quote:
Originally posted by Jack, the Little Death:
But how much of Korea's contemporary crises are due to the world's love affair with capitalism?

And I don't really know much about Russia, it's true. I do happen to know a girl from Russia, though. Mentioned the other day what a drag it was when the place went from communism to capitalism. I could be wrong, but it does seem to have worked out rather poorly for them, doesn't it? They went from free housing and radios for everybody to standing in line for moldy bread. Yay, Capitalism! It did what Mutually Assured Destruction and the executions of innocent Jewish folks could never accomplish -- it toppled the Evil Empire! Millions of people, cold and starving! Woohoo!

I thought we were on to something when we just wanted to send hot actresses to have sex with the head of Russia, but as it turns out, McDonald's is twice the bad-ass that Mimi vanDorne ever was.

The only thing I've heard indirectly in favor of capitalism lately is that the thing about Russian lightbulbs never burning out is a myth. :)

P.S. When bankers go hungry and the term "working poor" is an oxymoron like it's supposed to be, I will believe in capitalism. As it stands, it looks like just one more excuse for a privileged bunch of snapperheads to kick around the other six billion people on the planet.
There was a theory doing the rounds of the intelligensia in Russia about 3 years back, reported in Foreign Affairs, about how basically the one billions Westerners are being supported by the 5 billion other people living below the poverty line.

Even if its true, which I don't think its is, its still about 99% more people living in the lap of capitalist luxury than there was in feudal times, say, 300 years ago. Your perspective is too short. People are generally much better off now under global capitalism than under feudalism, and better off than under communism.

The "working poor" have better health, longer life spans, and colour TV, whereas their equivalent workers in North Korea have jack shit (one in ten are near death), and much much much better conditions than the feudal peasants in Medieval France.