General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Apple Threats: “Work hard on the job today or work hard to find a job tomorrow.” [View all]JackRiddler
(24,979 posts)Capitalism is not just an ideal set of economic practices, but a world system that China joined long ago. In the huge export sector, the command in "command economy" comes from the multinationals. So tell me, are they communist, or is China capitalist? To them, capitalism means doing any business that makes a profit, whether it involves a dictatorship or not. There has never been a necessary contradiction between the two systems of classic capitalism and the statist capitalism practiced in "communist" countries. The hybrid that has emerged in China combines the worst conditions for labor, a capitalist's dream, with an authoritarian lack of recourse and high efficiency in providing deliverables. Many of the leading capitalists of this country hold up China as a wonderful example, or a threat because they're so much better as "competitors" than lazy Americans who still expect eight-hour days and enough pay to pay some bills. By the way, China has plenty of room for private ownership, including at state enterprises where nearly 50 percent of a firm can be owned by private investors, and the slogan adopted to accompany the shift to capitalism in the 1980s went, "To Get Rich Is Glorious."