69 Times People Realized That Modern Capitalism Is Starting To Get Out Of Hand

It’s not exactly easy to accept that you’re living in a dystopia. It’s more fun to pretend that everything is going to be just fine. And some optimism is necessary if you want to maintain your sanity. But nowadays, more and more people are unable to pretend that everything is okay. The economy is in shambles, the job market is horrific, and it’s starting to feel like another world war will start any day now… 

But according to your boss, your job is extremely important, and it better be your top priority in life! No, you can’t have a raise. You’re supposed to give every day 110% just because you care. We’re currently in late-stage capitalism, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better any time soon.

According to Trevor Jackson, a history professor and author of The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World, the stage of capitalism we’re currently in “is characterized by a sense that something has been and continues to be profoundly broken.”

He explains that in the past, we hoped to see a much better future by now. Many people expected a utopia with flying cars. So the fact that the current time is so bleak makes many of us wish for a time that never actually existed. We feel cheated and disappointed with how things currently are, and it’s difficult to feel hopeful about the future. 

Despite how bleak the world may feel at the moment, though, Jackson still wants people to imagine a better future. He notes that it’s likely too late for those of us who are currently here to see a better world. But massive, sweeping social changes might come someday, and perhaps your grandchildren will get to experience the benefits of that. It’s impossible to predict the future, but we do know that the change from feudalism to capitalism took an extremely long time. So we can’t expect any massive shifts overnight. 

If you have a 9-6 job, you know just how soul-sucking the current work environment can be. But there’s something even worse nowadays: the 996 job. This is when employees work from 9am to 9pm for 6 days a week. And although the practice first originated in China, it’s recently been popping up in Western countries as well. In fact, some in Silicon Valley say it’s the new norm in the tech world.    

The idea of working 72 hours a week sounds like most people’s personal hell. But the unfortunate reality is that, in this day and age, a regular 40-hour workweek might not earn you enough to pay the bills. PBS News reports that millions of Americans working full-time jobs still can’t afford a place to live or a fridge full of groceries. 

Because of this, millions of Americans are on the brink of becoming homeless at any moment. If their boss doesn’t schedule them enough hours, or they unexpectedly lose their job, they could lose their home in a matter of weeks. 

This capitalist dystopia isn’t only destroying our spirits, though. It’s also wreaking havoc on the planet. The Guardian reports that because nobody wants to talk about their environmental impact or address climate change, we’re slowly but surely destroying the Earth.

But of course, it’s not really the average person’s fault. The billionaires and massive corporations are doing the most damage. The world’s richest 1% produce an average of over 70 tons of carbon dioxide per person per year, which is more than 30 times what one person should produce if we want to stop warming the planet.