable (at least temporarily). Working for some capitalist owners already bothers me quite a lot. I hate the idea of taking part in this unethical system which continously creates lies, CO2, inequality. Every industry has it own shadow, but even taking part in the giant structure which is capitalism, serving an elite, just makes me sick. 

Look up stats on how many people in Austria are employees vs run their own business. I bet more people own their business than you think. Basically every restaurant, retail business, etc that isn't owned by a big chain.

2 hours ago, Philipp said:

Second, all the shady tactics used in this system. Lying, manipulating, spinning, lobbying, creating appearances. 

Do you think this stuff doesn't happen under socialism? People just get put on committees by public will and not greasing palms or who they know?

Every country has corruption, I'd argue that in non-capitalist countries they're even more corrupt.

2 hours ago, Philipp said:

Fourth, the economic meta is one the worst aspects probably. Since corporations rule the game , they also established what is an adequate price for products and so on. Even if you start your green business, people still want the low prices. 

Fundamental misunderstanding of supply and demand. Yeah it'd be dandy if corporations always offered stuff at as low as prices as possible lol.
It's not like only businesses set the prices and people are powerless and forced to pay them. You can choose not to buy stuff to signal a lack of demand and prices will drop if enough people do it. Prices only exist where they are because enough people are willing to pay them.

2 hours ago, Philipp said:

Fith, the fight for attention. This one is big and it seems to get only worse. With individuals being able to capture more and more attention in the digital space, it is becoming undeniably harder to get the attention that is needed for your Business and for your content. People I think underestimate this problem, that digital technologies have enable a few and the power of capital to really monopolize attention. And without attention nothing goes.

Do you have any suggestion on how to fix this? You seem to think the problem causing this is monopolization. But under a socialist or centralized system it'd be even more monopolized... 1 bicycle company, 1 car company, 1 can of beans company, everything more standardized.

2 hours ago, Philipp said:

This lack of voice you have as a worker. 

You only have a lack of a voice if you're not willing to speak up. That might mean going through some shitty companies first and quitting to look elsewhere if you find the situation unacceptable, until you find a company willing to work on your terms.

[jimwell]

It's good that you see the problems with capitalism and the world's current civilization. But it seems that you have fallen into the trap of seeing only the bad side. Get out of that trap and be willing to see the good side.

 

 

Watch the beautifully created documentary and then imagine yourself living in that scenic prison. Life is very difficult there. You probably won't survive.

With proper contemplation, it will make you appreciate and be grateful for civilization and capitalism. Capitalism should not be erased. But yes, it needs to evolve.    

[Arthogaan]

I really feel a lot of what you had written and sometimes struggle with it in my own mind. Work. Grind. Save the money. Get good CV. Change to a better place. Do not spend money wastefuly. - thats about survival.

When it comes to mind - vibrate peace, hold utopia in your head - you will naturally pour it onto the world. This weird late capitalism stage is just the step towards the Utopia. We will get there. Hold on.

Gojira - Grind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A77sFIxiRQ0

Surrender to the grind
Embrace the laws that make you cringe
You will be fixed in no time
If you go all the way

We're wandering in chaos
Forget about which reality is real
Eternal quest to resolve
Our struggle with gravity

You're all shredded, you're all scarred
Fighting the tide
Your tough face on, you think you'll last long
Against the grain?

Go
Surrender to the grind
Obey
Surrender to the grind
The only way

Grind

[Random witch]

I can relate to everything that you've said, it's as if I'm the one who wrote this (I actually did).

I feel the frustration, I feel the alienation, I feel all those negative emotions that you've mentioned.

Fortunately it won't last and it's collapsing gradually, the current economical system is dying. It's at the dead end. I'm so exited thinking about it. 

Stage orange is an important part of our development, but we exhausted it. Thank you stage orange for all the goods but it's the time to say bye-bye because now you're ruining our lives.

Now our survival is depending on moving into green.

 

Create your green business and focus on marketing it to green people, write about it on green online communities (on Reddit or Facebook). It doesn't have to be big, you can start a little green local business, as I plan to do.

