Socialism vs. Capitalism: Anton Batey vs. Todd Reinhardt

Very old debate from when I was 17 or 18 debating in favor of socialism against a gentleman named Todd Reinhardt. Weeks prior to this Reinhardt debated known socialist Kwame Sumburu (Paul Boutelle). I believed that I could provide more insight on what socialism is, so I challenged Mr. Reinhardt. We covered many subjects, from unionism, to Stalinism, to the USSR, to Cuba, to U.S. foreign policy, to environmentalism, etc.

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[bigredftp]

To be honest, I don't have time for a point by point critique of the debate. If I did maybe I'd post a video response. I'll point to one instance, though. Towards the end, the other fellow suggests that many workers spend their paychecks like capitalists on the weekends. This is silly and you should have jumped all over it. Capitalists don't spend money profligately, they use money to buy commodities (labor and capital) and then resell the product for a greater sum of money. This is Marx's famo

[AntonBatey]

@bigredftp

I understand that, and respect that.Just a a comical note, when the guy said that comment, I was literally getting a sip of water, and right when I was about to respond, the host came in and cut off the debate.

[bigredftp]

Unfortunately, the fellow representing socialism comes off as having never read Marx's Capital. He doesn't seem to have a solid understanding of how capitalism functions, how it's crisis prone, nor what are alternatives beyond this Leninist garbage. Sad, he seems now to have swung all the way over to the other extreme writing for Mises.org.

[AntonBatey]

@bigredftp

Please be more specific about what I apparently do not understand. Not to make excuses, but I was 17 or 18 during this recording. I have adopted more practical philosophies since then – socialistic on certain issues, capitalistic on others. Like most I assume.

[siggyboss]

You're very fortunate to have ample opportunities of self-reflection. Debating at such a young age seems great.

[AntonBatey]

@siggyboss

I appreciate that. I think it’s important for people to be willing to change their minds when they discover new information and gain knowledge. Anyone who has the exact same opinion or philosophy after even a few years either

a) isn’t studying what he or she claims to believe, or

b) is fairly stubborn

The only thing constant in the universe is change.

[sunyavadin]

Also wow, if he actually *believes* what he's saying and not just saying it for the sake of the debate, he's an utterly inhuman piece of detritus that has no place at large in society.

[sunyavadin]

What a retard the pro cpitalist guy is. He fails on maths, on politics, on geography, on...

[eternallord]

I've always found myself far more inclined to identify as a socialist than a capitalist based on the ideals.. I've never been 100% convinced though.. Capitalism has proven to have really positive effects as far as creativity goes.

I think it's necessary to restrain the exploitative nature of capitalism.. I also think there needs to be a careful balance of the altruistic nature of socialism with economic interests so that we don't self-destruct and reduce creativity.

It can definitely be done.

[tstruss912]

@AlexG7ism It's funny that you named two countries, out of three named, that were terrorized endlessly by capitalist countries: Venezuela and Cuba. Who would want to live in a land terrorized by the west? It makes no sense. Capitalism has never existed and neither has socialism; all economies are mixed. The debate should be what we want more of, and most would choose socialism.

[mexicubanguy]

Response to bottom comment:

You see, socialism is an ideal. It has never been truly achieved but in it essence it's amazing. However the corrupt nature of people is what makes it fail every time it's been attempted before

[AlexG7ism]

If socialism was so good for the people, then why the hell does nearly the whole planet wants to desperately migrate to capitalist countries (even enter illegaly) to countries like the USA, Australia, Canada, Germany etc. But nobody wants to migrate to countries like Russia, Cuba, Venezuela etc. There are millions of Cubans that call America home. These millions of Cubans left Cuba through the Castro Socialist period, not during the former government that everybody criticises.