Response: Capitalism and Socialism

In response to Justine Cozza's post on 4/11/12:

I think that the last sentence of this post - "We used work to survive, but now we work to get nice things and to keep up with always changing trends" - is worth taking another look at.  The unfortunate fact is that in capitalist society, we still do work to live.  Those who, whether through choice or necessity, do not or cannot work have little to no safety net; they typically either exist at the edge of society, often attempting to ignore their miserable situation with the help of alcohol or other substances, or simply die of starvation, exposure, or as victims of violence from others in similar desperate circumstances.  The conception of working to get nice things is very much an upper-and-middle-class idea, and is also ultimately untrue in a capitalist society.

If this idea were actually true, then the society would not be capitalist, but would instead be closer to a form of socialism.  Actual socialism usually appears to provide slightly more than the bare minimum for continued existence, but this varies depending upon the country in which it exists.  In a truly socialist society, work would actually be an option.  If someone chose not to work, they would have a very Spartan lifestyle, but they would not die or end up living an absolutely miserable life.  If they wished to enhance their quality of life (for example, by purchasing a musical instrument), they could then enter the workforce in order to gain money to fulfil that purpose.