Capitalism

ItsIts aa Gi r l!

Gi r l!

Its a Girl!

2 (anti)capitalism

this is book 2 in the “it’s a girl!” series.

This is us.

We are white, cis-gender, able-bodied, have access to education and health care... In other words, we are incredibly privileged.

We wanted you to know this in order to provide some perspective on what we have written. This is just one small side of a huge issue. We know that we do not own these questions, but we feel strongly about their importance. Our voices are just two of many, not more important than any other.

Please open yourself up to as many voices as possible, and don’t be afraid to use your own. by ida johansson and olivia korostoff-larsson färnebo folkhögskola österfärnebo, sweden 2015

“ Don’’t you know, They’’re talkin’ about a revolution” - Tracy Chapman

Most people see capitalism as something inevitable. And, yes, it is hard to imagine our world functioning in any other way. We learn about the foundations of our society in school, and capitalism is framed as part of its natural progression. We are told that capitalism is the only possible way to organize an economy.

But we’d like to offer another perspective, which is this: Capitalism, and particularly the way it is practiced today, is anything but natural. It is a system in which people with money and power exploit other humans and the natural resources of the earth for their own gain.

Capitalism breeds inequality.

W is hat

?

Capitalism is a system in which some people privately own the means of production, like factories, farms and offices, and other people work for wages. Everyone makes money by selling something, so workers sell their ability to work. People accumulate wealth by making investments. For example, a business owner may invest by hiring employees, who will help her make a greater profit.

The employee, however, will never truly earn what her work is worth because the employer wants to make as much profit as possible.

This is one of the ways in which capitalism is inherently exploitative.

The idea of capitalism focuses on growth, for an economy and for individuals. People should be able to grow their own wealth through hard work. But what happens in reality, is that the most wealthy and privileged people exploit the lower classes to grow their own massive wealth.

Capitalism leads to the accumulation of wealth and power in the hands of a very small part of the population, creating extreme inequality and waste.

What does

capitalism sacrifice?

1. Humanity In order to be successful in the capitalist economy, a person has to be greedy and self-interested, something we are told is just part of human nature. But we can also be compassionate and selfless! We can work in solidarity and cooperation with others, rather than competitively. Why can’t we have a system that emphasizes the good parts of our nature?

2. Environment and Health Capitalism is ruled primarily by large corporations that pursue the greatest possible profit without regard for the welfare of others. This means that workers will earn lower, often unlivable, wages. Companies will do things that destroy the environment and risk our health, like release greenhouse gases or produce genetically modified foods, in order to make more money.

3. Democracy Corporations and those with a lot of money have power over government and bureaucracy.

They can use their massive wealth to influence election campaigns and public policy making. “One-person, one-vote� becomes irrelevant when money has so much more power than a vote.

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-native american proverb

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