Charles Wickham

Morty: Capitalism gives everyone a chance to get rich if they just work hard enough. Rick: Oh my god, Morty! Capitalism doesn't work if everyone wins. It needs poverty to function. Someone has to take the low-paying jobs so the profits keep flowing upward. If everyone had real financial security, no one would take those positions and the system would collapse. Morty: But Rick, that's just how the market works. Some people earn more because they provide more value. Rick: Tell that to the kid assembling your iPhone overseas for pennies while some CEO makes millions off it. Capitalism doesn't reward work, it rewards ownership. You don't climb the ladder by working hard, you climb it by owning the ladder. The workers collectively produce infinitely more value than some shareholder living in the Bahamas. Morty: Okay, but isn't it about freedom People can still move up if they make good choices. Look at people who came from nothing and became successful, like entrepreneurs or celebrities. Rick: Those are exceptions, idiot. That's why they're on TV. For every one person who makes it out, millions stay stuck because they never had the same luck, connections, or safety nets. The system needs those stories so people believe it's fair.