Capitalism, while it may have its merits, can often seem downright absurd. We live in a world where profits are very often put over people, and the pursuit of endless growth is prioritized over sustainability. Not to mention little things like companies using manipulative advertising tactics to convince us to buy things we don't need, the prevalence of unpaid internships and so on.
So let's take a moment to reflect on the absurdities of capitalism with some examples of what this economic and political system is actually like in our day-to-day lives. For this article, we’ve collected some of the best posts shared by the Instagram page “Humans of Capitalism”, documenting the most extreme and dystopian instances of corporate power. Scroll down to see what we mean.
If you liked this list and are interested in exploring further, you can take a look at Bored Panda's previous articles here and here.
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We reached out to Nicola Caramia, a senior marketing lecturer and faculty member at INSEEC London, who has published several works on consumerism and consumer behavior. His expertise makes him an ideal consultant on the topic. Read on for the full interview!
Why group projects in school were a total sham and also an important lesson...
Now you own a house the council can take it from you if you need to go into care. Probably a bad move.
Capitalism has created a society that is consumer-based. It has made consumption become a fundamental element of today’s world, particularly in the Western countries. Heading to a supermarket to buy a carton of milk? Don’t worry, you will have an abundance of options to choose from. While it's great to have a variety of choices, at times it can become excessive and absurd.
Nowadays, people's purchasing decisions can reflect their identity. That includes their personality, hobbies, and even profession. According to Caramia, “all human beings are searching for meaning in their life, to be recognized by others, to be accepted, to be loved, and feel secure. All these psychological elements make people to search and define who they are by developing in their minds a sense of self-identity. In this context, all humans have an ‘actual self’, that is how they see and perceive themselves in relation to others that is in conflict with their ‘ideal self’ (how they would like to be perceived by others).”
Can we talk about how everybody says therapy is the solution but you can't have that solution unless you have the money?
Caramia continues, “there is a gap between the ‘actual self’ and the ‘ideal self’ thus a mental self-representation that is not in line with how we wish to be seen by others. As a consequence of this discrepancy, people tend to construct their identities by purchasing mass-produced products and brands. It is at this point that mass-produced products and marketing develop associations between idealized self-images and related products in order to satisfy consumers’ inner desires that mirror their ideal self-concept. As a result, consumerism takes place and people who consume goods and services in large quantities believe they will be better off although they are unaware that products and goods will never satisfy their inner desires but will only provide the tools for the idealized self-concept if they purchase brands that represent their ideal ‘ego’.
I remember an interesting book, ‘The Strategy of Desires’ written by an American psychologist, Ernest Dichter, the founder of the Institute of Motivational Research. In the 60s Dichter acted as a consultant to major American business organizations, helping them to detect the unconscious motives of consumers when purchasing products. I recall Robert Polet, CEO of Gucci fashion luxury brand in 2004, in one of his interviews, he said ‘we don’t sell products, we sell desires’.”
Awaiting the downvotes... Hmm torn on this one. Why? Imagine all the current "idols" are on peoples' gravestone. Elon Musk hovering over one stone, Disney princesses all around, Poohbears, Beyonce, DJ Khaled, Khardashians, Trump (just trying to pick out the most horrible ones). Gravestones should not be billboards/advertisements/amusementpark signs (sorry for the description). They could have made it smaller or without colour. (A spiderman engraved in the stone would suffice). I get they want to make the last resting place personal. Alas a graveyard is a public place, not a private place.
The vast amount of choices available leads to the constant introduction of new trends. That results in overconsumption habits. Looking a the series of pictures highlighting the intriguing and often absurd realities of capitalism, we got curious about what motivates individuals to pursue extreme measures within it. Caramaia shared that consumerism is the result of how mass-produced goods pretend “to satisfy people’s needs, actually more psychological needs than functional needs.
Economists believe that consumer spending stimulates both production and economic growth, and they view consumption as a tool to fulfilling consumers’ biological needs and wants with the final aim of profit maximization. What really motivates people is greed, an uncontrolled desire to increase the acquisition of material gain, status and power. Capitalists motivated by greed only seek their own gain by maximizing profits.”
Not unusual, many immigrants end up in Belgium, France, NL or Germany after trying UK and seeing what it is. They want to go there because it’s easier to settle and live with no papers but they are quickly disappointed.
While consumerism and capitalism have been credited with driving economic growth and creating new markets and opportunities, they have also been criticized for their negative impacts on the environment and society. We were wondering whether consumerism can be compatible with social and environmental responsibility. Caramia answered that nowadays, due to capitalism and competition between business organizations, food product and waste is at the highest level as we produce more than what is consumed. “This leads to the depletion of natural resources in order to satisfy demand in economic terms. The consequences in turn reflect an increased land use, cutting down forests, emissions of pollutants. As a result, the more we consume, the more the earth gets exploited.”
While these images might make us laugh, it’s important to address the issues here. Recognizing the underlying motivations behind our consumption habits can help us make more conscious choices about what we buy and why. It can also help us focus on personal growth, relationships, and contributing to the well-being of others and the world around us.
