Marxism 101: How Capitalism is Killing Itself with Dr. Richard Wolff // Empire_File022

[reorg]

Despite a concerted effort by the U.S. Empire to snuff out the ideology, a 2016 poll found young Americans have a much more favorable view of socialism than capitalism.

[bjo59]

1. Yes, as Marx suggested, Capitalism will destroy itself.

The question is will it destroy the world along with itself first or will something happen to stop the global behemoth in its tracks before the earth is a smoking pit of of horror? (If you take the current election into account, it would appear that far too many Americans still think the leviathan of corporate global capitalism is a fine regime to live under and aren't too worried about the complete destruction of the natural world.)

[redstateblues]

2. Marxism has been a dismal failure

Anyone remember the Union Of Soviet Sociaist Republics? Wolff keeps trying to revive Marxism. How is life in North Korea?

[kcjohn1]

3. Did you even watch it?

Just because capitalism is not the answer, doesn't mean we adopt a Cuba system.

BTW you show your ignorance of the USSR. At start of 1900 Russia was among the poorest countries in Europe. It was devastated by two world wars. But by 1975 it had the 2nd biggest economy in the world, and was a world power. It's form of Marxism could not have been the disaster you claim, could have it?

[liberalnarb]

5. North Korea isn't the way it is because of marxism.

Not even because of Communism. It was authoritarianism/autocracy that created the nightmare we see in North Korea today. I'm not a Marxist, but Marxism didn't turn North Korea into what it is today.

[reorg]

6. Uh, nope, marxist analysis (which is what the video is about) has been correct

Mr. Bernie Sanders has done me a favor by throwing his hat in the ring in the democratic primary and running around the country as he's been doing -- as a socialist. He has proven for all Americans to see that the support for something other than capitalism has now captured MILLIONS of Americans and we don't know how many millions because that still has to be shown. And the argument that was heard when Occupy Wall Street emerged in 2011, that this is a tiny group of people who don't represent anything ... all that's gone cause Mr Sanders has said: Well, let's see, let's see how many people are critical of the 1% vs 99. How many people will support a candidate who says that every day and accepts the label of socialist, and the answer is: millions.

So, why don't you just watch the interview and shut your mouth until you do.

[redstateblues]

8. Marxism is a failed system. Where are the great successes?

The excuse is always "well they didn't do it right" Wolff keeps trying to polish a turd.

[Warpy]

9. Did you bother to watch this?

It seems like you missed a whole lot.

[Jack Rabbit]

10. Would you like to elaborate on what you mean by Marxism?

You haven't convinced me that you know anything about it.

I do not consider myself to be a Marxist, but I took classes in Marxism when I was in college; I am re-reading much of Marx's works now, including Capital, this time also reading volumes 2 and 3 as well as volume 1.

In all of that reading, I have not found one sentence written by Marx from which can be drawn a direct, straight line to the horrors of Soviet Communism.. The bulk of Marx's writing is an analysis of capitalism and why it cannot be sustained. You might want to listen to what Professor Wolff has to say about how Marx reached those conclusions.

Wolff talks about who employers (i.e., capitalists) would like to save as much money on labor costs as possible. What would happen if factories are totally automated and the capitalist do not have to pay any wages at all to any workers? The factories will still be turning out products, but who will be the buyers of those products? It's no longer just a fantasy but a very real possibility that such a world will soon materialize. That world where products still come out of factories and more human beings have become obsolete would be a very critical situation; a Marxist might call it a revolutionary situation. How would you deal with it?

This situation is becoming critical enough. Neoliberalism, the policy of every US administration starting with Reagan, would posit a severely weakened middle class. That's a critical situation. too. How are we going to deal with that? Voting for Mrs. Clinton and letting her handle it? She's been a serious part of the problem up to now, and I am very skeptical about making her president is even part of the solution.

[Diremoon]

12. I agree comletely.

It is not a question of when catastrophe will strike; it already has. How hot does the water we are in have to get before we acknowledge that we are in trouble?

[reACTIONary]

14. To repeat myself . ... +100 !!! eom

[Diremoon]

11. Capitalism has proven to be a dismal failure.

The difference is that Capitalism is a failure because of something inherent to it: Greed. Marxism has been a failure because of greed and corruption in the places that it has been implemented, but it is not inherent in the system. Of the two, Marxism stands a better chance of success by itself.
But people being what they are, it is difficult to get any "pure" system to work. A mixed economy where those things that can and should be socialized are, and other things that are not important to the function of society are run in a capitalist form. Yeah, this is the opposite of what republicans advocate (privatization), but when have the republicans ideas worked? hint: not since Ike. If you want a good idea of how republican ideas turn out read Naomi Klein's the Shock Doctrine.

[reACTIONary]

15. LOL, Capitalism has been and is..

... the most successful, progressive and advanced socio-economic system in the history of humankind - and still going strong.

Marxism ? Now consigned to the dust bin of history.

[reACTIONary]

13. +100 !!

[reACTIONary]

16. Hasn't destroyed itself yet...

... Marxism, however, has very spectacularly self destructed. So sure, let's do that again!

[cantbeserious]

4. The Oligarchs, Corporations And Banks Own And Control The Politicians That Own And Control Us

eom

[Major Hogwash]

7. There is no such thing as a free speech to Wall Street bankers, that's for sure.

Hell, Hillary made $21 million dollars in less than 2 years doing just that!!

I wonder if there are any crumbs for us peons under those banquet tables.

[Equinox Moon]

17. Great information!

Thanks for sharing this video. I learned a lot!

[kentuck]

18. Capitalism always seems to find a way...

...to make things better for a short time. His explanation for "I earned it !" is very credible, in my opinion.

Nobody is going to hire you for $20 per hour unless you can make them more than that, perhaps $200 per hour worth of production? It is wrong to say, "I earned it!". No, you stole it!

[reACTIONary]

20. So, if you can produce....

..... $200 worth of goods all on your lonesome, then why are you settling for $20? And if you can't it's disengenious to claim you are being stolen from.

[downeastdaniel]

19. Thanks for posting, Dr. Wolff has encapsulated Marx very well. Capitalism is running hard, but is

Doomed, as the masses catch on to how they've been ripped off by the 1%ers, trying to figure out different and new ways to extort money from the system...just watch.