you know how libs always say knee-jerk "communism only works on paper" despite the opposite being true? i would like to crowdsource help in writing a good retort to that, that could. hopefully plant seeds in someone’s mind.

  • MarxMadness [comrade/them]
    ·
    3 years ago

    We know that capitalism works. The point is not to ask “does this economic system work?” but instead “how does this economic system work?” and “who does this economic system work for?”

    These are more precise questions, but this is basically quibbling over the definition of "works." We all know what OP means when she says "capitalism only works on paper."

    To say that capitalism isn’t working, would imply that capitalism was ever intended to do anything other than enrich capitalists, which is liberal thinking.

    It is, but the whole point of this conversation is (presumably) to move someone who buys into exactly that sort of thinking. If you tell some lib that capitalism was only ever intended to enrich the already wealthy, they'd first argue that no, capitalism "works" for everyone, or at least the vast majority of people. Which would bring the conversation back to the point that capitalism only "works" that way on paper.

    • dead [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      In the context of the "only works on paper" argument, "works" means is able to exist and sustain existence. In fact, liberals often follow the "communism only works on paper line" with "capitalism may have some problems but it's the best system that we've had." Libs think capitalism works because it still exists and they think communism doesn't work because the USSR ended in 1991.

      If liberals tell you that capitalism works for everyone, that is not a time to say anything about paper because liberals don't read. Liberals never read "capitalism works for everyone" on paper. This is the time where you tell the liberal that capitalism is a class based system where one class exploits the other. Liberals already have a similar concept of the "99% vs 1%". You explain to them how the owning class takes advantage of the working class.