this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2025
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The explanation given in the picture condemns capitalism, not socialism.
Capitalism is the system that assumes actors work in their own rational self interest. It's when capitalism gives "free stuff" that people need to worry about the hidden cost.
The transaction in this case is that the mouse trades its life for a chance of getting food. But, as is typical for capitalism, the person who offers the transaction is intentionally concealing its true cost, making it impossible for the mouse to make any rational decision.
The person who originally made that meme seems to believe that socialism simply means "free stuff". But a mouse trap baited with food is an absolutely textbook example of capitalism.
capitalism will you give me free social media
for increased social bandwidth with friends?
yesssssss
actually creates a hellhole of ad supported data theft, harassment, misinformation, and networks of abuse
Until I got to your comment I actually thought I had read capitalism. I just thought it was the "if it's free, you're the product".
Yes, I read it and said, "Where's the government?" I don't think you can have socialism without a government or some equivalent. If it's just two entities interacting without outside regulation, then it's definitely not something specific to socialism.
if you don't already own capital, everything you buy is paid for with your labor/body/self.
every day we give over small pieces of ourselves just to live in a world that someone else created.
socialism is when the people own the mousetrap
That's closer to the way communism is generally used. Socialism would be more like if the government had a mousetrap program where it distributed mousetraps to people with rodent problems.
I say "generally used" because some people have used "socialism" and "communism" interchangeably, but I think it's just confusing to do that today.