this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2026
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It’s really hit or miss, but explaining the difference between a free market and capitalism. Income inequality destroys main street because it turns out rich people really really love money and prefer to save it for the sake of saving it.
This really works on liberals who are genuinely open-minded, and even then the first framing I go for is “this is for the free market’s own good: the rich can’t have it too good. They need problems, and that’s how we get jobs.”
Sauce: Ohio is actually pretty up there in terms of population and while it’s no New York or California, you can tell this state has been hit hard by global wealth inequality.
Why concede the abstract goodness of the free market?
I’m all for praxis, but this feels like compromising on principle
Oh, not trying to do tailism here and while there is a legit critique of the free-market, I think a good place to start with open-minded liberals is how not even the capitalist subscribes to free market principles.
Logically the next position from “this is inconsistent with a free market” is not anticapitalism but anticorruption. They will not blame capitalism. They will blame the politicians “screwing up” capitalism.
Given the state of American politics, that is more likely to turn them into a partisan, or a more extreme partisan if they are one already. In my opinion it is more effective to be completely clear and unapologetic: capitalism is designed for exploitation, and The Free Market is imperial propaganda. (Note that only the dominant power ever wants a free market. When Britain was in charge, USA adopted protectionist policies.)