We live in a strange version of modernity. People idolize billionaires and gush about their lifestyles on social media. Those same billionaires are preparing to leave us all behind here on our good ol’ Earth and fly off to live on Mars. Kids want to be Twitch streamers or TikTokers when they grow up. What’s the common thread between all these problems, you ask? Capitalism, of course!
The Instagram page Economic Left provides commentary and top-tier memes to rid you of some of that doom and gloom. Bored Panda reached out to the creator of the page to know more about the art of anti-capitalist memery. Check out these humorous posts and lull your anti-capitalist rage knowing we’re all in this together.
This post may include affiliate links.
Meetings to implement recommendations of consultants, more Meetings to see if more Meetings are needed, steak lunch, golf course...
Comedy and jokes are an entertaining and effective way to convey social and political messages. George Carlin, for example, is still equally revered and criticized for some of his politically incorrect stand-up routines. On the internet, where ideas have the potential to spread like wildfire, funny can be used for activism as well.
The author behind the "Economic Left" Instagram account agrees: “Memes are wonderful because you can actually pack an immense amount of information in them which is imparted in an incredibly short amount of time.”
I can't remember their name, but there was one series of Drag Race where one of the queens turned out to be a sex pest. People are people.
The page’s creator undoubtedly chose the medium of memes for better spreadability of its message. “Humor is pivotal to the success of memes! Humor opens the door,” the page admin agrees. “Then you can begin education and community building.”
“Many groups and movements have used memes effectively to build community among like-minded individuals,” says the page’s creator. And they are right. Researchers have found that memes can influence a sense of belonging, sense of community, and attitude toward a community.
We also asked them how the idea for this Instagram page came about. “There is a huge hunger for anti-capitalist discourse at the moment and memes seem like a powerful way to spread awareness and grow leftist online communities,” the person behind the page “Economic Left” says.
plus simply dumb luck. Even hard working people are lucky. You can work hard because you didn't get run over by a drunk driver, didn't get cancer, didn't get gang raped. Luck is not just only what happens in our favour, but also all the terrible things that DIDN'T happen to us.
The page’s bio says that its target audience are “leftists”. However, it’s important for the account’s owner to make clear that those who consider themselves on the political left in the US are not entirely their target audience.
“I and my followers would actually argue democrats and liberals are not leftists,” the manager of the account clarifies. “Leftists argue for democratic control of the economy.”
I heard a discussion on the radio about the horrific rental market -- low supply, high rents -- and the 'expert' said that one of the answers was that there was a housing shortage and we needed to build more houses for rental. If so many rich people have vacation houses and so many people have properties to Air BnB, there is no shortage; there is only a problem with distribution. Also, he said that one reason for the high rents was landlords needed to compensate for increasing mortgage rates. So, in other words, the landlords profiting off of their tenants do not even own product they are overselling to their customers. So, maybe that is another thing to question.
I totally get this, and it's 100% not wrong, but also, they need a house to live in. I don't work late because I want to, or because I care about my career. I work late so I can pay my bills.
One of the page’s missions is to “dispel right-wing myths about the economy.” When scrolling through the page’s material, it’s evident the author makes fun of both sides on the political spectrum.
They don’t shy away from criticizing democrats who consider themselves “leftists”: “We roast Democrats and liberals precisely because they identify as leftist without holding any traditional leftist beliefs about the economy,” adds the page’s author.
pfft. my bank doesn't even bother getting to know my pay schedule. They will charge me their fees, and an overdraft fee, an over limit fee and another over limit fee because their fees brought me past my limit. Then when I call the bank I have to try a couple times to get a rep who has some human decency to understand that it's all b******t.
Activism is definitely a large component of the mission behind the Instagram page “Economic Left”. “On the left, however, activism doesn’t stop with ‘get out and vote’,” the page’s owner says.
"The electoral system is an important arena to engage with, but leftists have realized that organizing in your own community or work place is the real way to build a movement with real power,” the page’s admin believes.
“We don’t focus on helping elect some Democrat or another to continue to pass laws preventing meaningful change on issues like workers’ rights and climate change. Only direct action and community organizing will move the needle,” the page’s owner states.
