Archive of videos on cooperatives, workers' self-management, workers' rights and other related topics.
There is an alternative to capitalism: it's called libertarian socialism. Capitalism should be replaced by a participatory democracy in which the workplaces are run by the workers and the communities.
Recommended links:
www.democracyatwork.info/
rdwolff.com/
www.garalperovitz.com/
www.chomsky.info/
www.iopsociety.org/
www.iww.org/
www.thenews.coop/
shiftchange.org/
evergreencooperatives.com/
www.mondragon-corporation.com/eng/
libcom.org/
www.freedompress.org.uk/news/
www.reddit.com/r/cooperatives
occupywallst.org/
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This person is VERY bias on his opinion. I feel as a professor he should be there to teach the meaning of these subjects only. From there I would like to form my own opinion. I'm not there for him to influence me nor am I interested in what HE thinks is right or wrong. There's a reason this country has done so well. A person living here has all kinds of opportunity to better themselves. You can do that by taking risk and starting a business or corporation, working hard, hold down multiple jobs, etc the opportunities are limitless. The business owners take all the risk so why shouldn't they make the most money? An employee can just walk away, they get paid an hourly wage regardless how business is doing. If they want to make more money then start their own business. They have the same opportunities as anybody else. In terms of paying employees more. It's call supply and demand. Take a look at how well this has worked out for Ca since the state mandates these businesses pays $20 minimum wage. Look at how many businesses have left Ca. or gone out of business. They are hiring less employees, cutting down on portions, and cutting business hours to save on overhead. Now the working class can't even afford a burger. How did this help the working class.? The whole point I'm trying to make is if you are going to teach a class then teach it without giving us YOUR OWN BIAS OPINION! That's not right!
Fantastic😁
When large amounts of people protested under George W. Bush he told them to go ahead and then closed his curtains and shut his windows. They don't care if you protest anymore. They will do what they want.
Genocide denier Noam Chomsky criticized successful worker's co-ops. He is not leftist.
early 70s is when we went off the gold standard...
And seven years on, only 118 thousand views. Perfectly represents the problem of silencing dissent.
Great for workers. Great for the Climate. Great economic stabilizers through the world wars. Worker Ownership and Empowerment. 🎉
Politicians in service to the rich with 250,000,000 Americans all LETTING a tiny few GET AWAY WITH all of it.
Can some one tell me the name of the full documentary? Would be dope
We need to make changes to this system. Where's Robin Hood? What laws need to go away that keep people poor and working for tonights meal? What laws need to be set in place. Surplus labor is valued far more than the labor of the human doing it.. Houses aren't worth the cost when your home is your job. Unfortunately, most jobs are dreadfully repeatative and don't require more than a month to get down.. it's a terrible home. I am going to build my own home out of the earth, with the materials on the property.. 2 years of labor and I have a home.. instead of 30 years of work and l have a glorified shed with rooms even though I've built 100s of them and some entitled A-hole has 12 because of me and my broke friends
Capitalism is beautiful. 🤪
There are health consequences as well as crime consequences. Some people who feel abandoned by society are more willing to break the law to shield their children and themselves.
Then who starts the businesses without a capitalist investor?
of course the top 50 percent gained and the bottom half lost thats just capitalism, the question that should be asked is why didn’t the bottom half rise up? forget about losing everything you only have your chains to lose
So are managers chosen cooperatively
And now we have the next profit wave, subscription services. On everything.
Workers Self-managmnet socialism,was tried in Yugoslavia,but couldn't succeed due two factors,Western capital constant presssure and sabotage underneath, although publicly they were in favor of it, Second reason,for any sort of collectivist society ,it's simple doomed to fail,its the egoistic and imperfect human nature, that's the true and no one can't deny it... Soviet Union failed due the similar reasons, Low Productivity of work and corruption,due rhe absence of private entrepreneurship,was simply overwhelming
that's the simple explanation of the complex exploitation - great Marxist economist Richard Wolf.
There are so many holes in this professor's lecture. He's too old to be this stupid. Go spend a year in a communist country and see how you like it. Go spend time with any immigrants from communist countries and see why they left.
Communism isn’t the answer. But not allowing people to get ridiculously rich is something that needs to be explored. No one should have that much power, to force continued cooperation instead of an engulfing. Focus points however are unavoidable, and communism is just greater concentration into an even smaller group of people, consequently with smaller scope due to where they’re standing, which results in poor governance and miserable people. So the answer is some decentralization so groups can take care of themselves but with a ceiling to prevent power imbalances. The smaller the groups the more power in the average persons hand, naturally.
