Search results

But there are no boundaries with capitalism. Capital literally - which is to say abstractly - reduces everything to itself simply by dint of the fact that it is the form of general equivalence. You're presuming quite a lot here. 1 that human beings act in their own interests (not very much...

yeh, but come on who actually thinks that? The dominant hack position is that England are carthorses, they'll never compete with the silky slick Latinos...Certainly, I'd rather see a fast, effective premiership-style passing side than neat, prissy S American triangles going nowhere. But the...

Capital isn't the same thing as money, but not because it is more concrete. Quite to the contrary, capital is hyper-abstract. Capital items such as tools, factories, etc are 'fixed capital' as opposed to 'circulating capital'. They aren't acquired for their own intrinsic properties but only...

I'd give Carrick or King a go; King got roasted by commentators after the Argentina game but (a) he was up against the very best (b) he's likely to improve and (c) even then the Argentines only managed one goal (and that with England lacking their two first choice full backs) Scott Parker is...

Sounds like a good tip, that...

Apologies if I misunderstood your drift. I certainly didn't mean to sneer.

Missed that.... good memory Simon!

Hurrah! Yeh, but Brazil were never more overrated in Britain than between 70 and 94, when they were winning nothing. Last time they won in Europe: nearly 50 years ago.

Bravo! Thought I was the only one... samba fascism I call it... Greatest moment in world history: Italy 3 - Brazil 2 in 82.... Between 70 and 94 They Who Must Be Admired never looked like winning, despite commentators creaming over them every time they managed to kick a ball straight ('look...

Germany have a fantastic record of qualifying for the final; not so clever at winning it. When you put together the amount of times they have made the final with the amount of times a home side has done so, you'd have to say they're odds on for the final. Since 62: Home side made the final...

Yeh that PRECISELY sums up everything English sportspeople are up against - and footballers more than anyone else. We don't expect you to do very well... but if you don't massively exceed our expectations you will have failed. No wonder they have an 'in built loser attitude' as Mark E S put it...

I'd question this though: is it really true that capitalism is based on pursuit of self-interest? Isn't it based on the interests of capital, to which everything else must submit? Yes there's a coincidence between the interests of capital and the interests of particular groups or individuals...

real translation: let's stay on topic. If you want to pick fights with anti-capitalists, go on to the ethics thread or indeed start your own 'capitalism is great' thread. It would be good if this thread could return to its stated objective of defining capitalism. Anything you have to say on that...

Yes, but surely countries that are being exploited by First World countries are, far from being outside the capitalist system, integral to it. They are different from countries like Cuba or North Korea, surely, which could much more convincingly be positioned outside capitalism.

Isn't part of the answer to this the fact that, in capitalism, the worker's labour is his/her commodity? In feudalism, it is the product of labour that is expropriated by the lord. And this expropriated wealth is either consumed in sumptuary pleasure, or else expended on warfare etc - it isn't...

O come on Matt, give this anti-pop thing up, it's mad.... Film Popism wouldn't be the film of the 70s (I think that Scorsese-Coppola axis [I'm discounting Altman who I, alone I know, think is shit] would be the equivalent of postpunk, i.e. what popism cannot admit the existence of). Film...

Is anyone else infuriated by the inanity of pundits' 'predictions' for the world cup finals? What, for instance, is the fucking point in predicting that Brazil will win, as all four of the pundits in the Times do today. Well, really sticking out your necks there boys. And, alongside the...

I've given up all hope of ever receiving mine...

Since all of the stuff that I mentioned above comes after The Room, then .... see above :)

Right, good, can we stay back on track and avoiding letting this become an ideological battle with BP.... can we specify what it is that makes that relationship of exploitation inevitable and necessary rather than merely contingent?