this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2023
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‘Capitalism is dead. Now we have something much worse’: Yanis Varoufakis on extremism, Starmer, and the tyranny of big tech::In his new book, the maverick Greek economist says we are witnessing an epochal shift. At his island home, he argues it’s now the ‘fiefdoms’ of tech firms that shape us

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[–] [email protected] 49 points 1 year ago (2 children)

He's not wrong. We're only a few years away from the big five in the US owning all of our land in one way or another. It's like a corporate showdown at this point. The government did nothing to stop this conglomeration of assets and wealth.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

The government did nothing to stop this conglomeration of assets and wealth.

Being owned by those megacorps is a prerequisite for holding office. Why would they do anything to stop their benefactors?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)

He's referring not to a land grab but cloud capital charging rent to the capitalist class. Essentially creating a class as far above the capitalist as the capitalist is above the worker.

Listened to a good interview with him on a podcast last night after trying to read this shit article.

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

That's just capitalism. But I guess when you benefit so greatly from the system, you can't risk rocking the boat by talking about it openly. So you have to invent scary new names to smokescreen the root of the matter. "Technofeudalism", "Neo feudalism", "corporatism", "crony capitalism" etc, is such crap. It's still just capitalism.

Ignoring the ridiculous manner in which the article is written, look at the clownish arguments being made.

He charges rent. Which isn’t capitalism, it’s feudalism.

I know you have an island home dickhead, but the rest of us have been paying plenty of rent under capitalism.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Greece has 6000 islands.

His lives in a house on one the 227 inhabited ones.

He pays his rent writing books and giving talks against capitalism., sharing what he learned in his time as Greek finance minister, when the EU and Germany were crushing Greece with debt and forcing neoliberal policies on them the detriment of its citizens and for the benefit of the banks.

What are your plans for today ?

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

Capitalism has a definition. He’s saying that the markers that define Capitalism (as opposed to Mercentilism, Feudalism, etc.) are no longer there.

Specifically he’s saying that you can now no longer be on the top rung by privately owning the means of production, which is probably the biggest hallmark of Capitalism.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

When you consider the definition of fascism is (as defined by the comintern) "the open terrorist dictatorship of the most reactionary, most chauvinistic and most imperialist elements of finance capital.", it's hard not to feel we are sliding into an insidious, new and distinct, technological form of it.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

If you think of society through the view of class hierarchy, Jeff and people like him have created a class of power above capitalist. As far above capitalist as the boss is above the worker.

That's what he's meaning.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago

The article really doesn't engage much with what YV actually wrote; she says that she disagrees with him sometimes or that other people disagree, but with very little substance.

Like others have already commented, she's also excessively obsessed with describing his house and wife. I can't believe The Observer paid for her to fly out there to write such drivel.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Are people using capital to acquire more capital to then undertake more capital-intensive endeavors? Yes? Then it's still capitalism.

At this point I think Varoufakis only continues to rant his drivel in order to feel better about being a rich capitalist himself.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

Not really, they are using public money to pass it into private hands. Its capitol but not in the way capitalism describes it because its not coming from wealth to invest in new ventures its being extracted and pocketed.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago

Whatever they call it, it's shit for humans to live in.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

"Capitalism is dead. Now we have something much worse"

Capitalism 2.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

He's spoken on the topic elsewhere, at least a few interviews (on youtube). That'll be better than this slop - edit: the Guardian was co-opted by the UK securlty state after cops raided them soon they did their reporting on Edword Snowdon.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, this interview is pretty bad.

But this post did turn me onto his ideas and found an interview with him on a podcast last night that was really good.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

But this post did turn me onto his ideas and found an interview with him on a podcast last night that was really good.

This one? https://www.yanisvaroufakis.eu/2022/04/16/unlike-feudalism-techno-feudalism-is-born-of-the-triumph-of-capital-ku-podcast-interview/

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

It died when socialism became a corporate only condition. Now its corporate capitalism with government socialism.

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