What about all the genocide that occured by the Anarchist? Is that true? And was it a reason Stalin got rid of them? Since he really didnt want the republic to win and he already got all thier gold! Plus he wanted the English and French as allies was a priority for him.
This is highly informative, all trade union leadership has to be part of this work by Prof Richard Wolff
Very interesting socioeconomic system. Most of the YT videos on Mondragon are at least 7, 8 or 9 years old. What's their status now, in 2024, and what can we learn from their approach to the economic dimension of modern life?
Listening to this dude makes me realize that getting a PhD is easy.
Two great lecturers whose words could be carved in stone.
what he saying is, "eat the rich"...
I took my time to watch this video, it's all BS and if you believe that the only value is created by the workers then you need to start a business. Experience is the best teacher.
When you start a business you are a worker. The interests of small capitalists are very much aligned with the interests of the workers (staving off starvation and exposure to the elements, not destroying your ecosystem). Compare to the interests of a capitalist (Maximizing profit, at any cost, RIP Boeing whistleblower). You see the difference yet?
Worker coops are brilliant but the comment about having jobs to buy falls into the consumer trap. We are here to sustain our living not to buy useless things. Worker coops sustain their communities where the many, not the few, share the profits and decide what, where and how to produce.
Chomsky always says in elogent and intelligent words what we all deep down always knew.
I must say the 2nd point is misleading. He does not define what systemic risk is. He left out that supply of money to the economy is all important, and banks are the key. That does not mean just transacting money, but more precisely supply of credit, for all money there is, there exists equal amount of credit. One’s asset is another’s liability.
The systemic risk and contagion is that somewhere out there is a concentration of bad loans. Lending money to all property developers and homeowners in an island under risks of natural disasters? Suddenly all loans go bad, assets must be written down, the bank is undercapitalized, depositors may want their money back and panic about their depoists will start more bank runs, that will constrain banking sectors ability to make loans, slowing down credit creation, money supply stagnant or contractring, and a recession.
What to produce, where, and how much are all determined by normal economic factors. I have a strong feeling that the whole story on these cooperatives in Ohio is not being told. There is no way that there are not some persons involved who have more expertise, more overview, and more control, than other people, or that everyone working at all levels of an organization can all have equal knowledge of the big picture as well as the many areas of specialization which most everything requires. There are so many jobs where this democracy idea just doesn't seem like a feasible option. That isn't to say that management can't benefit from being open to the knowledge and experience of workers on specific task related insights, but generally, thing A has to get to point B, and all that matters is that it gets done. We, as employees are the wheels on the car. Our job is to touch the ground and roll, not to steer the car. There is no way a democratic model would be of any value where I work. Most of the employees have no capacity for making meaningful input into the larger operation of the business. With their own specific tasks, maybe, but generally it's a low skill job and the main necessity is for production to happen. Also, I wonder how the democracy idea impacts those people with sufficiently low IQ that they cannot be trained even to do simple tasks. Not all people are capable of contributing the same level of economic value, and there is no moral reason why anyone should reap greater rewards than what they are able to earn. Equity is unjust.
“Normal economic factors” aka the incentives of the current dominant economic elite. You are drowning in ideology
How come this seems like common sense to me, but not others
Because it is complete bullshit. Wolff's entire argument stems from his ignorance of economics, which is pretty hilarious because he's apparently an "economist." I've seen him make this same point over and over, and it's ridiculous each time. He always says something like "when you negotiate for your pay, let's say it's $20/hr, the only reason the capitalist can pay you that is because your labor generates MORE than $20/hr, otherwise the employer wouldn't hire you." This is logically incoherent. It's just wrong and indefensible. What is generating $20/hr is NOT simply the work of THAT LABORER. It's the work of that laborer mixed with everything else that went into creating and running the company, which includes the contributions of the owner. For example, if I build a machine that produces shoes at a rate of $100 worth of shoes per hour, but I need somebody to pull the lever every few minutes to generate a new pair of shoes, and I hire you to pull that lever. You're not generating $100/hr. It's you plus the machine. The concept Wolff is talking about is Marginal Product of Labor, and a real economist would know that the marginal product of an additional unit of labor is NOT the same thing as what your labor is "worth." He's just wrong, plain and simple. It just sounds good to people who are either a) dumb or b) already inclined towards being sympathetic to Marxism..... but I repeat myself.
