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Bread and Circuses

Want to hear some crazy radical ideas?

Check this out...
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❝ Capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evil. Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production at the expense of smaller ones.

The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital, the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population.

Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights. ❞
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That's from 1949 (!) and it was written by...... wait for it...... Albert Einstein.

LEARN MORE -- archive.ph/jvlFD

ALTERNATE LINK -- glenhendrix50.medium.com/einst

#Politics #Capitalism

30 comments
Soc-i-eTy

@breadandcircuses

Albert continues to inspire us!

:mastodon:

Russell

@breadandcircuses I fully agree with the premise, and yet I also feel caution that this sounds too much like a "both sides" argument that ends up only benefiting those very same people it cautions against. In theory he's correct. In practice... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Capitalism allows evil under the guise of just doing business. When everyone fits into their little cog but no one looks at the machine as a whole, few ask why the machine grinds up human lives and everyone feels powerless to stop the machine.

benda

@zimzat @breadandcircuses its interesting that everyone is so concerned with both-side-ism when no is discussing it.
like #BlueMAGA is waiting to prematurely attack any critique of their sorry fucking party. the democratic party is evil and thats not both sides-ing. the other party is more evil. but that doesnt mean democratic party isnt.

Steve Felten

@breadandcircuses It’s worse than George Carlin’s “It’s a big club and you ain’t in it.” Their bottomless greed is accompanied by absolute contempt for the rest of us.

Sharon McCarthy

@breadandcircuses
This!: "This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature." Separate the Electorate from the Legislature! That says it all!!!

Truth Or Consequences ✅

@ienvision
Kevin Phillips summed it up: Both parties are crooked but the Republicans think the people exist for their benefit while the Democrats at least acknowledge with actions those who elevated them.

Frances Larina

@Savvyhomestead @ienvision

And yet if Dems did so too effectively, they'd be out of a job and they act accordingly. Just enough, that's the key to a stable, successful career.

Zauberlehrling

@breadandcircuses

The Iron Law of Oligarchy
--- Robert Michels 1911

Matthew

@breadandcircuses

Isaac Asimov said the three things that doom humanity:
1. Greed
2. Status Quo
3. Despotism

There it is in capitalism and money-driven politicians!

Marcel Abraas

@breadandcircuses The article itself is even better. Love his ideal of a socialist society, and the insight that that was (and is, in the US) a powerful taboo.

Alison Creekside

@kritischelezer @breadandcircuses
Notable that although people post this as a future prediction from Einstein, he was writing to his own present time in May 1949.
Article republished at original magazine source for those unable to access your 2 links:
monthlyreview.org/2009/05/01/w

luki

@breadandcircuses Nothing new to me, but afterwards the unknown essay "Why socialism?" was released from him aswell. linksnet.de/artikel/19102

Bob Blaskiewicz

@breadandcircuses

I thought, oh come on. Albert Einstein? Really? So I looked it up, and I'll be damned. He actually wrote this in the inaugural issue of Monthly Review.

Welp. I learned a thing.

Oli Mould

@breadandcircuses which is why the Smart Meters TV ad, in which Albert Einstein is shown spouting nationalistic, capitalist rubbish is totally jarring!

Andreas Lindholm

@breadandcircuses I suspect that there are people who would say:

"Well, Einstein was a phycisist, not a social scientist. This is outside the scope of his expertise."

So far, the would have a point.

Then they would embrace any inane notion put forward by some tech "entrepreneur" that they worship.

Davva

@breadandcircuses
Don't mourn. Organise!
History shows that an effective way to keep capital's power in check, is for people to organise and fight.

GhostOnTheHalfShell

@breadandcircuses that guy again.

I figure he could teach Sabine a few things.

LAF and LOVE

@breadandcircuses Description of a perfect Circle of Corruption. A continuing downward spiral for the “un-powered” people.

DELETED

@breadandcircuses
@GreatDismal

yes, we should immediately revert to feudalism, which was much better and less evil

Nitin Pai

@breadandcircuses @GreatDismal I’m not sure I’ll rely on John Maynard Keynes’s opinion on quantum physics in any serious debate, either.

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