Elon Musk is the modern day Thomas Edison, and I mean that as a slur.
Some might say that the action the account calls for can be perceived as radical. When asked how they would respond, the page’s owner doesn’t hesitate to show their passion for the cause.
“I would say it is radical to continue to prop up an economic system where children go hungry and people die on the street every day in supposedly the most wealthy country in history.”
Oh my f*****g GOD. Can we stop with always associating the rainbow to being anything but a band of all colours? I love rainbows. They're pretty. They're so, so colourful. They're great for those who can't make up their minds on what a favourite colour palette. I just want to support Pink Floyd all the more now.
“The United States is rightfully seen by other countries as having politics radically to the right. If anything, leftists want to restore a little balance," the page's administrator adds.
“[They] recognize big changes are the only way to meet the existential threats of our age like extreme inequality, systemic racism, and climate change,” the page’s owner declares their beliefs. “If that makes us radical, so be it!”
Because you people are worth hating. Fortunately, most of you are old and living in the soon to be underwater state of florida.
Online spaces are not the only place where anti-capitalist sentiments abound. The idea seems to be getting increasingly more prominence in the media we consume. We only need to look at the TV shows that have been released in the past five or so years. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story, Sorry To Bother You, The Menu, Succession and Beef are only several examples of movies criticizing capitalism in one way or another.
and we have baguette, croissant, kouign amann (the recipe : it's butter, sugar, butter, butter, sugar, sugar, butter, sugar, sugar, butter and some experienced researchers have found traces of flour)
He should start a comedy show. oh wait, He is a comedy show. my bad
Load More Replies... I recently started using the train after i moved to a new city, i have a station like 1km away from home, just a short walk and i have another like 300m from work, it shortende my going to work time fomr 1:30h to 35 minutes
When I lived in Philadelphia I took the train to work. I moved back to upstate PA where a car is a necessity and a lifeline.
Load More Replies...
Problem is the virtual monopoly of Amtrak. New lines aren’t being built. Also, as someone who lives on the East Coast, depending where you are, you still need a car to get to the train station.
Load More Replies...
Right... And what if you live rural and the next train station is in two towns over? And busses are spotty at best?
That is exactly the point - the public transport should be better and affordable to "cure" the traffic situation.
Load More Replies...
Working from home takes a lot of traffic off the roads too, but that doesn't allow bosses to micromanage your entire life!
The predicted cost of a single, 120mph line from Boston, to DC, is estimated to cost $1.5 trillion. Another from NY to philidelphia, which is 100 miles, was estimated to cost $500 billion. The US, is huge, with most places that would benefit from HSR densely populated. Which means....people are going to be displaced, right? So which people, i wonder are going to be displaced....hmm....could it maybe be....the poor ones? The ones already living in low value properties near industrial zones? I wonder if that's going to cause any kind of outrage. Nah, that never happens. Americans are always reasonable people that understand the intricacies of these situations.
In other words, taking a page from the construction of the interstate highway system...
Load More Replies...
Monorails aren't the best though. They're as efficient as regular trains but more pricey to maintain.
I think mass transit could work in the US if it was as densely populated as the European countries.
the internal map of my city in my head begs to differ.... you can beat traffic if you know where you're going.
If only the answer was as easy as public transport but it isn't. Yet another example where the root cause is over-population. Less people equals less traffic, equals less traffic jams, equals less pollution equals happier people and a happier planet. Elons' comment isn't so stupid when you realise he is thinking it to a deeper level.
No, it is that easy. In Europe we have public transport (in the UK it’s not great though), every person on a bus or a train is a person not in a car, so we don’t have the same level of car dependency. Being able to walk my son to school and then cycle to work is quite normal.
Load More Replies...Ironically, the message is driven by the same corporate conglomerates. “You feel indignant at the end of an episode, but you aren’t given a useful way to direct your indignation,” writes Sean McDowell for Current Affairs.
He suggests directing the feelings that these shows stimulate toward action. “Whatever you do, be part of the struggle against faceless corporations that profit off of stories about the inequalities they themselves are guilty of advancing,” the writer concludes.
