As of right now, I still think it’s possible that good things have come from capitalism. But this episode will not be discussing those things, even though they may exist. Ready? Here we go.
My argument is very simple. In the next few minutes, I aim to convince you that capitalism is ultimately bad for our species with one core it’s right there in the word: CAPITAL-ism.
“-isms” are belief systems and they put the thing they value most right in their name. This seems so obvious to me now that I’ve seen it, I really can’t believe nobody pointed this out to me in this way before. Here’s some examples. Environmental-ism most values the environment. Human-ism most values human dignity. National-ism most values the nation state. Capital-ism most values capital. In other words: money, assets, ownership, wealth, CAPITAL. It’s right there in the name! We live inside a belief system, a story, that believes capital is the most important thing in the world.
And we’re taught that “capitalism” and “the economy” are roughly the same thing. But they’re not. The word “capitalism” really only started being used less than 200 years ago. Some form of “economy,” by which I mean humans trading goods and services back and forth… that existed long before the belief system of capitalism. But the world I’ve grown up in basically treats capitalism like an immutable law of physics or something.
We have a whole field of study, “economics,” that makes us feel like we’re studying science when we talk about this. But most of it isn’t science. It’s stories we’ve chosen to believe. And The story of capitalism has been so embedded in us that we don’t even see it as a story anymore.
“The fish isn’t aware of water” might be a somewhat overused metaphor, but it’s incredibly accurate here. We have been swimming in the waters of capitalism our whole lives. Our parents and grandparents, they were too. Generation upon generation of human beings who’ve known no other reality than the one that is both underpinned and over-lorded by the belief system of capitalism.
Sure we’ve seen other ideas surface over the years, most notably communism, authoritarianism, fascism, but in the past century especially, we’ve mostly succeeded in beating those ideas back with the heavy stick of capitalism. Furthermore, We live in a world where everything, and I mean everything, has been turned into capital. Don’t believe me? Let me show you.
You’re not a person at work. You’re “human capital.” Your Your ability to smile while dying inside at your That’s “natural capital.” You Your ideas? “Intellectual capital.” Your credibility? “Reputational capital.” Feeling guilty about all this? Don’t worry. Slap a rainbow logo on, you’ve got some “ethical capital.” Want to build your political capital? Here’s the real game…
It takes physical capital to extract the natural capital to make enough financial capital to get elected so you have the political capital in the D.C. Capitol to change the laws so you can make even MORE capital capital!
It’s just not that hard! Why haven’t you made a billion dollars yet??
My friends, this is insane, but this is what the current story does, right? Have you ever stopped to think about how gross it all is?
I don’t want to be capital. I don’t want YOU to be capital. I don’t want the trees or the whales or the relationships in my life to be capital. But none of those things are included in GDP because you guessed it… they ain’t capital. Well, I guess some of this stuff you could KILL and turn into capital like trees and whales, maybe relationships too, because then you need therapy, which you need capital to pay for…
Are you seeing the problem? When things have to be DEAD for us to count them as valuable, I’m pretty sure we’ve majorly missed the mark on a system that will work for us.
If these ideas are a bit new to you, it feels really uncomfortable. I know, I’ve been there. I’ve been working through this myself over the last decade. There’s a really scary part of this conversation deep down. You’re probably feeling it even if you’re not conscious of it yet.
Here it is, you ready?
We all rely on capitalism to live. So questioning this belief system is really frightening because not only does it feel like it’s attacking some foundational pillars of how we understand reality, it also feels like introducing more uncertainty into the basic ways we stay alive. We don’t need more uncertainty, right? I promise I’m actually not introducing more uncertainty. I’m helping us understand the current uncertainty. This isn’t “more.” This is the reason why everything feels the way it does. Once you see this system for what it is, EVERYTHING makes more sense. And you’ll get through these feelings, I promise. Just stick with me.
This kind of disorientation, it’s actually a very normal part of what it means to live in a liminal time like now. We’re existing in a moment between stories. The old one is cracking. A new one’s gonna be born. And as anyone who has been pregnant or has walked alongside someone pregnant will tell you… it gets really uncomfortable. For now, just know, this phase, like all phases, will not last forever.
Also, everyone is impacted by what we’re talking about. Whether you realize it or not, YOU are at the mercy of capitalism. It doesn’t matter if you work inside the private sector or nonprofit or the public sector. If you are alive, this impacts you. That’s why this next point is so vitally important…
Absolutely none of what I’m saying is an indictment of the people working inside the system. Whether you are an independent consultant or a yoga teacher or a small business owner or an executive director of a nonprofit or a manager inside a state entity, I see you. You are working hard. You are doing your best, but you need to know the system is not doing its best to help you. The system is not your friend.
