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[–] 73 points 2 months ago (14 children)

This isn't a capitalism problem. It's an authoritarianism problem. The only thing about this that relates to capitalism is that it's a private company setting up the cameras instead of the state doing it.

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  • [–] 26 points 2 months ago

    This is absolutely a capitalism problem. It's what happens when you let corporations do whatever without consequences as long as they can afford the bribes and in turn get contacts on taxpayer money.

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  • [–] 53 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    That's a gross over simplification that ignores the influence of the insurance industry shifting the baseline of public surveillance and crony capitalism that infects our municipalities.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 months ago (6 children)

    Authoritarianism means very little, it's such a broad term that doesn't localise the origin of repression. Instead of considering the root of the problem here, which is capitalism/private property, you look at a feature or a phenomenon.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Meh, there's some smart people that have come up with a pretty clear understanding of authoritarianism.

    https://theauthoritarians.org/

    But your conclusion is also partly correct, the authoritarian personality is not inherently bad, they must first be weaponized.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

    I didn't say anything about the authoritarian personality and I don't really care that some people have figured out something they view as being integral to comprehending society. Honestly, I find life under the systems people like Fromm consider least authoritarian, think Sweden in the 70s, to still be be very brutal towards the masses.

    But you know what, I believe your conclusion is also party correct. People with an "authoritarian" streak can be used to guard a worker's movement.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago (3 children)

    So every capitalist country is authoritarian?

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    Yes, necessarily so if we were to take the epithet that is "authoritarianism" seriously. We just don't talk about what women in marriage have to put up with (the old adage of not biting the hand that feeds one), how we treat children and how accepted it is to subject people to dismal working conditions. It's considered normal, this is the status quo. You need to enforce property laws with deadly force, suppress movements and the organic formation of opinions and views, in order to for the system to keep functioning as it has.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago (1 child)

    Just to recheck, you're saying that Scandinavian countries are authoritarian?

    And, you realize that some capitalist countries with private property and capitalist markets, in practice approach anarchy?

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago

    Just to recheck, you’re saying that Scandinavian countries are authoritarian?

    Yes of course I am. I am Scandinavian. Have you ever travelled across the Öresund Bridge in a bus? They stop 50+ passengers for upwards of 45 minutes, pull out all the black and arab people seeking work, as well those who look particularly poor, subject them to highly invasive searches and then send some back if they feel like they can get away with it. Or take entering Gothenburg's harbor by ferry. The send a military ship out to escort your boat. They don't really have to do this, but they do it to really show you who is the boss/who has authority. When you arrive, something similar to the bus example happens. Take the all the black people into special rooms, make people walk past drug sniffing dogs (that have incredibly high rates of false positives, but that doesn't matter because it's about creating anxiety), and metal detectors. it's not just designed to scare minorities, it's also meant to incite fear in regular people.

    Also, search SÄPO, they are so lacking in transparency that even Swedish government media can't deny their lack of oversight and unbridled power.

    And, you realize that some capitalist countries with private property and capitalist markets, in practice approach anarchy?

    I do. Anarchy of production is the chief reason why climate change can't be battled by capitalism. I am not an anarchist, I don't know why you are bringing this up.

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