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Misdirecting the disenfranchised

 Socialism has practically become a meaningless term. To the extent that it involves collectivism, all modern societies are 'socialist'. It is just a question of how well they do it. The historical context within which these concepts grew is no longer applicable. It is pointless to define the class struggle around the means of production when that is no longer the point of control.

You can access every bit of the world's knowledge online for essentially nothing. The only thing stopping you is the artificial construct of 'copyright'. It allows some to claim 'ownership' of the right to say who can access what things. As automation spreads, the same type of situation will apply for tangible things like electronic devices. Already, as of now, only about a fifth of the selling price of a smart phone is required to make them. More than half of the rest is captured by the entity 'owning' the right to have them made. 

The cost to create goods will eventually seek the level of the energy and materials used to make them. At that point, the equivalent of hereditary kings and queens will hold all the rights to make them, and they will charge whatever they wish. We know from experience that they will charge whatever the traffic will bear. 

The class struggle is ongoing and after a brief period of success, it seems we are losing again.


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