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Reason To Hate Capitalism #233 - We have solutions to our worst problems but they don’t happen because they don’t make Capitalists enough money

Note: This post isn't only about solar power, but how any disruptive technology or alternatives which can’t be easily commodified and profited from challenge capitalism are either undermined or subverted by it.

Nate

Our essential needs, like electricity, being supplied through money making systems which destroy the earth, made me think of many of the other ways Capitalism undermines what else might be better for society if it wasn't orientated around corporations making profits:

We might have our digital and mechanical devices last longer if it weren't for planned obsolescence — corporations deliberately designing products to fail or become outdated quickly, forcing consumers to replace them rather than creating durable goods.

We might have more agricultural diversity and food sovereignty if seed companies weren't criminalising seed saving — making it illegal for farmers to save and replant seeds from their own crops, undermining centuries-old farming practices.

We might be able to repair our own possessions if manufacturers didn't design products to be difficult or impossible to fix independently — forcing consumers into expensive official repairs or replacements rather than allowing community repair solutions.

We might have better public health if our healthcare systems weren't prioritising profitable treatments over prevention — creating a system where managing chronic illness is more lucrative than keeping people well in the first place.

We might see fewer homeless people and less waste if retailers didn't destroy unsold goods — deliberately damaging perfectly usable clothing, food, and other products rather than donating them to those in need, purely to maintain prices.

We might enjoy better utilities if essential services weren't privatised, commodified and misused — producing more pollution than they need to in their extraction and production, including even solar power, which ends up being co-opted by corporations too.