Asking legitimately not as a joke

  • surph_ninja@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    I fully support being able to choose to end your own life with dignity. But in Canada there were reports of people encouraging the homeless and severely ill to do it, simply because it was cheaper and easier for the institutions if these people killed themselves.

    Within a capitalist society, where the lives of those who do not produce profit are not valued, it can lead to some sickening discriminatory behavior from profit-driven institutions.

    • LovableSidekick@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      How many of those people being encouraged are actually doing it tho? That should be the main issue, not the fact that people are encouraging them.

    • grandkaiser@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      within a capitalist society

      Besides slavery, I cannot think of any successful societal system to date that did not prioritize rewarding the productive and/or powerful. Not saying that you’re wrong, just that it’s far from exclusive to capitalism. (The bar for “success” here being a society that exists over many generations)

      • surph_ninja@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        Socialism and communism are specifically designed to put the needs of the people first. ‘From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs.’

        • grandkaiser@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          Socialism and communism, in theory, are structured to prioritize the needs of the people over profit or power. That slogan captures that ideal beautifully. However, history shows that the implementation of these systems falls short of their ideals. Issues like bureaucratic inefficiency, corruption, or the consolidation of power within ruling parties have led to systems that still reward the powerful or productive, just in different ways. I’d argue that the challenge isn’t the system itself but the difficulty of designing any system that fully aligns with such principles while addressing the complexities of human behavior and societal needs. Capitalism embraces it while socialism and communism pay lip service to ideals while also committing the same sins in practice. My point that it’s not exclusive to capitalism remains.