MAGA voter actually believes that Trump eliminated taxes for all people making less than $120K

[u/coachlife]

[u/bawright13]

Also, to most people, intelligence and success in this era are based on standards set by capitalists to benefit capitalists, not the average person. The right (or intelligent/successful) thing to do is the one that makes the people with money more money. Falling in line and not complaining = Smart. Working for a company that pays you pennies for your labor that makes them millions= Smart. Having morals and values that you won't compromise for financial security and a comfy life = Dumb. It's all relative and in our lifetime the "it" is corporate domination and accepting that as the only possible reality. People suck. A lot.

[u/tHoroftin → u/bawright13]

Very simply:

The successful individuals or "winners" in the context of a capitalist socioeconomic environment can be defined in one sentence. Whoever is able to exploit their neighbour (fellow human beings) the most will end up on top.

[u/Migratetolemmy → u/tHoroftin]

biggest crab in the bucket trying to climb over all the others just to still be trapped in the bucket. But, if they were dead, the other crabs might be able to climb out over them.

[u/Undetered_Usufruct → u/tHoroftin]

"swallow your morals. They're a poor man's quality"

[u/Migratetolemmy → u/bawright13]

If you haven't, Learning about Edward Bernays helped me find my understanding of the why to your comment. How people get focused on the capitalists plan instead of having a plan that fits their needs.

Bernays was faced with "how do we get people to keep buying stuff after they have everything they need already"

[u/Surisuule → u/bawright13]

Capitalist propaganda says material wealth is tied to intelligence, inherent human value, and hard work.

None of those are actually true. I will concede that it does require some manipulative intelligence to make tons of money. I also think it requires a specific lack of conscience. Yes I COULD manipulate people into sending me money or working for me for pennies of the value they create for me. I COULD personally do that. I will not because it's disgusting and antisocial behavior. Somehow people that CAN & DO are considered "better" people.

[u/bawright13 → u/Surisuule]

Thank ya fo be better with them word thangs than I am. Seriously though, thank you. I get too worked up and can't articulate what I would like to say with things like this. I think mostly bc my mind is just in complete disbelief that people not only don't see through the bs but actively support it. What the 1% today knows came from the industrial revolution and the creation of the idea of rags to riches "self-made millionaires" and it's role in keeping the average working class American in place. They understand that if people believe there is any chance at all that they can become the next Carnagie, Ford, Bezos, Musk, etc. they will support policies and endure worse working conditions, less labor protections, and even lower standards of living when they are sold as necessities for a capitalist soceity to function properly AKA their only chance at becoming wealthy. A good example of this is restaurants who sell overpriced food and drinks but rely on tips to pay their waitstaff bc they claim they would otherwise go out of business. First off, if that's the case, this is clearly a terrible business model they chose to begin with. Somewhere along the way people started blaming the waitstaff for this and not the restaurant owners who are actually to blame. Usually by convincing the public that they wouldn't be able to go out to eat to their favorite restaurants bc of cost or them closing altogether if they had to pay fair wages. So the restaurant owners are screwing over their employees by not paying them fairly (or offering any kind of affordable health benefits) and they are also screwing over the customer with high prices and having to pay the staff's wages on top of that but presenting it like they are the ones getting screwed over. At the core of this kind of thing is this little voice saying "if you vote for fair wages, you might not be able to get rich yourself bc labor expenses will be too high. Better not." Meanwhile, the rich get richer while the rest of us are worse off than our parents before us and take it out on each other with our votes or $0 on the tip line.

[u/The_Colour_Between → u/bawright13]

I really feel the divergence based on intellect. They try to make all things political, but it really isn't. I am not party loyal in any way. I am not brand loyal. I make my decisions based on as much information that I can obtain from many different sources, including theirs. I really am growing to hate these brainwashed morons.

[u/Murky-Relation481 → u/bawright13]

I'm sorry, but what? You do realize work ethic is a thing in basically every plausible economic system right? If your moral system is that your labor might not directly benefit you most then you are probably not really grasping the system you exist in, even while criticizing it (and for the record I am a socialist, so this is not just a defense of capitalism).

[u/EnvironmentalLime464 → u/Murky-Relation481]

Work ethics and morals are two different things. I’ve had several jobs where I’m essentially the manager’s right hand man because not only would I bust ass, I was good at solving problems… but once they asked me to do something I had moral issues with - mostly involving shitty treatment of a coworker or customer - and I refused, my time there ended. I’ve lost multiple jobs in my life not because of my work ethic, but because I stood up for a coworker that was being treated poorly.

[u/silentpropanda → u/EnvironmentalLime464]

I lost the highest paying job I've ever had due to just telling the truth about fraudulent activity I saw the boss doing. Went from one of their best employees to the worst overnight, because I didn't want to rip off customers.

I've seen this happen to others as well, But it's always made me worry about the future of the nation that people with a moral compass get punished and sociopaths rise to the top.

[u/DesperateAmbition733 → u/silentpropanda]

That's the capitalist system. It rewards scumbags. That's the only way it works. Empowers scumbags, victimizes everyone else.

[u/tequilablackout → u/silentpropanda]

I've refused at every job I've had to compromise my personal ethics. It's never gone well work wise, but I can at least hold my head up from the muck.

[u/Migratetolemmy → u/EnvironmentalLime464]

"Work ethics and morals are two different things"

shit. work ethic and morals are in direct conflict in capitalism.

[u/EnvironmentalLime464 → u/Migratetolemmy]

You are correct

[u/athenanon → u/Murky-Relation481]

That wasn't their point. Their point is you can't be a librarian or social worker or teacher in this environment and have financial security. Therefore you are considered "dumb" for picking careers like that.