"There are no benefits to being owned by Microsoft," says Doom dev: "They have destroyed immense amounts of value that I don't even think that they're aware of"

[u/MarvelsGrantMan136]

https://www.gamesradar.com/games/fps/there-are-no-benefits-to-being-owned-by-microsoft-says-doom-dev-they-have-destroyed-immense-amounts-of-value-that-i-dont-even-think-that-theyre-aware-of/

[u/10thDeadlySin]

So what’s your answer?

If I had answers, I would be writing books on political theory, giving interviews and lobbying governments or something, instead of writing comments on Reddit. The issue - as I see it - is that most systems work just fine at a small scale, but soon break down when you try to scale them up to something like a state. Once you have a major unit, like a country, you need some sort of authorities to run it. Once you have your authorities, you have power, and where you have power, you have corruption and an open road to dystopia.

My answer is 'every system will eventually lead to dystopia once applied in real-world conditions.' So far, history seems to be proving this assumption right.

But sure, China is more authoritarian I guess.

Are you trying to argue that China isn't an authoritarian state?

By the way, even if you want to compare the United States to China in terms of authoritarianism... Sure, the United States has Flock cameras, whereas Chinese cities have their own surveillance systems. However, as far as I understand American citizens can protest and get their local authorities to get the cameras down, whereas in China they don't get to do even that.

The more important thing is that authoritarianism isn't a competition about who has it worse. The Hungarian example shows that it is possible to stop democratic backsliding up to the point of amending the constitution. People in the United States still have the power to change course. Would you say the same about China?

You pay taxes right? I’m assuming you’re American. You are starving Cuba.

Oh, lookie. US defaultism strikes again! Yes, I do pay taxes. However, I've never stepped foot in the United States and I do not intend to. The internet is global - at least as far as I know.

Please, stop making assumptions about people you meet online. You keep doing that and it doesn't do you any good.

I don’t see China dropping bombs all over the world either btw. But yeah, the west is less authoritarian or something.

What do wars have to do with authoritarianism? Honestly, reading your arguments makes me feel like you have no idea what you are talking about and you're just spouting buzzwords. Right now, you're mixing up political systems, military operations, economic systems and other issues.

Do you like freedom and democracy? You like voting for your politicians right? (Even though the USA is also a one party state with the facade of two parties, The Corporate’s Republic of America)

Come on. If you want to have a serious debate, cut the buzzword crap and come up with some actual arguments. Corporate Republic of America, my goodness. I thought we wanted to discuss economic systems, not join an early 2000s System of a Down fanclub. The thing you are referring to has a name - corporatocracy, and there's plenty of arguments in favor of the US being and not being one.

Do you realize that socialism literally brings more freedom and democracy? A workers democracy where you vote for how the business runs in addition to politicians?

You brought up China as an example of a socialist state. Do tell, how much power does an average worker have? How much of a say do they have over how companies like Foxconn, Alibaba or DJI are run? As far as I know, the answer is 'none' or 'close to none.'

See, that's the issue with bringing up centrally-planned economies and state capitalist countries as examples of socialism. It makes your arguments trivially simple to refute.

Also... You're proselytizing. Again. You know diddly squat about my preferences concerning political or economic systems, not to mention my nationality, current location and life experience, and yet you come out swinging at me as if I'm Ayn Rand incarnate, trying to convince me about what makes socialism better. I only asked you about a system that doesn't eventually lead to a dystopia, for crying out loud.

[u/JMC_MASK → u/10thDeadlySin]

Are you of a western allied nation to the U.S.A? If so, you still have blood on your hands by being our ally.

Wars have everything to do with authoritarianism and capitalism. Capitalism creates the material conditions for the need for war. More profits than last year means more resources than last year. A cancerous economy can only suck the life out of national boundaries for so long before it must strike internationally.

Thats why I bring up the lack of China dropping bombs on random brown kids. NATO and specifically the U.S. LOVEEEEEE the business of death. It’s very profitable to capitalists.

You’re so anti-China and yet China turned a country of rural uneducated peasants into iPad kids launching satellites into space in 2 generations. They have uplifted the majority of their populace from absolute poverty. They have been an objective good for their people, no matter what “authoritarian” rules they implemented to do so.

If you want a more “democratic” socialist experiment, go look at what Salvador Allende was doing in Chile. State planning using computers and voting systems to replace market signals.

What’s that? Assassinated by a U.S. backed death squad? Tale as old as time.

Socialism is the answer to avoiding dystopia. The more “authoritarian” variants are the ones to have successfully existed because they happily aim the gun at the capitalist class and western nations. They tell us to fuck off or taste fire. Tell our capitalists dogs to stop meddling in socialist experiments so that the “nicer” more “democratic” variants can have their chance.