The game itself is completely totally rigged towards one thing and one thing only: CAPITAL. We all have some version of Stockholm Syndrome. We’re in love with our captors. They continually feed us stories that convince us to keep trying, keep working, keep going, because someday you’ll get that breakthrough to riches.
You won’t. Neither will I. In the U.S., you and I are almost five times more likely to become homeless than we are to become just a multimillionaire. So, if you’re holding out hope that capitalism’s eventually going to make you rich, statistically speaking, it’s definitely not. You’re not the next Elon. You’re not the exception. Neither am I.
And that is by design. We are in a continual state of being gaslit by the holders of capital, my friends. because you know what? The capitalist system doesn’t need you to win. It needs you to keep believing that you could win. Because that belief keeps you grinding.
So what in the world do we do with this? I am pretty sure that changing the “-ism” of life, which is what we need to do, is going to take some time. How do we bring this about? Where’s the Optimistic Rebellion for today?
I think we start by un-gaslighting ourselves. For most of us, this takes a lot of persistence and practice, as we have been so indoctrinated by this system since before we were born. For many of us, this belief system has been embedded in our family worldviews for generations.
So here are five practices that help me continue to un-gaslight myself.
First one. Watch your words, because language creates reality. Watch your words, because language creates reality. The more we call people “resources” or “capital” the more we see them that way. So start noticing, correcting your language… correct your thinking too. People are NOT capital, humans are NOT resources. Remember, many things that get described as capital actually are very much not. So watch your words, language creates reality.
Number two, follow the money. You want to know why something inexplicable just happened? Follow the money. Why did that uber- profitable company do more layoffs? It benefits capital. Why did senators vote for tax cuts for the already- wealthy? It benefits capital. Why’d we cut down that forest? Benefits capital. If something confusing or contradictory happens, just follow the money. You can almost always bet “it benefits capital” was the reason. I’m telling you: EVERYTHING makes more sense when you see this. So follow the money.
Number three, pay attention to what’s deemed valuable. Pay attention to what’s deemed valuable. What do you see being called valuable? What do you see on the covers of magazines? What do you see being prioritized? The system only values capital, and it only wants to prioritize things that make more capital. Practice noticing this. It’s everywhere all around you, all the time, but it’s like the water we don’t see. So just pay attention to what’s deemed valuable.
Number four, I want you to recognize why doing good is so damn hard. This explains why doing good is so hard. Are you a good human being trying to make a difference? I bet you are! But I also bet it’s hard, right? THIS is why. If you are trying to do something GOOD that doesn’t immediately benefit CAPITAL, you are pushing a boulder uphill. But actually, you’re an insurgent rebel in the system, so don’t stop trying to do good. Keep fighting the fight. Just recognize what you’re doing. You’re battling a really powerful system. You’re not battling other people. You’re battling this system. And this is why doing good is so hard.
Fifth one. Let the system be the problem. Let the system be the problem. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or like you’re failing, please remember, it’s not YOU. It’s the system. Seriously. Capitalism is a story designed to extract your energy and then make you feel like it’s your fault you don’t have any. But you are not broken. The system is broken. So let the system be the problem.
Here’s the truth you already know but haven’t been allowed to say out loud. You are not capital. Your kids are not capital. The planet is not capital. But capital-ism needs you to believe that all these things ARE capital. Because if you stop believing that the game falls apart. So I vote we stop playing. We stop believing the lie that this is all there is. We stop confusing the economy with capitalism. We stop thinking that we’re broken when it’s the system that’s rigged. Most importantly, start talking about this with your friends, your colleagues, your family, because the only way this story changes is if enough of us refuse to stay gaslit.
If you’re feeling a little uncomfortable right now, that’s good. That means you’re paying attention. The system is counting on you to look away, to get distracted, to keep grinding and believing that someday it’s going to pay off for you. It won’t. But here’s what will. Seeing this clearly. Naming it. refusing to participate in your own gaslighting.
Capitalism didn’t create the economy. It hijacked it. We can take it back. Not tomorrow, not with one election, not with one podcast episode, but We start by un-gaslighting ourselves. And then we can build something better because the future doesn’t belong to capital. It belongs to US.
Original post with all source links: https://joshallan.com/2025/11/11/why-is-capitalism-bad-youre-being-gaslit-every-day-and-you-wont-be-a-billionaire/
