Transcript

[A thin boy in ragged clothing holds out a bowl to an overweight Elon Musk] Musk: Society needs billionaires, we keep you from starving. Boy: Please, I’m starving. Can you help me? Musk: Fuck you.

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  • tomiant@piefed.socialEnglish
    1·
    2 days ago

    I always wondered when capitalism deems everything is good enough. Like does it have a goal state? Because I’ve played games that don’t have one and those always end with having to put more coins in the machine.

    • IninewCrow@lemmy.caEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      The goal state is the same state of mind as that of the deranged cat lady who needlessly wants to own as many cats as possible and keep them all in her house.

      It’s a mental illness where the person collecting money and wealth only understands collecting more and more endless amounts of wealth and power … more than they can ever realistically ever enjoy in one lifetime.

      Think about it … it’s like wanting to horde bananas … the person keeps hording endless amounts of bananas until their banana pile is the size of Mount Everest and reaches into the clouds … but the person keeps wanting to add to the pile and not allow any else to touch their pile or take anything from it.

      • tomiant@piefed.socialEnglish
        2·
        16 hours ago

        Reminds me of that Simpsons skit, where Bart and Lisa got a massive pile of candy, and they’re so sick of candy because they ate so much, and Marge goes,

        “kids! That pile is starting to smell. Are you gonna eat it?”

        “nooooooh”.

        “Then we’ll give it away to the neighborhood kids!”

        “Nooooooh.”

        I’m probably massacring that skit but you know the one. 😁

        • IninewCrow@lemmy.caEnglish
          1·
          16 hours ago

          Always loved the Simpsons and I’m happy I grew up watching them … my favourite commentary on wealth in the show was how they portrayed Montgomery Burns … “I have two buttons behind this desk: one will supply your town with power, the other releases the hounds” … ! … ? … ! …? … “release the hounds”

          of even better … the ‘See My Vest’ song

          See my vest, see my vest,
          Made from real gorilla chest,
          Feel this sweater, there’s no better
          than authentic Irish setter.

          See this hat, 'twas my cat,
          My evening wear - vampire bat,
          These white slippers are albino
          African endangered rhino.

          Grizzly bear underwear,
          Turtles’ necks, I’ve got my share,
          Beret of poodle, on my noodle
          It shall rest.

      • tomiant@piefed.socialEnglish
        2·
        16 hours ago

        At the very least it belongs within the scope of gambling addiction. I lost a friend to gambling. Gambling is one of the worst fucking addictions, because they will gamble until there is nothing left and then they die, and they take everyone around them down with them, they destroy everything for everyone. Another part of it is that if money is success is morality, you even get respected for being a good gambler.

        But I’d go even further and claim that it is a structural consequence of the rules of the system. It happens by necessity, because that is what the logical conclusion of running the game will inevitably produce.

        It is unsustainable, demands more of less, the more everything is improved and the more wealth is being produced, the more we see diminishing returns, because it demands ever more energy of ever diminishing resources, and thus produce ever diminishing returns, until there is nothing left.

        Thanks for listening to my podcast The End Is Nigh, good night.