Why You Don't Actually Own Anything Under Capitalism

Why You Don't Actually Own Anything Under Capitalism – Second Thought

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Citations and Further Reading:

Personal vs. private property

Kindles, Keurigs, John Deere and ownership

66% homeownership rate

Declining homeownership rate

60% of homeowners have a mortgage

Millennials don’t want to own things/homes

Poverty and profit under capitalism

Trends in income/wealth inequality

Minimum wage should be over $20 by now

HBO removes shows

Personal property, rent, capitalism

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About Second Thought:
Second Thought is a channel devoted to education and analysis of current events from a Leftist perspective. Welcome!

[codacreator]

I remember in the 80s how the media were reporting why we started job-hopping. They kept saying we were picky and short-cutting the corporate ladder climb when all we were really doing was scrambling for wages sufficient to living. That was the beginning.

[sduke]

As a boomer I feel like my generation gave up on our lofty ideals of the 60's. We were all about fighting the system, making the world a better place through peace and love, and justice for all. Then instead we just became the system and stole the futures of our children and grand children for our own comfort and wants. I'm so disappointed in how my generation has left future generations to pay for our greed and lifestyles. The "Woodstock" generation became the "We-took" generation.

[RexCogitans]

My favorite non-ownership model is the library. It should be the standard model for entertainment, tools you don't use very often and so much more. <3

[Arsenic]

Another example is the "right to repair" (it became somewhat famous due to several 'unauthorized' Apple repair shops being sued by Apple). It seems even when you buy an iPhone, you don't really own it because according to Apple, it's illegal to jailbreak it, install custom ROMs or even get it properly repaired (instead of only replaced). In the EU there is an initiative to cement the right to repair in law, especially for environmental reasons.

[justsomeguy]

One of the most frustrating aspects of this topic is that, because we don't own anything, it makes it harder to effect the kind of direct action and change that could start helping our communities thrive. For example, my city has more unoccupied, foreclosed buildings than I can count, and also has a growing population of unhoused folks. We could be fixing up these unoccupied buildings and outfitting them to be housing, but we can't because they're all owned by entities that would rather let them sit empty and rot than be useful to the community. It's infuriating.

[seminolefantodd]

I'm 61 and it was my daughter who explained the difference between gender and sex. Now you have explained the difference between private and personal property. I really appreciate your channel & views, share this channel with my daughters (who are 34 and 30) and last year signed up to Curiosity Stream and Nebula because of my interest in your series, The New F-Word. Keep up your good work because it is important. I am at the rear end of the Boomer generation who "effed-up" and voted for Reagan who pushed the trickle-down nonsense that led to income and outcome inequality. I tell my daughters it is up to your generation to repair the damage my generation's ignorance created.

[Absthemexican]

Damn, the “license to make toast in your own damn toaster” accidentally predicted the way privatization and licensing has removed our ability to actually own and use the things we pay for…

[TheNeoVid]

We need to make the divide between private property, public property and personal property clearer to the average person. For example: under a perfect capitalist system, there would be no personal or public property, so you would be renting your house and your toothbrush, paying to use the sidewalk, and buying a ticket to enter the park.

[antimattv]

Just remember: All of that money goes somewhere. And once it gets there it usually doesn't move very much.

[PrettyPrincess]

I find it crazy that some of us can’t afford to buy a home yet we have to pay $1400 to $2000 for rent.

[Fenrires]

I’m autistic. I lost my home of 15 years (a bedsit in London I was getting housing benefit from the government to pay for) this spring. I was evicted with three months notice, as they were increasing the rent 150%. I’ve been homeless since, sleeping in a vehicle with no insulation.

[JackPinesBlacksmithing]

I’ve been saying for about a decade that we’re trading convenience and access for ownership. My epiphany came when I realized about a decade ago that if Steam folded, I’d lose access to my “owned” games. Now, Stadia proved it.

[bbtelevator]

I completely agree with the premise here but I think the case could be stronger if you mention how when people become homeless, the police can come and trash their personal property inside any makeshift shelter.

In fact police are probably the clearest example of how your personal property is literally forfeit, often at a whim, homeless or not

[seitanbeatsyourmeat]

Somthing I like about Italy is that you don’t pay property tax on your first home, only if you buy another home because that’s considered a luxury (which it totally is).
Social programs like national healthcare, are paid from payroll taxes …as it should be. We pay less in tax here than I did in America if you add the monthly insurance premiums (not even including the co-pays, yearly contribution before insurance kicks in, etc. just the monthly premiums; if the other expenses are factored in we’d pay much less in tax here) to the US tax rate i was paying. I love the healthcare system here. Sure, it’s not perfect because nothing ever is… but after twisting my ankle, my husband insisted on going to the ER and having it checked out. I was afraid because I know the US system. It took about 1.5 hours total and cost nothing for the exam, x-rays and prescription.
Americans could have this freedom, but politicians don’t care about the people

[embyratwood]

Having interacted with my fair share of landlords, there’s definitely ill will towards the poor. Anecdotal I know, but every landlord treated me and other renters like a necessary inconvenience at best, and criminals as worst.

[Entelehija]

It is also interesting how when you actually own something tangible, you appreciate it more. When I started collecting vinyl and records I realised that I pay more attention to the process of setting up everything and focusing on listening more to the music. I don’t just skip to another song like on YT or Spotify. You start appreciating the art more. But I guess that is another topic related to consumerism and binge culture.

[SweetTacos]

This is scarily true. I was renting a basement apartment from a family with grown sons (late '20s), and I was kicked out of my apartment because the woman wanted her son to live there. I'm a uni student, and I was the perfect tenant. Clean, quiet, respectful, and always paid rent on time. The fact that landlords can kick people out for no legitimate reason is scary. I was left scrambling for a place to live that wasn't $2000 a month for shoebox

[FalconsEye]

My mother once told me you think owning a home means you’re safe? if she misses one months payment on her house, watch how quickly the bank puts it into foreclosure

[thexalon]

The thing about rents that capitalists love is that they continue to make money off of you regardless of whether they produce or provide anything at all.

[orangeapples]

It’s honestly rather silly how “capitalism allows one to get out of poverty” when capitalism is what puts people in poverty in the first place.