This is why the ruling class invests heavily in promoting bootstraps & "no free lunch" ideology. In order to accept capitalism we must have fear the spectre of cultural decadence brought about by "handouts" more than we fear suffering & death that result from artificial scarcity. https://twitter.com/riotslutt/status/1361835752020004864

Profit depends on artificial scarcity, because why would people literally work themselves to death if the necessities of survival are affordable and accessible to everyone? Landlords, medical insurance, employers, and politicians collude to keep us hungry & afraid for our lives.

And just overcharging and underpaying people isn't always enough to create the necessary artificial scarcity for capitalism to function. Sometimes food has to be straight-up wasted. We saw it in the Great Depression and we're seeing it now. Waste is a key aspect of capitalism.