RoyalShield
I'm gonna get flamed for this, but I would argue that capitalism is why we have nice things in the first place. The thing about being profit driven, is that in order to make a profit, you have to make something that other people are willing to buy.
If someone makes a product that sucks, then no one would buy it. And the producer would just lose money if they tried to continue selling it. However, if someone makes a product that people want, then they will buy it. Capitalism gives people an incentive to make things that society wants, not the other way around.
As for lobbying, yeah. I hate it just as much as anyone else here does. Because it very intentionally makes the market less free, and competition more difficult. It exists to undermine capitalism, not as a part of it.
Media (like movies and tv shows) is also very much not a free market either, which is also why I hate the movie industry. The reason I say it isn't a free market, is because in order to get your movie/show shown to the public, you need to get approval from a select few studios who already have their foot in the door (and gatekeep it notoriously) so that they can distribute, and show it to an audience for you. Words cannot describe how much I dislike this. Youtube indie animators are kind of fixing this, but youtube relies on ad revenue, which isn't that bad if your budget and expenses don't involve animating an entire tv show. My personal solution to this would be a Steam for movies and TV where people upload and sell their creations on the market (because streaming services also suck low-key).
I think the biggest issue with companies making bad stuff when they do, is because people are to dumb to stop buying their stuff. People will talk about how much Disney or Netflix sucks, and still have a subscription to them. People (including myself) will rant about how terrible Nintendo is, and still buy their latest games and consoles (which I very much do not do). People will talk about how crappy Microsoft is, but then will still purchase their stuff.
TLDR, if you want to punish companies that make crappy stuff, then STOP BUYING THEIR PRODUCTS! It isn't that difficult. This isn't an issue with the free market. That is working as intended, that is, giving people money who make things that people are willing to buy. The issue is that people continuously give them money despite complaining about it. If other companies make something better, then please, buy those instead! That would actually help society by giving less money to those who make the bad stuff that supposedly nobody wants.
so today i overheard some girls talking about how commuting using electric scooters and bicycles is an ick. it made me realize that.... it's hard to have nice things.
the thing is that capitalism is profit oriented. the advancements pushed by companies aren't always as the best solution for society but rather the most profitable ones. wealth is the factor that dictates survival. in some cases both of them align but when they don't, science stops being a steering wheel for advancement to serve society and becomes a tool for corporations to maximize profit😿😿😿
fortunately this doesn't have to be this way with community and a strong social entity that favors the well-being of society. but historically, corporations have played a significant role in shaping our society through lobbying. their influence does not only affect our politics, it also affects our culture through media.
i feel like as individuals we really have to be careful not to become free agents of the market. we should be more aware of the market-driven culture being pushed on us and then act accordingly to our personal values.
maybe then if we act collectively then we'll have nice things 😸
the real problem is when capitalism reshapes society at the detriment of our well-being in order to maximize profits. then it stops being about what people want but rather what they were forced to want
the case you're describing seems to be the one where the most profitable option isn't much harmful to society
I mean yes, but the car industry has done more good than harm imo. It isn't their fault that those girls have a bad opinion. It would be like a gamer having an "ick" if someone played a board or card game. That isn't the game developers fault, that is just that person being dumb. And if it is multiple people throughout a culture, then it is just a lot of people being dumb. Like, I said, use whatever mode of transport you want.
their opinion says a lot about our culture. it wasn't created from nothing. it's not them being necessarily dumb but more about the car industry that shaped our culture and their opinion
i think that it's accurate to say that car industries did have a big impact on our culture
Ahh, that makes sense. I was kind of confused as to what the girls you mentioned were saying lol. I forgot to mention it in my repost.
I must ask though, what does car centrism have to do with what you said about capitalism? I (and from what I gather you as well) think that those girls have a bad opinion, but it's just that. A bad opinion. I don't think businesses are secretly changing people's perception on micro mobility. Most normal people wouldn't have an issue with it. That isn't the market's fault, it's just people being dumb. People can use whatever mode of transport they want.
in my original post it's about car centrism and the cultural perception of micro-mobility
I think you misunderstood my post
Could you give me an example of what you are talking about? I want to make sure I understand what you are saying.