A good rule of thumb for if Capitalism is working is whether the same thing gets cheaper. If it doesn't, something is broken. Capitalism is awful at things that can't be counted, but great at empowering things you can't count by focusing on things you can. It is great at asking easier questions. Not all good ideas are good business ideas. Capital can work on the good business ideas, so you can labour on good ideas.
Four Horsemen of Apartheid are Housing, Education, Transport, and Work.
A House is a thing. It isn't an asset. An asset generates an income stream, and can grow if there is the opportunity for reinvestment. A House is only an asset if you rent it out to someone else, or use it to generate income in some way. Houses should get cheaper. They haven't. Something is broken.
Education is a thing. Particularly the kind that is designed to put food on the table. Gradually the industrialisation of Education has meant we need to focus on STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) because they make the money. That kind of education should have gotten cheaper. It hasn't. Something is broken.
Transport is a thing. It isn't valuable in and of itself. It facilitates activity. If you spend most of your time getting to work, or can't afford to go to where the work is... something is broken.
Work to survive is a thing. Industrialisation of work has meant we focus on one aspect of the production line. The key difference between someone who is financially independent, and someone who isn't, is reinvestment. If you are living hand-to-mouth, then there is nothing left to reinvest. It is hard not to be defined by your work, because it is likely to be all-consuming. Yet, the vast majority of people don't get to choose work that is fulfilling and creates meaning. They choose work that lets them put food on the table. They spend their time in silos of work that increasingly separate them from others doing other tasks. If you work to consume, and yet there isn't increasingly a gap... then survival isn't getting cheaper. Something is broken.
I am very much a Capitalist. I just believe in a world on the other side of the looking glass where everyone can be a Capitalist. A Capitalist means we have Capital that can do the work that pays. This means we don't have to figure out the incredibly difficult question of how to monetize everything. The answer may be you can't.
Money is just a form of communication. Like numbers, words, painting, music, and touch. Money requires you to be able to articulate a problem clearly. An ask and an offer. It then requires a container you can pop that problem into that allows you to charge for it. Quality Journalism used to have the container of Newspapers that could sell adverts. Enter Search and Social Media. Container gone. Need no longer met.
The answer may be that we need to ask easier questions. Community Wealth Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds, and Engines of all shapes and forms can focus on the good business ideas. Then set other good ideas free. Capital can be the breadwinner so that we can be the life makers.
Maybe we shouldn't be trying to make money from these Four Horsemen?
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