“We cannot say that consumerism is the only aspect to blame in terms of social and environmental responsibility, but we should look inside ourselves and ask questions such as ‘do I really need to buy that product, and if so, how can I dispose it after I used it?’, ‘how can I become less selfish and think less about myself and help those people in need?’. We should become less centred in ourselves and concentrate our efforts in becoming more humans. This approach should begin in schools by educating pupils and adults in universities in taking care of our environment. All educational institutions must embrace a philosophical approach to education. That means becoming who you are, what you were born to be,” Caramia added.
In Europe there are lots and lots of old churches and worship places that were desacralized (is that the word?). They still have the appearance of sacred places but are not anymore and could be pretty much anything: homes, libraries, stores, banks, even a skate park.
The freedom to slaughter people and act out my sociopathic tendencies? That's a great idea! /s
Useful advice: if you ever have to evacuate a plane (not as unusual as you may think, more common than a crash) the main danger after you’re out comes from the fire/assistance trucks that have to rush but have very low visibility. You’re tiny and unnoticeable next to a plane. There are numerous cases of passengers who got hit on the runways. Don’t make a selfie, go to safety far from the action.
For those like me who needed more info: This couple contaminated a city of Brazil's main water supply by painting a waterfall blue for a gender reveal. They have been charged.
All kinds of things are biodegradable but still pollute, and in this case it’s a public health hazard due to parasites and diseases. Please please do not leave your dog’s 5h1t lying around. The vast majority of dog owners are scrupulously responsible on this front - don’t be the a**ehole
There are biodegradable bags for this, I use the bigger size when clearing out my rats and guinea pigs. It goes in the rubbish bin, but everything is organic matter so it'll decompose.
Issue is it cannot decompose in a landfill where it is buried with other communal waste. Another problem is that you cannot compost it either. Best thing I read is to dig a hole and bury it in a place where you do not plan to grow crops.
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what I really don't understand are the people who leave the bagged poo on the ground. You bought bags, scooped up the poo, but then fall short of putting it in a bin??
This. Why go to the effort of preserving your dogs poo in a plastic bag (biodegradable or not) then slinging it in a hedge to hang for 12 months. Just take it with you and put it in a bin when you find one. They don't make good decorations.
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This issue bothers me every time I scoop and bag the litter box contents. But what else can I do with the stuff?
They make biodegradable poopy bags now. We've been using them for years. However, putting dog doody into non biodegradable plastic and into the trash is 200% better than leaving it to runoff into water sources. (In developed countries)
This one does not pass the sniff test. You absolutely do not want your neighborhood dotted with poop piles that are not picked up and while sure biodegradeble bags might be best, that would be manufacturing yet another thing just to be thrown away. Reusing *already created* single-use plastics in as many ways as possible is part of the solution - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
If you're going to be awesome and have a dog to fit in with society you pick up the poop. Or I'll c**p in your yard.
In most places you can get special bags for this purpose - many cities provide them for free in public areas - which are made from biodegradable plastics. Things are changing for the better, albeit slowly. Thirty years ago dog sh1t in the streets and parks was considered quite normal, and plastic bags were much worse for the environment that most of them are nowadays.
People use our hay fields as dog toilet. Dog poo makes livestock very, very sick. When they don't get it, I explain "dog poo makes milk spicier"... eeeuuww. Same goes for anywhere else, wild animals can get very sick, too and spread diseases. So if you out and about with animals in areas yoz are not the owner of: Pick it up and dispose it as the biohazard it is. Or do you spread your own poo in the garden? Over to the cats of the neighbours, for them it is toralny acceprable that their cats use my garden as a toilet. When asked to come and collect it: Nah, not their responsibility. They expect me to barricade my garden to prevent the cats from entering. Guess I'll send the horses over to their garden...
I haven't seen non-biodegradable s**t-bags in the UK, but I could be wrong.
Have you seen the biodegradable camo bags? I have. Left behind, on unsuspecting neighbors’ lawns by lazy dog owners, because the bags are the same color as the grass.
There are plenty of options for compostable dog poop bags, and not clearing up after your pet is just nasty.
Have you ever left one of those bags out in the sun? Within a week, they have disappeared.
The worst case I ever saw, was one guy who picked up his dog's poop with his hands and poured into a plastic poo bag, tied it up and _threw it into the ocean_ before wiping his hands on his trousers... I kid you guys not!
I agree with this. It's poop, when it sits out in the wild on top of dirt, it turns into more dirt.
No utterly wrong. To illustrate, what do you think of the pumping of raw sewage into waterways?
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I've always thought that a thousand years in the future some archeologist is going to dig up what was once a dump and make some weird assumption that our era idolized dog feces. 🤣
Unless you are in certain states in the US where only biodegradable bags can legally be sold.
I don't see a problem with people being buried in coffins covered in something they love.
Would love to know who produced this image and what their intention was... Anyone?
