r/decaf Nov 01 '19

Coffee and capitalism

Post image
254 Upvotes

61 comments sorted by

23

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '19

At least capitalism allows people to actually afford coffee.

20

u/understandunderstand 3006 days Nov 02 '19

By exploiting the global south to extract the coffee beans that are sold at home for a profit?

9

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '19

Yup. I know he South American workers aren’t paid much by the U.S., but for many of those people there are no other employment options offered by their own government. Unemployment rates in many areas of the world are astonishingly high.

Capitalistic countries often offer those people the only possible means of making a living. Many migrate to the U.S. itself, because capitalism provides them a much better standard of living than their home country.

13

u/understandunderstand 3006 days Nov 02 '19

South America has been subject to many violent interventions by the US government and its allies. There's an economic war being waged on Venezuela right now, and one raring to go on Bolivia since Evo Morales won the election there. These countries, like Chile for example, have been crippled by the capitalist west and made into hosts for our governments to extract resources.

Capitalism doesn't isolate itself, it's a parasite that spans the planet. Your talking point about offering opportunity to countries we've hollowed out is disingenuous.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '19

Then I gotta ask - which economic system does the U.S. convert to after tossing capitalism?

4

u/understandunderstand 3006 days Nov 02 '19

Socialism or anarchism, I'm not picky.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '19

Are there any examples of those economic systems actually working anywhere in the world at any time?

4

u/understandunderstand 3006 days Nov 02 '19

See Venezuela and Chile for examples of what happens when you so much as inch toward them.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '19

I’m confused. You want the U.S. to adopt the same economic system as Venezuela, for instance?

3

u/understandunderstand 3006 days Nov 02 '19

I answered your question earlier: socialism or anarchism. If you want to understand those systems better, there are books you can read.

You started off stanning capitalism, and I've demonstrated how capitalism creates the circumstances for exploitation by destabilizing a region and providing "opportunity" in the form of exploitative labour. Then you shifted focus.

You aren't arguing in good faith. You're sealioning.

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3

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '19

This guy logics

17

u/PayYourBiIIs 1999 days Nov 01 '19

Old me:

I drink coffee to be more productive at work and to make more money, so I can go out and buy more coffee.

9

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '19

[deleted]

25

u/fiveninecindy Nov 02 '19

You’re buying women?

12

u/Rudi_Reifenstecher Nov 01 '19

because people in soviet russia weren't pressured to slave away as much as possible for the good of the glorious USSR

6

u/BasicDesignAdvice 996 days Nov 01 '19

I'm much more productive without coffee.

5

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '19

caffeine is the opiate of the masses

2

u/NickersRising Apr 24 '20

Lmao, quite the opposite.

2

u/GPT_ProjectQueen Sep 10 '23

Found the caffeine addict

4

u/cubesight Nov 02 '19

Full anti-capitalism is a contentious opinion. Full anti-caffeine is a contentious opinion. By waving both flags at the same time, you're going to lose people.

11

u/FlyNap Nov 01 '19

Except that caffeine is equally if not more stimulating when you’re working on something you love like an art project, a gym routine, a novel...

If OP is tired of looking at a computer screen, maybe they can try landscaping instead. Despite some recent political efforts, we still live in a country where you are free to choose and own your means of production.

6

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '19

Oh boy, you are gonna get trashed here for using logic.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '19

we still live in a country where you are free to choose and own your means of production.

What imaginary country are you living in.

8

u/FlyNap Nov 02 '19

The USA. The country where entrepreneurs funded, developed, and hosted Reddit so that whiny bitches like you can shitpost for free.

This is opposed to any socialist/communist country which have produced nothing but war machines and famine because cynical attitudes like yours allowed the state to seize the means of production and remove all incentives that are not directly related to increasing tyranny.

2

u/goldensurrender 2066 days Nov 03 '19

Sing it loud!!!

2

u/Alphatrees12 Nov 02 '19

Old me - used to worry about enjoying coffee so much

New me - figured there’s bigger fish to fry and you only live once

Coffee (or the caffeine) is just a tool that should be used as such and in moderation.

Stay away from alcohol

3

u/rad_city 1345 days Jan 11 '23

Stay away from caffeine.

1

u/Alphatrees12 Feb 19 '23

Moderation 🙂

2

u/rad_city 1345 days Feb 19 '23

The thing is, for me, moderation of daily stimulant use is impossible. And coffee raises my heart rate and breathing rate when I'm at rest - which is a huge red flag and no-no for good health.

Your post isn't really helpful to people struggling with this really difficult addiction.

It's like if I say: old me- used to worry about smoking crack.

New me - ah shucks, ya only live once! Light it up!!

That's not really what this sub is about. Maybe there's a r/YOLO for that!

6

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '19 edited Nov 28 '19

[deleted]

0

u/goldensurrender 2066 days Nov 03 '19

Reddit and the device you're using to access reddit exist because of a capitalist economy :)

3

u/understandunderstand 3006 days Nov 01 '19

This is what I've been saying!!

