The "Is this Capitalism" Reality Check

1. Do businesses in your area exist primarily to generate profits? If that's the case, you're witnessing Capitalism in action. 

2. Can people buy and sell company shares through organized markets? If this happens regularly, you're observing Capitalism. 

3. Do certain individuals accumulate wealth by extracting value from other people's efforts? When this occurs, you're seeing Capitalism at work. 

4. Does your economic system treat workers (the actual backbone of society) as expenses to minimize rather than assets to value? If this mindset prevails, you're experiencing Capitalism. 

5. Do people consistently prioritize personal gain over collective well-being? Think about executives shuttering local factories to exploit overseas labor, elected officials crafting favorable policies after receiving hefty contributions from the ultra-wealthy, or dealers peddling harmful substances for quick cash. When these behaviors are commonplace, you're living under Capitalism. 

If most or all of these scenarios ring true in your experience, you're undoubtedly part of a Capitalist framework. Don't let the powerful elites who control your information sources and political institutions convince you otherwise.