The term "excused" and "inexcused" absence for calling in sick like... I can't. I just can't.
I feel so sorry for the young adults today (as plus 50, that's everyone 18-38 for me). Sure, I have no car, no house, no fat bank account either, but that's because of how I chose to live my life. And at least I got to play in forests and green fields. I'm so sorry kids, and if you start a revolution, count me in.
I've also heard "Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries are concerned Millennials are not playing lotteries as much as the older generations." The word "concerned" ... actually concerns me it is used in this construct of an absurd thought.
Capitalism isn't the problem. It's greed and corruption. Capitalism and socialism can work together perfectly well. A prime example is Norway.
What is 1 billion dollars? 1,000 briefcases each filled with 1 million dollars each. What can you do with 1 billion dollars? Give it to a bank that'll give you 4% back in interest each year which equals 40 million dollars per year for doing absolutely nothing. Billionaires and millionaires should not exist
Meanwhile in romania, the standard gas price is $1.70 per LITER ($6.52 per gallon), during the last gas crisis it went up to $3.40...again, per LITER ($13.05 per gallon) in a country in which the take home pay for a minimum wage job is about $450 per month. But please, lets hear you whine more about paying $4 a gallon as you hop in you car to travel distances of less than a mile.
I love this photo so much, no matter how many times it comes back!
technically the meme should be the other way around since putting the glasses on makes him see blurry but the point is too true
Ever notice that companies treat their employees like spoiled children? "For this good employee, who has worked so hard this week. I'm giving them an extra $5. Now, it will appear on your next pay cheque. That means it will be taxed. But better than nothing, eh?" Other employees: "Don't you think we should deserve more, and to other people who worked their asses off all year?" "Well... the company can't really afford to give any more money than that. Plus our shareholders don't want to see any more money spent on production staff. So.... But I mean, if we get in more sales and increase the profits for the company then maybeee.... we'll look into doing something small..." Oo
Note: this post originally had 98 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
I'm glad to see that halfway through the list Kim got tired of spouting their rhetoric. I was worried we were going to fire them into the sun.
Ok I agree with a lot of these. But it's too obvious that the majority of them are anti-american.
So you're just now realizing that BP is an anti-American site? Well, at least you figured it out.
Load More Replies...
Sir Rocco Forte has written an article in the UK press moaning that staff will only do what is expected of them while on the clock and making themselves unavailable once they finish their work day. You pay minimum wage, you will get the minimum. Staff will do their jobs then go home. They will no longer work for free outside of their hours. Quiet quitting and all that.
Yep! Forte is an idiot to be wondering at why people are not willing to flog their souls for pennies! Salaries at the bottom are ridiculously low and yet Forte and co are making ridiculous sums of money - money even their children would have trouble spending in one lifetime. Disgusting.
Load More Replies...
People aren't going to be living on Mars for a long, long time, if ever. No person alive today will be living there.
I haven't seen one anti-work meme here. Anti exploitation of workers, yes. Pro exploitation of workers too, mostly by brainwashed workers themselves.
Load More Replies...
I'm glad to see that halfway through the list Kim got tired of spouting their rhetoric. I was worried we were going to fire them into the sun.
Ok I agree with a lot of these. But it's too obvious that the majority of them are anti-american.
So you're just now realizing that BP is an anti-American site? Well, at least you figured it out.
Load More Replies... Sir Rocco Forte has written an article in the UK press moaning that staff will only do what is expected of them while on the clock and making themselves unavailable once they finish their work day. You pay minimum wage, you will get the minimum. Staff will do their jobs then go home. They will no longer work for free outside of their hours. Quiet quitting and all that.
Yep! Forte is an idiot to be wondering at why people are not willing to flog their souls for pennies! Salaries at the bottom are ridiculously low and yet Forte and co are making ridiculous sums of money - money even their children would have trouble spending in one lifetime. Disgusting.
Load More Replies... People aren't going to be living on Mars for a long, long time, if ever. No person alive today will be living there.
I haven't seen one anti-work meme here. Anti exploitation of workers, yes. Pro exploitation of workers too, mostly by brainwashed workers themselves.
Load More Replies...