In his message the Pope said: "Although the world is sadly marked by hotbeds of tension and conflict caused by growing instances of inequality between rich and poor, by the prevalence of a selfish and individualistic mindset which also finds expression in an unregulated financial capitalism..."
Unregulated capitalism is a disastrous economic role model for children. It is a false state. I am 13 and I see children aspiring to be the 1% but they don't realise the effort it takes to get there. Children's lives are filled with excessive spending. When you are exposed to tales of money making and excessive spending it gives the impression that money grows on trees. Competition among the youth is about spending their parent's money and the latest fads and outdoing each other. Competition isn't about personal effort anymore.
I have seen the change in other children as I have grown up. The invisible hand belongs to Mammon. Children have stopped trying. It is a 'who cares?' attitude among all the classes. The children of the super-rich know that they will inherit, the middle-class have a sense of entitlement and the working class think that no one cares anymore. A lack of aspiration is a commonality among all the classes.
This is what happens when there is no causal link between the top of the economic scale and the bottom. We are starting to see extreme outcomes: the Foodbanks serving the hungry, suicide rates among the disabled growing and hate crime is on the rise. Unregulated capitalism offers short termism and false hope. It deprives sustainable self-ambition for children.
Why can't an economic model of capitalism be treated as a developmental issue? Economic issues should be the basis for social justice.
You won the debate today on Capitalism today on TV. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. Reckless capitalism is breeding a generation who thinks that money falls from the sky.
DeleteI saw you on the big questions, and it is pretty clear you don't really understand what capitalism is. You seem to be mixing it with something called "crony capitalism". There is a big difference between the two.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest giveaway was the "money does not grow on trees" line. That is one thing that a true capitalist understands, but a socialist never will.
I know you are standing for what you believe and things, but as you clearly have no idea what the other person does believe, may I recommend at a start this website, with lots of free books and things (so you can see its socialists that think money grows on trees)
http://mises.org/ there you go
DeleteCapitalism is about building monopolies and that is anathema to free enterprise. Small business is being crushed by the corporates in the UK. Who says it has to be socialism or capitalism? What about the co-operative model suggested by the Humanist speaker in the programme or the free trade and redistribution ethic put forward by the Muslim Cleric chap. I agree with Maelo that young people have become acustomed to a have now - pay later materialistic culture which is bad societally and spiritually damaging. We need a re-think.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that the economic crises was caused by ridiculously comples systems of selling bonds and debts which were sold on and on, and on and was speculated against on the back of "fiat money" which has no commodity value it's just another IOU. Then we all have to bail out the mess when it falls apart while they insult us further by waltzing off with our money in bonuses. We get pay freezes and higher taxes and they refuse to loan our money back to our businesses! That's worse than just thinking money grows on trees. It's theft and they should be jailed. It's almost as if there's a plot to eradicate the middle class so there's just poor and the very rich hmmm sounds a lot like Soviet Communism!
ReplyDelete"belongs to "Mammon""; "Manon" is the name of a lady in French Literature.
ReplyDeleteDear Turnip Ghost,
DeleteFor once you are correct. I have made a mistake. Thank you for pointing out my mistake. I did know it was Mammon but I was obviously in an Opera mood.
Maelo
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