Here again with a think piece and this time I am of the very strong opinion that capitalism is meant to keep the poor in a state of poverty in the political economy. It is just a "poverty trap." Of course to understand this perspective, we have to look at how the institutional structures often work together to make upward mobility difficult for those at the bottom. One of the most immediate ways capitalism penalizes the poor is through the higher cost of living associated with a lack of liquid capital. This is famously illustrated in what is called the "Boots Theory." A wealthy person can spend N50(Naira) on a pair of boots that lasts ten years. A poor person can only afford N10 boots that last a season and need replacing every few months. After ten years, the poor person has spent N400 on boots and still has wet feet, while the wealthy person has spent N50 and has dry feet. We look at the banking examples, and see that people with low balances are often hit with "overdraft fees" or "monthly maintenance fees." , stamp duty fees, etc meanwhile, those with significant wealth receive interest, dividends, and "premium" banking services and dont even get me started on the tax cuts they get. Capitalism functions on the principle of surplus value, it seeks to exploit labor majorly. For a business to be marginally profitable, it pays workers less than the total value their labor produces, imagine my utter surprise and dismay when I saw on X(twitter) that most people who work in restaurants in the U.S survive basically on tips, like its crazy and you have Americans actually defending the system of tipping. To the extent that it is a major talking point if you don’t tip, like it has become a compulsory thing over there and I’m like why not just pay your waiters and staff better? We just for many countries, mine Nigeria included live in a gig economy. Companies like Uber or Bolt reclassify "employees" as "independent contractors." This allows the company to bypass minimum wage laws, healthcare contributions, and paid leave. The worker assumes all the risk (car maintenance, gas, insurance). Same also with when I learned that majority of banks here their staffs are contract workers and not full time workers. Also look at what happens when labor becomes too expensive, capital owners invest in technology to replace workers. While this increases efficiency, the "dividends" of that efficiency go to the shareholders, not the displaced workers who find themselves in an even more precarious financial position. In a capitalist system, essential services like housing, healthcare, and education are often treated as commodities rather than rights. When the goal is profit maximization, the price of these services is driven by what the market can extract, not what is affordable. Lets not even talk about healthcare wherein in systems without universal coverage, a single medical emergency can result in bankruptcy. In the U.S., medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy. Ref: https://www.alatsaslawfirm.com/library/top-causes-for-filing-for-bankruptcy.cfm#:~:text=Medical%20Expenses,reasonable%20way%20of%20catching%20up. Capitalism also requires specialized skills, but the gatekeeping of those skills is often financial, which results in a debt trap . Higher education is today marketed as the only way out of poverty, but it often requires taking on massive debt. A student from a poor background starts their professional life with a negative net worth, while a wealthy peer starts at zero or higher. The interest on that debt consumes the "extra" income the degree was supposed to provide. Again While capitalism has undoubtedly driven innovation and increased global GDP, the structural reality for those at the bottom is often a vicious cycle. When you lack capital, you pay more for goods, earn less for your time, and face higher barriers to the tools (education, health, housing) required to change your status. The system is designed to reward the ownership of assets to especially beat the inevitable inflation and for those who own nothing but their labor, the path to stability is steep and filled with systemic "taxation" on their poverty.
