Despite the best of intentions, it has yet again been far too long since I decided to write something to Steemit. Better later than never, here I am musing once more. Thanks for all the reads so far, it means a lot!
What is social capitalism?
It seems like taking one side of an argument and linking it with its antithesis. I get that, however, there is meat on the bones somewhere. Let's see if we can find it. Here are some thoughts that I hope will knit a relevant and interesting picture.
The world needs capitalism. You might disagree. Let me try to show you what I mean. Raw, uncaring, blind capitalism is, of course, very nasty business and it's up to us as consumers to not give them our time or money. However the principle of each individual having the right to make their own way in the world is actually a good one. Capitalism allows us to capitalise on our skills, knowledge, and personality. Provided we do this ethically and with sound moral intentions, it generally will turn out fine. Capitalism allows for social mobility when it's done right. It gives opportunity to the hopeless and puts the power in the hands of the thinking workers. People who are switched on in body and mind do make good leaders. Capitalism has enabled society to flourish, and if we root out the bad apples, then it will be a much better world than it is today.
The world needs socialism. You might disagree. Let me try to show you what I mean. Hard nosed, authoritarian socialism is horrible. No-one wants big brother politics where our whole lives are governed by a higher authority. We want recognition for our place in society for who we are, not for what we do. Socialism in the extreme will treat people like numbers on a computer. This will not do. However socialism also allows for people to think outside of their individual boxes. People vote for right-wing policies because they have self-serving interests. We are very much geared up to take the better deal for us. It takes a lot of emotional decision making to come to the conclusion that those with out ought to be given help. Socialism makes sure that everyone is given equity in their own society. They have homes, income, safety. We need this to thrive. This is because a thriving person spends more money and keeps jobs filled. If someone is not working, they can still spend money if they had it and it would make their lives more fulfilling. You may not feel that a person deserves a fulfilling life if they do not contribute however if you take away their ability to live a stable one, you will end up with mental health problems or even criminality. Homelessness is bad for any society, it keeps the police doing low grade work while true criminals are going about their business and it puts people off from walking down the highstreet. We all know how much we need those! If these people had a few pounds in their pockets, they'd be shopping not sleeping. When it comes down to it, someone who is given enough to live on and feed their family has no spare income to enjoy themselves or do things that hard working people can do. However you see it, there is still a difference in quality of life.
So how can we marry these two systems? It seems to me that if we can grow as individuals and realise that we are serving ourselves by serving others, it will be possible to democratically elect politicians who want people to thrive by themselves but realise state must play a part in keeping people stable and secure. Providing both systems at once is possible, of course taxation would need to be in place to pay for welfare, just like it is for military, education, medicine and all manner of other things. Accepting the welfare system as an essential function of an equal society is a matter of seeing why it is more prudent to ensure that everyone who lives within a nation state is spending money regularly on the things they need and want. The ones who pull their weight can get more of what they want, but is it right to refuse people what they need? Not if it costs us all dearly, in the long run, it isn't.
This is a skeleton of a much bigger idea, I am aware of the limits to my knowledge on this subject. I'd really enjoy it if this idea became a spark for a much wider debate involving thoughts and ideas from across the political spectrum. Thanks for reading. 