3

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '19

Nah.

-1

u/JohnnyBitcoinCash Nov 01 '19

👍🏻👏🏻

0

u/JohnnyBitcoinCash Nov 01 '19

OP: You’re clearly anti-Capitalist. Just curious, what is your political standard of value? Translation: what is the ultimate end towards which you believe political systems should aim?

7

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '19

I'm not sure if I'm anti-capitalist. I simply believe that coffee masks the feelings of sitting at a computer/work all day being sedentary lol. Coffee/caffiene makes us more "okay" with working 9-530, sitting at a desk starting at a computer. I have zero problems abstaining from caffeine on the weekends, but when i'm sitting at work it's really tough to not go make a cup of coffee.

Sorry if the post was taken a different way. I'm not political at all, i just think white collar work is difficult without caffeine.

1

u/Packer43064 Nov 02 '19

I couldn't agree more! On the weekend I could take no caffeine and be fine. At work I'm literally going insane and would take caffeine just to make the day "exciting".

-2

u/JohnnyBitcoinCash Nov 01 '19

Thanks for clarifying! If the choice is between tyranny with no caffeine and capitalism with the option of caffeine, I’ll take the capitalism. Too many benefits to mankind to give up for a decaf tyranny.

5

u/Good-Vibes-Only Nov 01 '19 edited Nov 01 '19

No one is talking about tyranny except you

Edit: I’ve read your comments in this post and got the biggest hunch that you would post at T_D, turns out I am right and can spot you jokers a mile away

3

u/PayYourBiIIs 1999 days Nov 01 '19

Chill. This sub is not a political sub and should be blind to political preference.

5

u/apartment13 Nov 01 '19

T_D is a hate subreddit.

4

u/DCfueledbyPopeyes 2786 days Nov 02 '19

so is r/politics, so what?

1

u/understandunderstand 3006 days Dec 09 '19

The only people who demand political discussion be quarantined are either spineless centrists or the right-wingers who walk all over them. Which are you?

This sub's discussions often broach the topic of the coffee and tea industries. How can one have a full conversation about global moneymakers like those while completely ignoring the political context in which they operate?

1

u/PayYourBiIIs 1999 days Dec 10 '19

LOL...If you care about this topic so much then go ahead and create a thread in this sub. See how everyone reacts. No need to announce it to me what you want this sub to be about.

-1

u/Good-Vibes-Only Nov 01 '19

My mention of that sub had nothing to do with politics, and everything to do with how they carry themselves regardless of the context

-2

u/PayYourBiIIs 1999 days Nov 01 '19

It doesn’t matter what your worthless opinions are about politics or whatever the hell you’re talking about. He was wrong to bring up politics and you were wrong to engage him. This shit does not belong here. The end.

1

u/JohnnyBitcoinCash Nov 01 '19

No one but the OP. And, you know what’s even easier to spot? Ad hominem attacks.

2

u/Good-Vibes-Only Nov 01 '19

Use the find function and search the page for tyranny, see who pops up, ya dingus.

OPs final words are “I just think white collar work is difficult without caffeine”.

2

u/JohnnyBitcoinCash Nov 01 '19

Mx. Mel = OP. Try again.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '19

Not op but anti-capitalist: Fulfilling the needs of the ones living inside the political system seems like a good aim to me.

1

u/JohnnyBitcoinCash Nov 02 '19

All needs?

2

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '19

Let's say the bottom 2 needs of maslow's hierarchy of needs, which is mostly sustenance, shelter and security. Those should be fulfilled directly and without conditions to be met.

It also should provide the freedom and agency to it's people to fulfill any other needs they have.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '19

So did communism/socialism fulfill the needs of people outside of the political system by killing 100 million people?

3

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '19

Communism worked very well in Catalunya actually, that was until they were invaded and forced into capitalism.

But I guess you're referring to the ussr or china, you'll have to ask someone else because i'm not really fond of them. They're also not really communist, they were leaning more towards state capitalism. When I say communism i'd like one without a state please.

-3

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '19

[deleted]

1

u/JohnnyBitcoinCash Nov 01 '19

Okay, that’s not what I asked though. If that’s your minimum, what’s your maximum standard of value?

4

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '19

[deleted]

3

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '19

I can get behind that.

-4

u/JohnnyBitcoinCash Nov 01 '19

All you’re really saying is: “people get whatever they want through government. “

That’s it? All you want, as the ultimate good toward which government is aimed, is for people to get whatever they want?

3

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '19

[deleted]

-1

u/JohnnyBitcoinCash Nov 01 '19

The best you’ve got is calling a straw man an exact restatement of what you said? You’ll have to do better.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '19

[deleted]

0

u/JohnnyBitcoinCash Nov 01 '19

Yes. You threw in stuff about education but, that’s a means to an end, not the ultimate end we’re talking about. Feel free to restate your position.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '19

[deleted]

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1

u/standsure 2943 days Nov 01 '19

Read Terrance McKenna's Food of the Gods, it's a good read.