I Love Capitalism - The Real Kind

I love capitalism. Perfect, true, 100% open and straight Adam Smith–type capitalism. The hidden hand everywhere. No hidden corners. No free passes. No “oops, we forgot to count that.”

If we’re going to play capitalism, let’s do it right, with real, intrinsic measurements of value and cost, so no one can hide behind marketing slogans or cooked-up numbers. A true market is based on actual costs.

Without that, we’re left with what we have now: a cheating, greedy, lying power grab by those who want capitalism’s freedom but not its accountability. From now on, every company should be charged for its externalities, that means the full costs of the damage, waste, pollution, health problems, and cleanup caused from a product’s conception to its disposal.

What do you think captains of industries? You almighty who actually think your poop don´t stink? Go ahead. Ask any one of these companies to account for these real costs and see what they say.

Let’s talk about Apple’s iPhone.

The iPhone is a miracle of modern design. It’s also a miracle of hidden costs. Yes, it costs $1,000 at the store. But that’s just the price tag. The real cost is hiding in plain sight:

• The mining of rare earth metals that poisons rivers in Inner Mongolia.

• The energy-hungry factories in China burning coal to make those sleek little chips.

• The CO₂ released by global shipping, trucking, and distribution networks.

• The mountains of toxic e-waste when millions of “old” iPhones get tossed every year.

• The long-term climate damage that we will pay for with floods, heat waves, and food shortages.

If we counted every bit of this. If we put an honest price on the carbon, the poisoned land, the ruined water, and the public health costs, then your wonderful, amazing, innovative, incredible iPhone would not cost $1,000.  It would probably cost $3,000. Maybe $4,000.

And I´m being generous.

The point is simple:

Don’t come to me pumping your chest, claiming efficiency, productivity, and maximum profitability when you haven’t even accounted for 90% of the actual cost of producing a product. Because that is not capitalism. That’s a con. A falsity more false than anything fake you’ve ever seen.

And yet, all you hear from the moguls is the same tired self-congratulations. They’ll brag about “innovation” and “value creation.” and ¨efficiency.¨ But once again, ask them a simple question:

“Have you counted your externalities?”

Watch the silence that follows.

Thanks for Reading. Abrazos.

Diego Rojas