"Free" Market
I planned to post a conversation I had with someone on StumbleUpon, but was told I did not have permission. This is not to comply with such a silly request, but rather to reduce the debate to something more streamlined.
Given: The free market produces the awful conditions in sweatshops, etc. (Agreed)
Claim: The free market maintains and is analogous to democracy.
Verdict: False.
***
Given: Mutual consent requires an even standing. (Agreed)
Claim: A free market is a market where the price of an item is arranged by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers (From Wikipedia)
Verdict: An even standing is rarely achieved, which undermines mutual consent, therefore the concept is more ideal than reality.
***
Claim: The war in Iraq is worthwhile because it represents the aims of the market.
Verdict: Fascism.
Note: These claims are not caricatures. I'm not allowed to show them, though.
Given: The free market produces the awful conditions in sweatshops, etc. (Agreed)
Claim: The free market maintains and is analogous to democracy.
Verdict: False.
***
Given: Mutual consent requires an even standing. (Agreed)
Claim: A free market is a market where the price of an item is arranged by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers (From Wikipedia)
Verdict: An even standing is rarely achieved, which undermines mutual consent, therefore the concept is more ideal than reality.
***
Claim: The war in Iraq is worthwhile because it represents the aims of the market.
Verdict: Fascism.
Note: These claims are not caricatures. I'm not allowed to show them, though.
posted by Mookie at 5:20 PM
4 Comments:
Hi, I just wanted to say sorry our conversation ended this way. I have only one request: You have blocked me on Stumbleupon and that has caused my messages to disappear. Other Stumblers tell me that they might come back if you unblock me. So, please, I beg you, could you do that? I would like to save the discussion for future reference, because I thought it was really enriching, despite the fact that you clearly won!
(Of course I will not contact you, spam or anything, I just want the messages back, because I was too stupid to save them beforehand.)
So please, could you do me that last favor?
Got the messages! Thanks! :)
The whole concept of a free market is right out of a fairy tale. If a market were ever to be free,it would immediately become less and less free over time, and very quickly I might add. Very unstable system, it's like trying to balance an elephant on a needle...good luck maintaining that position.
I think some people realize this, and hope that semi-free markets still maintain some of the appeal that they ascribe to fictional free markets. Unfortunately in debate they only discuss scenarios and conditions that would exist if free markets were actually the reality, perhaps because if a market really isn't going to be free then it's got many bad effects which become worse and worse over time, due to the instability mentioned above.
Here's the thing:
The general-case consumer is the idiot in the equation, exerting downward price pressure with only marginal concern for minimum quality standards. Nowhere does this consumer consider GDP, or working conditions in the final purchase decision. The idiot just wants food, clothing and shelter with a minimum cash outlay. This is not unlike the parents at a PTA meeting, who are unqualified contributors to the education process. This creates a market where a seller can undercut competition by undercutting business ethics to whatever degree he can get away with. This can be seen in Wal-Mart's defense of their business practices in 3rd World countries by pointing out that the employer down the road is taking even more advantage of the poor slobs that work in their sweat shops. In other words, two wrongs make the lesser of the two a "right". Bullshit right back at you Penn and Teller
Post a Comment
<< Home