Pope Francis Takes Down "Conservatism"

[Dylan]

[Nolidor]

This isn't completely unheard of. The Pope isn't the first to criticize free markets like this.

In Latin America, you often hear of socialism for capitalist purposes. This is socialists recognize that the capitalist system has been subverted by socialists themselves. Many capitalists are actually lazy bums who deliberately engage in office politics to manipulate their fellow workers by putting reputation and appearances before actually being responsible in the workplace.

In turn, the goal is to be socialist in order to remove those socialists from power and purify the capitalist system. You especially see this in context of American cultural imperialism where American foreign direct investment has lead to the social alienation of Latin American natives via free trade. That is Americans have corrupted the rules such that natives are impeded from becoming independently economically successful.

The Pope is basically doing the same thing. He recognizes how capitalism is corrupt right now, so he's sympathizing with the victims of corruption. One should remember that Catholics don't believe in the performance of good works to represent a predestined calling, but corruption is basically just that. It's where people are judged for how they behave because other people don't like them. The Pope is basically trying to get rid of that attitude and reinvigorate the real basis of private property.

As a liberal, I can relate. There are many anti-intellectual conservatives out there who corrupt capitalism by judging others as lazy not because others are lazy, but because others aren't doing what conservatives want.

[Indy]

That an excellent distinction. All too often in politics, criticism of corruption gets straw-manned as "hate."

For instance, when you go after the corruption that has ruined our country via "capitalism," most spectacularly with what Wall St. did leading up to 2008, you will get "You hate capitalism!"

Except that's not capitalism. It's capitalism that literally defines being corrupt (rampant fraud, no regulation, no prosecutions of the main players). In fact, what it really is, is "lemon socialism," so things get weirder as the people who screech about how anything but this is socialism are the ones supporting the most heinous socialism of all.

Just like the people who blow the dog whistle about welfare support the biggest welfare queens in the history of the planet, it's just that they happen to be a different color.

[Nolidor]

Yea, your point about welfare rings a weird point.

A lot of the time, ethnic minorities end up behaving like conservatives. They become anti-intellectuals who are stuck in their ways, and obsess over mass media, pop culture, consumerism. Weirdly enough, many conservatives refuse to discipline these sorts when they act up and abuse fellow whites who conservatives don't like either. Instead, conservatives blame the victim and throw the victim into rugged individualism...

...and then those same conservatives ride the coattails of the victim in the workplace and school while mocking them in families and church.

There's something weird going on. Even the people in Occupy Wall Street were a bunch of hipsters. They were conservative spoiled brats who obsessed over mass media, pop culture too.

[Medius]

[Medius]

[Nolidor]

That's true.

However, the ability to play the system depends on endurance and flexibility.

The idea of socialism for capitalist ends is to exhaust the endurance and flexibility of those who are playing the system right now. You change the system so they have to change their ways. Nobody has endless endurance and flexibility. Eventually, they can't change their ways forever.

[phosphide]

How in the hell did this thread get started again? It was over a long time ago.

[Saz]

Nothing gold can stay

[Indy]