Many small green businesses might be the beginning of the end of big orange corporations. Green small businesses are giving the value that no big orange business will ever be able to give.

 

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by Random witch

[PepperBlossoms]

15 hours ago, Philipp said:

Hey others, (or me's)

I really struggle with coping to work in the current economic system (I live in austria. should be similar in other western countries). I need to let off some of my frustration. Please let me know how you feel and how you cope with it. 

First, since corporation rule most industries, working for them is almost inevitable (at least temporarily). Working for some capitalist owners already bothers me quite a lot. I hate the idea of taking part in this unethical system which continously creates lies, CO2, inequality. Every industry has it own shadow, but even taking part in the giant structure which is capitalism, serving an elite, just makes me sick. 

Second, all the shady tactics used in this system. Lying, manipulating, spinning, lobbying, creating appearances. All of that crap, which makes products unhealthy, addictive, short lived and so much more. It seems that everyday I could find a way how capitalism is making products crappier. 

Third, corporations have increasingly normalized stress and fast paced environment. This kind of sucks if you are a sensitive person and will make you at risk of suffering from burnouts. My mother suffered herself from this and it sickens me how workers are allowing this, by competing against each other. 

Fourth, the economic meta is one the worst aspects probably. Since corporations rule the game , they also established what is an adequate price for products and so on. Even if you start your green business, people still want the low prices. 

Fith, the fight for attention. This one is big and it seems to get only worse. With individuals being able to capture more and more attention in the digital space, it is becoming undeniably harder to get the attention that is needed for your Business and for your content. People I think underestimate this problem, that digital technologies have enable a few and the power of capital to really monopolize attention. And without attention nothing goes.

I am not sure what I hate the most about the economy. Is it the lying and manipulating. Or is it the inequality. This lack of voice you have as a worker. 

@Philipp Well said.  I didn't cope with it and left...

The nice thing is that corporate will probably always be there so you could dry doing your own thing and if that fails, you can always go back to some form of it.  (Or so I assume).

But yeah I agree - every company I have ever worked for has been toxic and there was for me a direct correlation with the higher the pay, the higher the toxicity... so if it is too toxic, you could try to go to a lower paying place/career.  But then that is problematic too because then you are having to work for less so ahh.

At the end of life, it won't matter how much money we have or what we accomplished because we will die anyway so there is that too.  Also, I know this sounds bad but also, the Earth isn't going to be livable forever anyway and you aren't going to be here forever in your form anyway... like I had that epiphany and I quit worrying about the environment... but also I saw what my job was doing to the environment and non-human life and left the career because of it so meh.  Also I watched some videos about CO2 with conflicting perspectives so I don't know what to think on that either but that helped too.  I kinda quit caring about a lot of the stuff spiral dynamics stage green cares about and it is kinda nice to not have to get upset over that anymore.  I feel like I kinda had to go back to stage orange though because now I am having to figure out the survival money thing again without the aid of working for a company.

[flowboy]

On 14/03/2022 at 11:02 AM, Philipp said:

Hey others, (or me's)

 

Hey Philipp,

I feel your pain.

Like you said, everything has its shadow side, and the shadow in you is what makes you hate it.

If you enjoy hating the system, I don't want to stop you from doing that. It can be fun.

If you feel like it's costing you a lot of energy, and you'd rather have peace of mind, you can integrate the shadow.

Which is the process of finding and recognizing everything you hate "out there", somewhere in yourself, and then loving that.

?

[Terell Kirby]

If you were benefiting for the capitalist system, I guarantee you would not have any of these complaints.

Capitalism has its faults on a collective, geo-political level. But make sure you are not using that as an excuse not to pursue success in your personal life in terms of fulfilling your material needs.

It's easy to criticize the system when you are caught in victim mentality, and taking zero responsibility.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Terell Kirby

[PepperBlossoms]

We find stuff that is intimidating, better than us, threatening, not perfect, selfish, prettier, smarter, more developed, more skilled, etc. and we say, I don't like it.

However, there will always be stuff that is better in some ways and worse in others.  Plus, nothing stays the same forever and stuff is getting better at the same time that stuff is getting worse.

