Things are rough these days, and it's hard not to feel like it won't be getting easier any time soon. The global economy is shifting, tariffs are raising prices everywhere, and most of us are struggling to get by.
Social and environmental issues are directly linked to the increased inequality in the world, the monopolization of industries, and the lack of equity the common person shares.
Capitalism, itself, was built to exploit people, where the wealthiest reap the benefits of the labor of others. But the gap between the 1% and the working class has only gotten wider with time. And let's be real: we're all tired.
I recently asked the BuzzFeed Community what they believe capitalism (and those who hoard the majority of the wealth) have ruined completely. From the environment to healthcare, the state of the military, and much more, here's what people had to say.
Note: responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.
1."Everything: music, food, health, movies, fashion, culture, education, religion, social life, sex, and even our faces (now full of botox and acid)."
2."My faith in money."
"I eat it now, just like all paper (it does not taste good, I eat it to spite)."
3."We’re the lower working classes. It wouldn’t matter which '-ism' we lived under, we’d still be the ones pushing boulders with the boot on our necks."
4."Government. Bought by billionaires so they can further enrich themselves."
5."The oil companies knew they were destroying us in the '70s. They did the climate studies long before anyone else, and knew what rampant oil extraction was going to cause."
"They didn’t tell anyone because they only cared about profiteering above all else, including human survival.
We’re heading into a very uncertain future where our own environment is burning, freezing, and flooding us out of existence a little at a time.
The problem with capitalism is that money inevitably becomes concentrated in the hands of the few who view profit as the end goal of all human endeavors, and the only thing that matters.
They don’t care that they’re killing us and themselves with every short-sighted, greedy choice they make.
It doesn’t have to be this way, but things won’t change — corporations won’t change their unsustainable behaviour — for one simple reason; there’s no profit in it.
What else does capitalism need to have ruined if it has quite possibly ruined the future?"
6."Healthcare in America. I’m pretty sure I don’t need to explain why on that one."
"Also, public utilities. The electric and gas company, which is the only option where I live, is a multimillion-dollar corporation beholden to shareholders, not the communities it serves. The company isn’t even based in our state. It’s not like having electricity and heat are optional luxuries in this day and age, and yet, they constantly act like the consumer is the one being greedy by turning on the light when it’s dark or doing something as wild as cooking dinner."
7."Honestly, medical support, medical studies, and prescription medications. If you're rich enough, you can afford any of these no matter what the federal government does."
"Let me put it as simply as possible with an example I have to deal with regularly on the medical support and studies side. There is currently a four-level system of Epilepsy Centers in the United States. Level 1 is the bare minimum required to keep people from having seizures, likely without extra testing to attempt to figure out what's causing the seizures (like an MRI machine and/or EEG tests). Level 4 centers can include experimental studies not covered by medical insurance that may be covered by a legitimate medical-based university study. I go to a Level 3, which has regular testing for issues, as needed. Trump and his crew are likely lessening funding for this despite some of these being in not just regular hospitals, but also children's hospitals. Most epilepsy cases start before age 18.As for prescription drugs, let me point out that Trump threatened to increase the tariffs by 250% as noted on CNBC.com. These may be drugs like my anticonvulsive medications, a person with diabetes's insulin, etc. These are medications that can literally be the difference between life and death for some people. These are also medications that can allow people with chronic conditions to have a decent quality of life rather than a fate worse than death due to organ damage of various kinds.
So, the rich people (like Elon Musk and Donald Trump) are actively making these harder to get for a lot of non-rich everyday people."
—Anonymous, 33, US
8."The ability to see workers as people instead of a means of production. It's the mindset of almost everyone. I hate the 'bootstraps' bullshit. Just because some people can do it doesn’t mean those who aren’t successful aren’t 'working hard enough.' Empathy. Healthcare (oh my gosh, healthcare should not be a for-profit system). The quality of products."
—Anonymous
9."It seems that community has been replaced by consumerism. A person is defined by what they buy. This is from an American POV and about American culture."
10."Life. Liberty. And the pursuit of happiness."
"Oh, and any thoughts of having a dream, being a dream, living in a dream that was full of the arts, hobbies, or creativity. Who has time for that when we are spending all our time working to survive?"
—Anonymous, 40, Colorado
11."That we NEED debt and the idea that debt helps us achieve our goals."
—Anonymous, 40, Las Vegas
12."Tipping culture."
"We used to tip when we received great service, and servers were thankful. It has gotten so out of control — the CEOs of businesses can get away with paying low wages so they can pocket as much profit as possible, simultaneously convincing the public that it’s OUR responsibility to subsidize employees' low wages. The owners and CEOs and their fat pockets of cash are laughing at us."
—Anonymous, 22, Canada
13."Everything involving housing. I personally rent my childhood home from my mom, who inherited it."
"I rent for $500 per month. In my area, a lot of rent starts at $1,500. Basically, if you work for minimum wage and rent, you need a second job just to eat if you rent from anyone that isn't a family member. That's not considering buying a home, either."
—Anonymous, 33, US
14."My government and country."
—Anonymous
15."I actually believe in capitalism. However, not like it is today. It's untenable. It’s not just that wealth is in the hands of too few individuals; it’s in the hands of massive funds. And it’s killing society. While I believe individuals and companies should be rewarded, there needs to be some sort of balance to pure greed."
—Anonymous, US
16."The military. I’ve grown up in a military family, and the odd thing is, you NEVER see rich people in the military. Why? Because joining the military is seen as something poor kids, Latine kids, Black kids, and rural white kids do, but NEVER something you see rich kids or urban white kids do. It’s seen as ‘wasting potential’ and ‘insensitive.’"
"I hate war and see it as a poor choice of problem-solving, but I have great respect for my dad and most of the people who work alongside him. And no matter how far left I get, I will never stop empathizing with the 18-21-year-old kids I see living out of the barracks and being treated like dogshit."
—Anonymous, 16, NC
17."Life. They've ruined life."
Can you think of anything else capitalism has ruined for us/brainwashed us into thinking? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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