Much like there was the Master-Slave, Feudal-Serf and King-Peasant relationship in the past which triggered the movements like capitalism, to obtain more equality in the world, socialism is an evolutionary process of human development, fueled by a branch of capitalism called crony capitalism. Capitalism is now crony capitalism in most of the places around the world. Instead of making the necessary changes in society (to achieve fraternity, equality, and democracy, the very definition of liberty) capitalistic Gods of the world simply replaced the relationships discussed at the very top (Master-Slave, Feudal-Serf, King-Peasant) with an employer-employee relationship. Outside any organisation while facing the government, both the employer and employee want equal representation in everything. Both want no hierarchical difference. But inside any institution, employer is still the master, the lord, the king of the peasants, the serfs and the slaves. Let us see some roots.
The Industrial revolution made it easy for humans to live. Life expectancy increased. Health has become more widely accessible. If no one likes to clean toilets, a robot can do it. If you are disgusted when it comes to cleaning your gutters, science can make a machine to do it. This is what the industrial revolution could have been. Good for everyone. (I am NOT defining utopia yet). AI, machines, Super computers could have predicted how much food is growing, thus how much each human should reproduce, making sure population explosion does not occur. These can be called a fool’s dreams but these dreams were objectively rational and possible. All of this was possible had capitalistic Gods thought about the whole humanity.
Capitalism works on the basis of exploitation of surplus value. The word exploitation is defined as “the person who brings an idea for a business, and thus owns that business, does not add as much value to that business as his employees do. But he receives much more perks and money for that one-time-light-bulb moment or even if it is his 10-15 years of initial struggle/grinding”. Let’s take an example.
You. I suppose for the sake of this example, are an entrepreneur. You make and break a lot of businesses for a decade while living hand to mouth. Then in the 11th year, your business, your idea, it works. Suddenly you become a sensation. Elon Musk. Bill Gates. Sundhar Pichai. You get fame, popularity, money, yachts, hoes and all other things. Good for you. One last question. How much should you be paid for that idea? I will rephrase it for the convenience of pro-capitalist, usually-elitist readers: “How much should you be paid for that decade-long struggle and a business which is now employing other people too, helping the whole humanity”. How much do you think is justified for that idea/struggle?
Socialist say, “a set amount for your personal self”. That’s the answer. How much the “set amount” is shall be decided by the government on the basis of the value that your idea generates, the total number of grants/help-in-any-form that you got from the society/government while setting up that business and your regional economic situation. But common sense dictates that whatever that “set amount” is, it should, must and will be equal to your struggle and hustle, runts and debts of all the time you spent developing it. Sure, no prob, you totally deserve it!
Capitalism however gives the reign in your hand. “You know what buddy, I will give you whatever you want. You decide. You are the dynastic king of this business now”. If you start a factory today and make it functioning for once, then you can hire a CEO, a board of directors, let them hire labor and let them worry about generating profit and keeping your company afloat and successful while you sit by the pool getting 50%-75% of that factory’s total production as a paycheck, every month. This is how you, while doing no physical or mental labor ever in the future, will “exploit” the advantage that you had in the form of that initial struggle or idea. Sure, you did everything in the start alone, but don’t you think someone, just one say, employee in your factory is as creative as you? Don’t you think they could have done the same thing, or perhaps come up with a better idea had they been exposed to what you were exposed to, while you struggled? Capitalists here say “I should be payed the maximum for as long as this factory runs, for I conceived this idea/business”. Socialist here say, “I did all that struggle. And I admit there is a bit of luck and fortune involved in this idea working. So … give me a villa and a 6-months paid vacation for conceiving that idea, and I’ll be in office later to earn my next paycheck”.
This is the difference in the consumer side of things on the capitalist and socialist side. Socialist are their own employers. Capitalists are employee-employee based relations where if you are born with your dad having factories, you get to be kings of those employees while doing nothing.
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