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Capitalism Versus Socialism, From Someone Who Knows

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Submitted by Sunni on Sun, 2007-08-05 07:56. | |

While searching for some information on Russian cuisine, I got sidetracked by a snippet of comment quoted in the sidebar. Following the link, I was taken to a transcript of one session of interviews with Russian people, wherein individuals can send questions to be asked of Russians (it’s unclear how respondents are selected). Some of the questions are silly, but sometimes they’re quite thoughtful—similarly with the answers. If interested, you’ll need to scroll down that page to see the Q&A I’m quoting:

Question: "now [sic] that you know the advantages and disadvantages of each sistem [sic] would you like to return to the socialist regime?"

A. Socialism? No, God keep me away from it. Bad capitalism is much better that [sic] good socialism!


At a guess, I’d expect that many Americans would say it’s obvious that bad capitalism is better than good socialism, but I’d also venture that most of us have really only seen the “bad capitalism” side. It’s what we have in the USSA now, and probably have had for decades, at least. What else can one call it when businesses can be weighted down (to name just a few stones) by subsidies, import/export duties, licensing and related regulatory follies, judiciary favoritism, and zoning and anti-discrimination laws?

I can’t claim to have seen “good socialism” either, but I’ll trust her word on the subject, and hope never to be subjected to more socialism than I already am. That said, I’ll provide something of a tease regarding my adventures: Your slitherin’ Snake, when tempted with an opportunity of a lifetime, swallowed it up; it involved getting a travel permission slip and visiting a few former Soviet states. Seeing its scars on the lands, and talking with some individuals, moved me deeply, and changed me. I’m still trying to sort it all out, actually; but I do hope to write something of a report on the primary mission of the adventure today. More personal observations—including pood!—will follow in this space.

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Are you sure?

Submitted by B.W. on Sun, 2007-08-05 08:31.

Are you sure that you've seen bad capitalism, I mean? The more I look, the more I think I've seen mostly half-assed socialism most of my life in these United Soviet States of America.

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Very interesting point

Submitted by Sunni on Sun, 2007-08-05 08:37.

Thanks, B.W.—you have gotten me to frame the issue completely differently. How does one separate bad capitalism and half-assed socialism – wouldn’t they be very similar?

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definitions

Submitted by Polka on Fri, 2007-08-10 20:19.

The problem might be that bad capitalism is something socialists often talk about to define capitalism in general. That's why capitalism in post-communist countries tends to be so savage. I suspect the general disdain for capitalism in the world comes from the fact that it is known in the socialist (anti)definition.
Isn't "real" capitalism supposed to be executed with reason? I know, I know, it sounds kinda silly. Bad capitalism is like- "They took from me, so now I'm gonna get rich off their backs". I always thought that a true capitalist was someone who considered his 'capital' not only as monetary assets but also customers or receivers of services- thus making it wise in the capitalist way not to shit where one eats. Don't screw the customers around or they will find a better store.

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Dancing around definitions

Submitted by Sunni on Mon, 2007-08-13 08:12.

You know, Polka, you have touched on exactly the concern that had me hesitating on writing this entry—and not just trying to define “capitalism”, but all the emotional baggage so many freedom-lovers seem to invest in their preferred definition. I suspect that both of those things ramp up considerably when the conversation goes international; the contexts for experiencing capitalism can vary tremendously, as can individual experiences in capitalist and communist economies. Thus, I really have no idea what the woman had in mind when she referred to “bad capitalism”.

Your description of bad capitalism touches on an important component of the concept for me: that capital isn’t just money and infrastructure—it is also, to generalize broadly, good will. That begins with the conceptualization of a project, and carries through (or fails to) how one treats employees, suppliers, customers; how one makes, markets, and warrants the good or service, etc. The crony capitalism that is so common in the USSA today has very little of that good will—sometimes in just one or two areas, but some corporations seem not to have any understanding of the concept. Telecom and ISP companies are excellent examples; they run to the government for protectionism, offer services they don’t have any intention of delivering, and because merger mania has led to near-monopoly situations in certain parts of the country, customers often don’t have better alternatives to turn to.

It’s no wonder capitalism has a bad rap these days; and that’s an ideological shame because it enables people to keep thinking that communism is a viable alternative. It just ain’t.

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