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this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2026
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Work Reform
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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.
Our Philosophies:
- All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
- Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
- Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
- We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.
Our Goals
- Higher wages for underpaid workers.
- Better worker representation, including but not limited to unions.
- Better and fewer working hours.
- Stimulating a massive wave of worker organizing in the United States and beyond.
- Organizing and supporting political causes and campaigns that put workers first.
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Capitalism sucks as an economic system, what’s confusing about that? I didn’t say it was a mode of governance but it is something that is very much apart of our daily lives. Although I don’t think you’re commenting in sincerity.
I asked a basic question. I would identify as some flavor of socialist. I’m definitely being sincere. Let me try to be more clear using references.
You claim socialism is an alternative to capitalism, did I catch that right?
Again, socialism is a mode of governance. Capitalism is a mode of economics. You can have both. They are not alternatives in my view.
How is that supposedly asking a question in bad faith? That comes across like a priest telling me I can’t ask why god let my mom die of cancer.
I apologize if my questions are inconvenient. They are not insincere, though.
Socialism is when the means of production and distribution of goods or services are owned collectively or by a centralized government. I think either would be better than capitalism, but youre probably only thinking of the latter. Collective and government control can also take different forms.
Parks, libraries, public schools, fire departments, postal service, public infrastructure, public transportation, social security, etc are centralized government controlled socialist ideas "owned" by the people. Cooperatives are independent, stateless market socialism, owned by its members/workers and democratically controlled. I think its pretty easy to see how cooperatives are a direct alternative to capitalism and involve the economy and markets, but there's more a centralized government can do too. Namely nationalization of industries like oil/gas, railways, airlines, telecommunications, electric power, media, banks, housing etc. Which all also involve the economy and can be democratically controlled.
Capitalism is, succinctly, about how having capital allows an individual to increase their capital, and allows wealthy individuals to accumulate more and more wealth.
I explained perfectly fine what I meant
So then regarding this:
More people are getting more open minded to an alternative (being democratic socialism) to capitalism?
That just doesn’t make much sense. That’s what I’m getting at… so I’m asking you, what are you getting at? Do you have a misunderstanding about the relationship democratic socialism has with capitalism? Because they don’t come across as mutually exclusive “alternatives” to me, so what exactly would people be getting more open-minded to? Misinformation? That’s really going to suck if we get a DSA president and everyone expects capitalism to be gone.
So if you wouldn’t mind helping me understand, I would appreciate it. I’m not trying to attack you and I certainly am not commenting on bad faith. I’d like something confusing to be cleared up. I’ve seen Democratic Socialism paraded around as an alternative to Capitalism quite a bit… yet I still haven’t seen it justified as an “alternative,” as though it replaces capitalism.
From my view, democratic socialism might govern capitalism to ensure capital value is withheld by the working class. That’s a governance adjustment, not a change in economic practice. Capital still gets produced via labor, which would remain the basis of the economy.
This is in sharp contrast to something like Communism, which is a claim on both governance and economics — because it’s an effective alteration to class structure.