Nope, very much the opposite. But I also know how materialism is defined and not many people in this thread seem to, through will or ignorance, neither would surprise me.
Taking a step back, this thread is tankie catnip for people who only think materialism=capitalism, and capitalism=the only bad thing ever. Sorry that this is how you find out, but socialist governments have been and remain hard materialists as well. More so than capitalists in some ways. The easiest example is that non-material social groups - religions - are generally illegal. Regardless of your personal thoughts on that, science, the “religion of materialism” is permitted. The only non-material fetishization is generally around the Party. Socialism in general is all about not letting people decide their own fates with regard to material goods at all, but having the state command all aspects of production.
If people in a capitalist country can’t afford to do anything then they’re in an economic prison. We can agree on that, right? But the bars of that prison, short of medical issues, are bars of your own making. If you move to a hippie commune, is that a zoo in a world where everyone is in their own prison? Or is that simply another kind of prison because they might have rules about helping out with time and effort? Those are costs, too.
That’s 100% not what anyone considers materialistic.
Obviously, feed your children. Feed yourself. That’s not materialism, that’s surviving. I’m not talking about starving as some moral high ground.
I’m talking about people who stress about not going to brunch or having the latest whatever BS phone. That is materialism.
It sounds like you actually agree with “if people can’t afford to do anything, that’s not freedom”, then.
Nope, very much the opposite. But I also know how materialism is defined and not many people in this thread seem to, through will or ignorance, neither would surprise me.
Taking a step back, this thread is tankie catnip for people who only think materialism=capitalism, and capitalism=the only bad thing ever. Sorry that this is how you find out, but socialist governments have been and remain hard materialists as well. More so than capitalists in some ways. The easiest example is that non-material social groups - religions - are generally illegal. Regardless of your personal thoughts on that, science, the “religion of materialism” is permitted. The only non-material fetishization is generally around the Party. Socialism in general is all about not letting people decide their own fates with regard to material goods at all, but having the state command all aspects of production.
If people in a capitalist country can’t afford to do anything then they’re in an economic prison. We can agree on that, right? But the bars of that prison, short of medical issues, are bars of your own making. If you move to a hippie commune, is that a zoo in a world where everyone is in their own prison? Or is that simply another kind of prison because they might have rules about helping out with time and effort? Those are costs, too.