• RaoulDook@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Everyone in the civilized nations of the global West is basically a capitalist in effect. If you participate in the economy at all, you have engaged in the basic functions of capitalism.

    IMO you are only not a capitalist if you lead an alternative lifestyle, like commune hippies or other groups of non-property-owning collectives. Or maybe you could perform a chant of “My personhood disavows the morality and validity of this structure requiring this transaction” whenever life needs you to buy something.

    • MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca
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      8 months ago

      I may be participating in capitalism, that shouldn’t imply I believe in capitalist ideals; the same way that someone can disagree with communism living in China. They’re a part of the system, but they don’t necessarily believe in it.

      To me a capitalist is a philosophy of profit over everything. That everything and everyone only has value based on what profit they can generate. That the more wealth you obtain the more successful of a person you must be.

      Being a successful human has a lot more to it than accumulating wealth. My value as a person should not lie solely in my ability to generate revenue/earnings/profit.

      I live in a capitalist society. I am not a capitalist.

    • Selkie@lemm.ee
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      8 months ago

      You’re not really a capitalist unless you own something that makes you money without you being there

      • RaoulDook@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        I don’t agree with that opinion, but if that were true, then everyone with a savings account or retirement account would be in that category.

        I’m in the capitalist category either way and I celebrate the benefits it has brought me and the society we all live and prosper in. Life is good in America and I wouldn’t trade it to live anywhere else at this point.