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Re:AI is killing the cheap smartphone by WalterBright on Friday May 22, 2026 @03:55AM (#48233196)
Capitalism began when Thag, who was a good hunter, brought home two dinosaur steaks. His buddy Grog was a lousy hunter, but was good at making spears. Thag traded a dinosaur steak for a new spear.
Re:AI is killing the cheap smartphone by hackyhacky on Friday May 22, 2026 @08:25AM (#48234930)
That's commerce, not capitalism.

Capitalism began when Thag declared that he owns all the dinosaurs, and anyone who hunts a dinosaur must pay him 10 percent of the meat as a tribute, or else he will stab them with his spear.

Re:AI is killing the cheap smartphone by WalterBright on Friday May 22, 2026 @02:35PM (#48239668)
Um, Grog had the spear.
Re:AI is killing the cheap smartphone by hackyhacky on Friday May 22, 2026 @03:23PM (#48240300)
If you just want to troll, go to reddit. thx.
Re:AI is killing the cheap smartphone by lkey on Saturday May 23, 2026 @10:02PM (#48253603)
Really Walter? You know better than this.

First, pedantically, we did not share time with 'dinosaurs' in the sense you imply.

Secondly, pedantically, that kind of hunting was not the main source of calories for hunter-gatherers. It's more apt to imagine them as gatherers first and primarily.

Thirdly, and also pedantically, you are not describing the system of capitalism that I, and most educated people talk about when they use the word. That system has only been with us in the main for, generously, 250 years.

Critically, Thag and Grog both own the means of production for their spears and 'steaks' respectively. The necessary abstractions for capital accumulation, debt, and private ownership simply do not exist.