this post was submitted on 01 Feb 2025
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Communism

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[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 22 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

I think this map is incorrect. It assumes people actually own things and property and all.

More like the 1% owns it all, and sells the false idea of ownership to the rest in taxes.

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

jesse wtf are you talking about

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Nobody owns anything anymore. The oligarchs, CEOs and politicians own everything, while only giving the everyday citizens a false idea of ownership via taxes and subscriptions.

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 10 points 4 days ago (3 children)

If “ownership” has any practical meaning at all, I’m pretty sure I own my toothbrush.

In what ways do taxes give us a sense of ownership? Ownership of what?

[–] j4k3@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

In many places, like here in Orange County California, the local stores stopped carrying "firm" bristle toothbrushes. They only carry more expensive and flashy "soft" bristle varieties in all kinds of nonsense designs and only single and double packs. If you live anywhere poorer, you will notice that ALL of the products sold are different between these areas. If you are very self aware, you may notice that these much more expensive flashy products work terribly and the bristles splay after a week or two in comparison to the versions available in poorer areas where the same amount if money buys an 8-12 multi pack, and each brush will last a couple of months before splaying.

Information such as this is limited. This is about autonomy. It is also about the ancient issue of false weighted scales in a forum market just in a modern context. Property is not owned when you still pay for extra junk to keep hold of it. That is renting from the real owners just by another name.

You think you own your toothbrush. Do you, when someone is able to manipulate your perception of choice and dial it how often you repurchase it. Similarly, you do not own property that you do not control. Like your phone is controlled and therefore owned by whomever controls the orphaned kernel and binary modules that make it impossible for anyone to maintain without the SOC and modem hardware documentation. Everything is like this in the present dystopian world. Someone is manipulating and skimming every product and purchase without adding or providing value. This is possible because they are cashing out on citizenship and autonomy often in subtle enough ways to go unnoticed.

[–] YarHarSuperstar@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

This is so well put and relevant. Thank you for you write up, I really appreciate the perspective.

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Look back at the OG meme. It suggests the people have 100% ownership of the land, dispersed unevenly though.

When clearly we do not. Most everyone does not own the dirt they live and dwell on. If you owned it, you wouldn't have to keep paying for it.

[–] Halosheep@lemm.ee 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The meme has nothing to do with land ownership, it's giving a visual example of wealth differential by diving a map of the US into sections.

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world -3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The meme literally says own in every section.

How else is anyone supposed to interpret the words presented to them?

[–] jsomae@lemmy.ml 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Perhaps you missed this: the meme says "if U.S. land mass were divided like U.S. wealth." It's a simile; it doesn't mean that this really is the actual ratio that U.S. land is divided.

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world -3 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I missed absolutely nothing. I read the exact words on the meme, which imply 100% of people own land.

Get real, 1% own property, while the other 99% have to rent it from the rich oligarchs and other rich fucks.

[–] jsomae@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I agree with you that if the meme were to accurately show the amount of land the 1% owns, then the meme would probably show that almost all of the land is owned by the 1%. (I don't know the actual percentage.) But it says if it were divided like U.S. wealth, so it ironically shows the 1% owning only about 40%. It's accurate to the amount of wealth that they own, not land.

Think of it like a pie chart showing wealth, but instead of a circle it's (rather misleadingly) shaped like the continental U.S.

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's all misleading. None of it is proportional, whether presented as a pie chart or a map.

The diagram, however you want to observe it, literally says 100% of the land is owned, by different regions and classes. Which is obviously a bold faced lie, only a small percentage of ~~people~~ oligarchs actually own the land, they just rent it out to the rest of the people.

And if you're lucky enough to 'own' your land, you don't really own it, you still gotta pay taxes on your dirt...

[–] jsomae@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So your objection is to the verb 'own'. Would you agree with the meme if it were to say "1% would rent this, 9% would rent this, 30% would rent this," etc.?

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

That sort of diagram would indeed better reflect the state of affairs regarding the dirts everyone lives on..

[–] YarHarSuperstar@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

What? It does not imply that at all? ~~Let me guess, you also think that the 1% own the entire northwestern corner of the country? And 40% of people live in a single city in Texas?~~

Edit: I'm sorry, this was unnecessarily rude and unnecessary in general.

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Also, remember that many modern devices are unnecessarily connected to the internet. Why WiFi on the refrigerator? Why on the toaster? Why on the microwave?

Do you even own your toothbrush anymore? It won't be long and they'll have you paying a subscription for your toothbrush to scan your DNA at this rate..

[–] folaht@lemmy.ml 7 points 3 days ago

Map is old. Needs an update because it's gotten a whole worse since then.

[–] blakenong@lemmings.world 12 points 4 days ago

1% would own this, 99% would rent this.

[–] Sibbo@sopuli.xyz 9 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

This reminds me about this calculation about the total volume of all humans on earth. And how small it actually is.

Something like 66.4 liters * 8e9 = 0.53km³.

[–] toototabon@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 days ago

NGE was right about their orange juice.

[–] ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Can we at least move the red dot out of Texas?

[–] DataDisrupter@feddit.nl 4 points 3 days ago

Sure. You can move it to Alabama, or Florida.

[–] Okokimup@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Tag yourself, I'm in the red dot.

Can we please move the red dot out of Texas, maybe someplace with nicer, well everything