Texas Ribeye as a Thermometer for 'Socialism'

Meat for €16 in Texas: Capitalism Defends Itself at the Butcher Shop

The price of ribeye steak is used to justify an entire economic system. In Texas—a state known for its cattle, no less—600 grams of T-bone steak costs about €16 at the current exchange rate, according to one participant, while in Spain, a kilogram costs no less than €25 or €30. For one participant, these figures show that capitalism provides a better standard of living. The nuance emerges when looking at the wages paid for that meat.

Beef in Texas vs. Spain: What Prices Tell Us

According to one participant, the price of beef in Texas is similar to that in Spain, but the median wage in Texas is 2.5 times higher than in Spain. That same participant adds that Americans consume three times more beef. Another states that an Angus cut costing €30 here sells there for $19.33, with much higher salaries, and a third points out that gasoline costs €1 per liter.

The counterargument is not long in coming: abundance also comes at a price, argues one part of the analysis, although the material does not provide data to support it.

Anti-Theft Alarms on Anchovies: What They Reveal About Consumption

According to several participants, in Spain, there are cans of anchovies with anti-theft packaging, and jars of cream similarly. For them, this detail dismantles the notion of sarracena superiority: the supermarket protects merchandise because some people take it without paying. One participant claims that shelves are being fortified, as is already happening in New York.

Here the matter gets complicated. Some attribute the theft to lax laws and specific political management; others attribute it to decades of socialism. One participant introduces family discipline into the equation.

The USSR and the 20-Year Wait for a Car

Regarding the historical argument, one participant claims that a Soviet family waited between 15 and 20 years for housing, and the same for a car. Another states that empty gondolas made any alarms unnecessary: there was no merchandise left to protect. A third recalls the Korea and Germany test—dividing a country and seeing which side eats better—as an argument.

One participant recounts that his vvife grew up in Ceaușescu's Romania: hot water two hours a day, from six to eight, until it ran out, and neighbors complaining that a visitor used up water. Another participant defending the USSR does not mention Romania, Albania, or Poland.

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According to the narrative circulating, the Soviet standard of living in the sixties did not even approach that of Spain, when Spain was among the world's major economies. That same narrative holds that they succumbed due to the economy, not propaganda.