My View In The Capitalism Versus Communism Argument

Comparing capitalism and communism is, in my view, comparing apples and oranges. They are generally compared as two systems of government. From my point of view, capitalism isn’t an economic theory or a philosophy, it’s a system that has been in existence since the dawn of mankind and improved over the millennia. It’s a system that governs all human behaviour. Every single person in every single country on earth follows a capitalistic way of life.

Elon Musk, Bill Gates et al are, of course, capitalists.

But so is the housewife, cutting up her budget, however big or small.

As is the peanut seller, buying a few peanuts to roast and sell.

So are beggars fighting about their ‘patch.’

Even in so-called Communist countries, like China and Albania, there are businessmen, who buy low and sell high. There are housewives and husbands who allocate their resources, managers who allocate theirs, street vendors who allocate theirs, in the old-time USSR, the government was the biggest capitalist, buying goods and selling them to the people. . . . they are all Capitalists, in other words.

That’s because capitalism isn’t a system of beliefs, or a philosophy.

It’s a system of human behaviour.

‘Capitalism’ is the name given to a set of principles that economists have developed to explain how scarce resources are allocated. They have added a lot more to that, written entire books about it, but in sum, that’s it.

In short, it’s about what governs human behaviour at work and play.

Simple enough really. I have so much (money, goods, abilities, whatever) and I want so much (money, goods, services, whatever) how much can I exchange for what?

The first caveman was a capitalist, exchanging what he had for what he wanted.

Of course, there must have been a time when Neanderthal men just took what they wanted with the required violence accompanying the taking. In In a sense that too was capitalistic; they were exchanging blood and violence for goods.

However, at some point, they must have realized that too many of their own got hurt, and far too much blood was spilled and lives lost — in a tribe, lives were part of the scarce resources that needed allocation. It just made more sense to exchange what your tribe had for whatever the other tribe had, instead of fighting over it.

Ever since the existence of mankind, man has behaved in a capitalistic manner and today, every person in the world behaves in a capitalistic manner.

It’s the only natural way to behave.

There is, of course, inequity, because some human beings have more money, goods and abilities. Some human beings are more acquisitive and ambitious, while some are more focused on making more money, but one fact is clear.

Every single person who ever existed was and is capitalistic.

So, what about Marxism or Communism or socialism or other isms?

In my view, those are religions. And Utopian religions at that. They posit or suggest an ideal view of humanity: where all men and women are equal; they are paid equally; live in the same kinds of places; have the same amount of goods and are treated equally. There is no need for allocation because everybody has enough for their needs.

Pure fantasy. A Utopian dream.

Which is why Marxist countries, without exception, become dictatorships. And rightwing dictatorships. There is no equality or equity or Marxist dreams in a dictatorship. One person is always stronger, faster, more politically adept, more ruthless, more blood-thirsty and, above all, more greedy for scarce resources than all the rest.

Capitalism is the only possible system. To repeat, it’s a system, not a philosophy, not a belief or something in which you need to believe, it simply is reality.

Given that, to my mind, capitalism needs to be fair and equitable. And the only way capitalism can be fair and equitable is in a democracy because it’s only in a democracy that the people can apply pressure on the people running the country.

However, the main problem with a democracy is crystal clear; the inequity.

In most cases, whatever the system of Government, democratic or autocratic, the owners of the majority of the capital in a country have undue influence on the way the capital is used — as is the case in the USA. In a dictatorship, or a totalitarian regime, the way the capital is used is decided by a small group of men — usually men, women are more sensible.

And here’s another reality.

Every ruler, for all time, must be socialistic, welfarist, or altruistic. They have no choice because if they’re not, they will be deposed, either immediately, if they are too outlandishly cruel and stupid, or arrogantly decide to invade a more powerful country. Or even, in Putin’s case, a supposedly weaker country. If not, their descendants will be removed, most probably in some unhappy fashion, eventually.

In short, every state, every country, whether they call themselves Communist or not, must be a welfare state, otherwise, they cannot exist other than in the sho