• Christian
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    147 hours ago

    I don’t remember where I read this quote originally and I can only paraphrase it, but observing people living in a capitalist society and concluding that human nature is self-centeredness and greed is equivalent to observing workers in a factory that is poisoning their lungs and concluding that human nature is to cough.

    • @Bademantel
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      74 hours ago

      That’s a nice quote, thank you. I looked into it. It’s by Andrew Collier:

      To look at people in capitalist society and conclude that human nature is egoism, is like looking at people in a factory where pollution is destroying their lungs and saying that it is human nature to cough.

      • @[email protected]
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        34 hours ago

        Primary goal is to survive in the environment you are in, how many might have a desire to escape that environment but lack the ability to do so? Leave it all behind and live in a cabin in the woods isn’t exactly an unheard of idea.

        • @Bademantel
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          3 hours ago

          The issue, as I see it, is that most people struggle to envision a society beyond capitalism. Capitalist ideology is embedded in every aspect of our lives. It appears in our mindset, in books, movies, and even in children’s television shows. The narrative that anyone can succeed if they work hard enough, and that poverty is simply the result of laziness, is both powerful and pervasive.

          The idea that everyone should live in isolated cabins is neither a realistic vision nor a desirable goal for society.

            • @Bademantel
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              139 minutes ago

              You mean like a hermit? I think that’s a rare fantasy. But if you want to do it, sure, go for it. Isn’t there a lot of space and wilderness in Canada?