Folks on trail rides would ask for something like this (can you hold the horses while we pose?) and I would always be happy to accommodate. And Especially if I got to get in the river. If I was in the shot I'd pop underwater for a second. In this photo or looks like he just popped up for air at the end of the shot. I feel like we should get the actual story on the situation before we assume this is a bad situation.
JESUS: Hey guys I am back, so what's with this dude on a cross everywhere? PEOPLE: It's you? It is how we decided to honour you. JESUS: Really?! Do you know how painful this was? Why would you pick should an horrific depiction of me? PEOPLE: Something to do with sacrifice, and we thought this is how you would like to be remembered. JESUS: Jesus Christ Guys!! This is so f#cked up!!
Can we get Zuckerberg to test these himself and make sure they work?
… used especially in operating and radiology rooms that are almost all the time in the basement or ground floor (= little or no direct sun light) because of the weight of the equipment.
Note: this post originally had 83 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Can we rename this "random assortment of nonsense that seemed funny at 3am"? Thanks.
literallyy, none of this had anything to do with capitalism
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BoredPanda, what in the world has happened to this site? This used to n a fun site that posted uplifting posts and artwork from new artists. Now most of your content is bizarre and negative crud copy and pasted from Reddit without any proofreading. Half of the photos in this listicle are Photoshopped. I miss the old BoredPanda where art was celebrated and most posts were actually written by the staff. 😢
Connection to capitalism: ZERO. Obviousness of human stupidity: INFINITE.
Probably should have looked up the word Capitalism in the dictionary before titling this article.
I dont understand all the drama that capitalism is bad or is ruining society. Informe about fascism, communism, all politics where individuals have none individuality or freedom .
Any -ism is a bad fit for every single person everywhere.
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Almost every single one of these pictures had everything to do with dumb people doing dumb things, and nothing to do with capitalism 🙄
As a former citizen of the Soviet Union I can assure you that communism sucks much much more 🤷♂️
And what's up with that image 44? Tell me you didn't choose that just because the tattoo said elon musk? This is going out of hand...
Please stop confusing capitalism with plain lack of moral sense. Capitalism is not the opposite of sustainability or social justice, it's the most common economic system of both good and terrible countries. In every country know to fight capitalism, going towards communism, people have no dignity. Talk about Venezuela, Cuba and many others.
Once again a list that doesn't understand the word irony, which means humour in something that is the opposite of intent.
Give any anti-capitalist a few million a year and watch their entire tone shift.
So? Can you give a few million a year to all the poor? Of course if you give a few million $ to a person his or her status will change, so the priorities. But inequality will remain because we are living in a system. Apply your logic to a rich person. If we take all of the money of a billionaire and force him to live with a minimum wage with no social security do you think his tone will remain the same? No? Then what's your point?
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Can't be the first to wonder what evolution has next for this cra**y race.
Why? So many pictures aren't even about America. Is this just another America bad comment for no reason?
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What are you rambling about. They are ordered by upvotes
Load More Replies... Can we rename this "random assortment of nonsense that seemed funny at 3am"? Thanks.
literallyy, none of this had anything to do with capitalism
Load More Replies... BoredPanda, what in the world has happened to this site? This used to n a fun site that posted uplifting posts and artwork from new artists. Now most of your content is bizarre and negative crud copy and pasted from Reddit without any proofreading. Half of the photos in this listicle are Photoshopped. I miss the old BoredPanda where art was celebrated and most posts were actually written by the staff. 😢
Connection to capitalism: ZERO. Obviousness of human stupidity: INFINITE.
Probably should have looked up the word Capitalism in the dictionary before titling this article.
I dont understand all the drama that capitalism is bad or is ruining society. Informe about fascism, communism, all politics where individuals have none individuality or freedom .
Any -ism is a bad fit for every single person everywhere.
Load More Replies... Almost every single one of these pictures had everything to do with dumb people doing dumb things, and nothing to do with capitalism 🙄
As a former citizen of the Soviet Union I can assure you that communism sucks much much more 🤷♂️
And what's up with that image 44? Tell me you didn't choose that just because the tattoo said elon musk? This is going out of hand...
Please stop confusing capitalism with plain lack of moral sense. Capitalism is not the opposite of sustainability or social justice, it's the most common economic system of both good and terrible countries. In every country know to fight capitalism, going towards communism, people have no dignity. Talk about Venezuela, Cuba and many others.
Once again a list that doesn't understand the word irony, which means humour in something that is the opposite of intent.
Give any anti-capitalist a few million a year and watch their entire tone shift.
So? Can you give a few million a year to all the poor? Of course if you give a few million $ to a person his or her status will change, so the priorities. But inequality will remain because we are living in a system. Apply your logic to a rich person. If we take all of the money of a billionaire and force him to live with a minimum wage with no social security do you think his tone will remain the same? No? Then what's your point?
Load More Replies... Can't be the first to wonder what evolution has next for this cra**y race.
Why? So many pictures aren't even about America. Is this just another America bad comment for no reason?
Load More Replies... What are you rambling about. They are ordered by upvotes
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