❤f/ the master
I love his comments at the very end. I’d love to see that as a movie - The American working class: with a vengeance! Of course, I would love that even more in real life.
You know I believe Chomsky when he says Henry Kissinger stated: "we shouldn't confuse foreign policy with missionary activities" Google has changed the record to "you should not confuse covert action with missionary activities" I've seen this happen many many times where I've had a vid recording of a live quote and go to pick it up a couple months later and there's "misquoted correction sites" claiming people are misquoting them with a completely different altered quote.
Wonder how much that university makes compared to the professor lol the worker takes no risk… why is he in a university and not independently teaching easy to stand on your soap box when you’re not taking the risk 🤯
This guy is 81 years old today and he looks like he could be 61. I wonder what correlation intelligence has with longevity …
It’s not that you are remotely “ripped off” it a false and cultured sense of entitlement. You produce thing with support of funding and opportunity that he assigns zero moral or tangible value…. The processor ignore all other factors and only the hyper focused individuals perception value of work compared to a perceived “product”. He is critically dismissive of complex skills and diversity of skill required to manage or operate a business. The concept here panders to fouls with “have Not syndromes” with over simplified logical fallacies. The moral is, No one owns you anything and you are lucky for opportunity capitalism creates. Any thing else he is selling is a lie. Marxist ideologues, historical precursors and socialism have breed evil that destroyed societies from ancient times til now , harmed and killed more humans that any over ideology.
All you brain turds forget 1 key detail. Humans are evil and it doesn’t matter what system you have in place at this time. Humans will screw everything up. The question should be which system will prolong human life and which will speed up the decay
Biggest crock of shit I've ever seen.....so obvious this guy has never actually built or run a business. How do you account for the fact the "evil capitalist" will have probably spent years of their life, working 16 hours a day 7 days week, sacrificed time, money and relationships, to get to the point where a business actually WORKS? In the instances where it fails before it gets going, the "evil capitalist" is supposed to just suck it up and accept they lost, but in those rare cases where it actually works, you now have it all taken from you and given to people you've employed? All this is, is a means to ensure no-one ever takes risks, no-one ever builds a business and no-one ever innovates or creates jobs & wealth. Worst of all, he seems to be ignorant (deliberately so?) that there's no reason under the current system that worker co-op run business can actually exist! There's nothing to stop people structuring a business like this. The fact they are not already wide-spread speaks volume about how successful they are likely to be.
What a sacred man is Richard Wolff
Please give us a supplied transcript for this debate/educational conversation
He conveniently leaves out key attributes to Capitalism. One of course is how it’s lifted billions of ppl out of poverty. Shareholders: CAN BE ANYONE! It’s not an exclusive club. Risk & Reward: 9:10 companies that ever emerged failed. Only a small minority ever make it to GM status. So why shouldn’t someone who risks EVERYTHING to make it BIG get rich? My Boss put everything he owned up several times just to make payroll. He gambles on his employees ability to make a profit but not only that, they have to compete against other companies by cutting cost and bidding (gambling). Communism is the biggest CROCK OF SIT ever dreamed up by IDIOTS! Look back at the very beginning of human involvement. IT WAS CAPITALIST! Capitalism is what advanced humans forward to happiness. Communist never explain exactly how their utopia would work bc, IT DOESNT! Marx with all his brilliance and literary master piece never explained who would run “utopia.” I find it funny bc honestly, Communism is just Capitalism under far fewer leaders, typically ganksters. You, “the worker” is forced to work for very little in factories that the leader deem “acceptable.” Brutal dictator’s pick and choose who wins and fails, not brilliance or the market. Capitalism is the most natural form of society that dates back to Cavemen. When humans are forced by con men (dictators) to labor for society instead of themselves, society becomes depressed, oppressed and morally broken. HOWEVER, I will admit where Capitalism has failed miserably and that is corruption. Lobbying CoNgress! Money in politics is destroying America (which has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty). I just find it disingenuous with todays “higher learning” (professors) that they either conveniently leave out the truth or they don’t know themselves about why Communism will never work??