We see that we are worse or that something seems horrible and we feel insecure and think DEATH.  I am going to die because I am not as smart/pretty/whatever as XYZ or because this thing is like this and not like that.  However, we are still better than that in the areas of ABC and there still is great stuff to discuss in the areas of EFG.

BUT, ALL IS FUTILE.  Everything dies (in the relative sense.)  Embracing the futility of the death and change of everything and how it is futile in trying to be the best or perfect everything... embracing futility can feel calming in a way in terms of letting go of competition and perfection.

It is weird because there is so much complexity (kinda) to the systems of life and it can feel so hard to change any of it... but yet we want to try anyway.

I guess whatever feels good to you, try that.  If it continues to feel good, keep doing it.  If it does not, think it over some more.

[vizual]

The world is always going to be a crazy place, whether it's communist, capitalist, libertarian, authoritarian, whatever. The system is not really your problem because there is no system that is going to suit all people. It's all about carving a place for yourself in the world. Find something you want to do with your life, don't put so much energy looking at what other people are doing, it's your life not theirs. 

Regarding the competition in marketing; yes it has become harder te be noticed, but that's because the competition has increased. And the competition has increased because the point of entry has become way lower. Meaning; any moron in his basement can start his own business and become a millionaire. It is easier than ever to start your own thing. You can of course see this as a negative because that means there is way more competition and it's harder to get a foothold in a competitive market. On the other hand you can also view this positively; meaning that literally anyone can make a living for themselves. 

[JosephKnecht]

Those who criticize the system are oftentimes unaware of the effort that went into creating the said system. 

Do you think you can create a better system? Give it a try. 

[ZenSwift]

In my experience, whenever I criticize something for not being something else it's because I do not yet understand it completely and therefore I'm not able to fully love and appreciate it for what it is. 

One must first learn how to understand something, to get to the truth of the matter, which also allows you to love and appreciate it for what it is, as itself. 

It is only then that your mind will be at peace and then you can move forward with the best decision for your next step. 

[A_v_E]

 

https://orwell1627.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/nietzsche-the-dignity-of-work/

[universe]

Sounds like you are in a tough place and there is a really big problem.

Not sure if you will ever get out of this.

It gets easier the more you (me) see how you are also all the people who constructed this system and keeping it alive. How you (me) created all of this because we (you) actually wanted it. And then start to enjoy it. Start to love it.

❤️

[Leo Gura]

Be careful blaming corporations.

Bottom line is that survival is inherently a dirty business. You gotta grow a thicker skin and embrace the process of survival.

Also, the notion that you must work for a corporation is false. You can work independently in many fields. And there are plenty of decent small corporations you can work for. Stop focusing on capitalism as a whole and place your attention on doing creative work that you enjoy, love, and find meaningful.

For example, if your field is making music, stop thinking about the capitalism around making music and just make awesome music.

The economy isn't really "a capitalist economy", it's just whatever the economy must be at this stage of human evolution, so there's no point raging against it. No one controls the economy. The economy is an evolutionary process which you gotta take as a given, not wish it to be something else.

[Kshantivadin]

On 3/19/2022 at 0:19 PM, ZenSwift said:

In my experience, whenever I criticize something for not being something else it's because I do not yet understand it completely and therefore I'm not able to fully love and appreciate it for what it is. 

[herghly]

3 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Be careful blaming corporations.

Bottom line is that survival is inherently a dirty business. You gotta grow a thicker skin and embrace the process of survival.

Also, the notion that you must work for a corporation is false. You can work independently in many fields. And there are plenty of decent small corporations you can work for. Stop focusing on capitalism as a whole and place your attention on doing creative work that you enjoy, love, and find meaningful.

For example, if your field is making music, stop thinking about the capitalism around making music and just make awesome music.

The economy isn't really "a capitalist economy", it's just whatever the economy must be at this stage of human evolution, so there's no point raging against it. No one controls the economy. The economy is an evolutionary process which you gotta take as a given, not wish it to be something else.

A video on —The evolutionary process of economy, that would be great