You have got no focking clue about Artels in USSR, do you? Soviet Airtel system during the time of Stalin practiced a more ethical market than what is going on in the world today. Ofcourse you western shills only know the empty shelves in Moscow that resulted after Capitalism had been introduced, starting from Krushchev to Gorbachev. Capitalism lifted billions of people put of poverty? 😂😂 When exactly? Can you provide a time period for your claim?
@@morningstararun6278yet again the communist liar shows up to spew lies and revisionist bullshit.
This is a fundamental misunderstanding of economics. I have worked many different jobs with many different salaries. Not one of these I could have earned the same amount of money working on my own. I didn't have the resources. It was my employer that provided the facilities, the equipment, the customer base, and the know-how that allowed the business to make money. I voluntarily traded my labor for the resources that the employer provided. On my own, I wouldn't have been nearly as productive. I would have starved. Voluntary exchange works. Richard Wolff has never run a business. If he had, he would see the world differently.
Wolff is truly ignorant to the benefits of a capitalist free market system.he chooses to disregard the numbers and hold on to a notion he embraced at a young age a notion he would do well to reject. But instead he keeps crapping out Marxist nonsense to people who don't know any better. Those people should Google Peter zeihan for a more realistic approach to economic issues
Very misleading. Propaganda for communism. And thats not going to work. If you think you can make communism work, you are overestimating yourself. Better you should propagate what has to be done instead of showing images of oppressors with clouds over their heads, smoking cigars and the oppressed, coughing and looking sick. The best society will be based on freedom, creativity, initiative and hard work. That creates production. Production=wealth. When you participate and do something what others value, you will get paid in the amount that others value it for. Thats capitalism. Capitalism comes close to the best thing but isn’t perfect. That doesn’t mean you should alter the fundamentals of capitalism. It does mean you have to take care of people who can’t. Not the people who do not want however! A government needs to set some rules (not too many) and borders and not participate. Big government=corruption. So proof of work is something thats essential. Free money doesn’t work, because most humans will abuse it. And that will demotivate the hard working. So if you can’t, okay. You will be provided for. However, you can always make yourself useful somewhere (proof of work).
Corporate elite control the U.S. government.
Okay. Let's work this equation through for the slow ones in the back of this comments section who think this guys isn't a gibbering imp. Let's say I own a coffee shop and I pay you for what you labour is worth. Let's say, for argument's sake, your hourly rate is $20 in a capitalist business, like in this video. I'll pay you $40. But now I need you to pay a portion of the rent per hour, out of that $40. Now I need you to pay a portion of utilities. And equipment costs. And Insurance. And product costs - coffee beans, sugar, milk, cream, cups etc. Now I need you to pay a portion of cleaning an maintenance. Now I need you to pay a portion of branding, marketing, and advertisement costs. Now I need you to pay shipping costs. Now I need you to pay tax. Software costs, to run payment systems. Now I need you to pay me a portion of your wage to keep me (or shareholders) invested so I don't shut it all off and tell you to create your own coffee shop. And what do you have left out of that $40? OMG! It's $20 per hour! Or you can keep your $40 per hour - and what do you have? You have access to unfiltered, bacteria ridden water in a river or lake somewhere, and maybe a bucket you've woven out of reeds to carry said water in. Somehow, 'Muddy Water with Free Dysentery' just doesn't have the same ring to it as 'Starbucks', don't ya think?
So logic would dictate whoever the big money and power tries to keep out of political power is working for the people. Trump fits the bill. They really hate him.
If I were in that class, I'd raise my hand and ask "sir, if managers aren't necessary for the means of production to succeed, then why do the greedy owners trying to maximize their profits bother hiring and paying them?"
Ohhhhh, I would’ve been picking him apart constantly to where he’d kick me out of his class. He’s talking about making Gumbo by explaining the pot. There are ten thousand other variables happening here. Typical communist BS. Think of this - let’s say GM gives all their profit to the workers. What happens when a $10 million dollar piece of equipment takes a dump? Are the workers gonna pitch in to replace it? F NO! “MY MONIES MEH!” These corporations gamble BIG! They’re constantly re-investing and GAMBLING on more efficient, safer practices. I worked at GM (outside contractor) and the workers are treated pretty good for a decent wage. Communism, you are nothing! Humans are less than shovels or hammers. It’s slavery…..
It's shocking that anyone over the age of 5 years old can not see how utterly stupid this guy is and how completely flawed his argument is. Has this guy ever had a real job in his entire lifetime? The irony is; he is the one he is talking about when he speaks about people that do not produce any value. lol...